Chains

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Isabel and her sister Ruth are slaves with the promise of freedom when their owner dies of smallpox and leaves a statement in her will promising freedom. That dream is soon eliminated when the heir of the owner's estate manages to keep the pastor from reading the will. Isabel and Ruth are sold to a Loyalist couple in upstate New York during the Revolutionary War. The cruel treatment by her Loyalist mistress underscores the fact that Isabel is in chains, not only because of her slave status, but she is chained between the rebels and the Loyalists, finding she can trust neither. Although there are promises made to her from both sides, she finds she must find her own freedom. This would be a worthwhile accompanying novel for middle and high school American Studies, Civil Rights, and African American History.

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