As a student in grammar school, high school, and college, I never had an interest in history. There was always something dull and unexciting about events that happened decades, centuries, or even thousands of years before. Maybe it was the way the material was presented by dull teachers, disinterested coaches, or stuffy professors, but I never found the tales of past events worthy of my time. As I get older though, there's something about historical events that seems to pique my interest. More and more I find myself swept away by books that retell an incident from the past in such a way that it reads like a modern day murder mystery. Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson is one such book. Ms. Anderson also happens to be one of my favorite writers. Her first YA novel, Speak, and her last one, Twisted, are representative of everything a YA novel should be. The same can be said of her current work, Chains, in regard to historical fiction. Anderson relates true events from American history, embellishes them with writings from the period, then adds a fictional protagonist who is representative of the times and (voila!) she's got herself a book that is already receiving accolades in the literary world.The setting is the American colonies just prior to the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. Isabel is a 13-year-old slave in Rhode Island who, along with her 5-year-old sister Ruth, is promised freedom upon the death of their master. As fate would have it, the girls find themselves displaced to New York City and become the property of the Locktons, a cruel couple with sympathies for the British crown. Isabel soon meets a boy slave named Curzon who has thrown his allegiance to the Americans. He enlists Isabel's help in spying for the Rebels and she soon figures out that her loyalty can be bought in exchange for her freedom. Isabel tells the events of the American Revolution from 1776 to 1777 from a slave's point of view. George Washington, General Howe, and other real people become characters in her story, which is a highly-researched conglomeration of tales related by real-life slaves and publications of those times.
Chains is wonderfully written and will probably find many fans among American history buffs, U.S. History teachers, and anyone interested in a fast-paced, action-filled narrative. I honestly could not put it down. The chapters are brief, but compelling, making it easy to digest in small segments. My only 'disappointment' (for lack of a better word) with the book is its 'abrupt' ending. At the time I was reading, I assumed it was a stand-alone novel. I knew there were only a few pages left at the end, and I just figured the story would wind down to a pleasant denouement in the coming few pages. It didn't. The final printed pages were notes about the research and acknowledgments to those who had assisted in its development. I had no idea it was the first book in a planned trilogy. Now I can't wait for Forge, the second book in the series, to see what happens next!
A copy of Chains is available from Stone Middle School Library. It is suitable for elementary age to adults.
