It explains which events in the novel were real and which are fiction, and helps readers make sense of a story that may challenge their previous ideas about 'good guys and bad guys' in the Revolutionary War. The appendix - which is offered in a question-and-answer format - provides further context and historical facts. This novel also uniquely sets the crime of slavery within the context of the American Revolutionary War, inviting children to examine the concept of 'freedom' in relation to the colonists vs. Youngsters will respond to her pain and the unfairness of her situation, and they will get a sense of the incredible physical and emotional hardships that enslaved children endured. Isabel is courageous and bright, and devoted to her little sister. Laurie Halse Anderson's brutally realistic novel will move and educate readers about slavery in late 18th century New York. Dead bodies are stacked like cordwood and dumped in pits. Men are hung and stabbed people are killed in battle, fire, and lightning.

Violence includes a girl branded on the cheek and slashed in the face with a riding crop. Isabel is also exposed to the treatment of prisoners of war, who are left to starve in atrocious conditions, and she observes the behavior of wealthy and selfish White people who often drink to excess and gorge themselves while the enslaved and prisoners go hungry. Isabel survives extreme physical abuse from her enslaver, including beatings, neglect, imprisonment, and more. The story is narrated by Isabel, a young enslaved woman who's devoted to her younger sister, Ruth. This novel pulls no punches about the price of freedom for those who are enslaved or for the American Revolutionary rebels.

Chains is a realistic, heartbreaking depiction of life as an enslaved person in war-torn New York in 1776. Parents need to know that Chains is the first book in Laurie Halse Anderson's The Seeds of America trilogy, followed by Forge and Ashes. Men smoke pipes.ĭid you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide. Adults drink brandy, wine, beer, and their behavior changes when they are drunk they speak more loudly, are less alert.

Book chains by laurie halse anderson