1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Anderson, Laurie Halse. 2008 Chains. New Yourk: Thorndible Perss. ISBN 1416905863

2. PLOT SUMMARY

Two slave girls, Isabel and her younger sister Ruth, are brought to New York to serve the Lockton’s family. It is the height of the American Revolution and the Lockton’s are staunch Loyalists. A slave boy named Curzon convinces Isabel to spy on her owners. Learning of a plot to assassinate George Washington, Isabel steals a list of the conspirators and delivers it to the rebels. In the meantime, Curzon enlists in the American Army and is captured and imprisoned. Isabel eventually helps Curzon escape and leads him to safety. The book ends with promises of a sequel as Isabel hopes to rescue Ruth, who has been sent to the Lockton’s estate in Charleston.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Laurie Halse Anderson has written an enthralling tale of the evils of slavery and the furor of the colonial rebellion against England. The story unfolds at a fast pace as one incident leads smoothly into another. The characters speak in a believable manner without any embarrassing modernisms. The reader is left with an indelible impression of the casual acceptance of the subjugation of one group of people by the Americans at the same time they were fighting for their own freedom.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT

“The metaphor of chains, as suggested in the title, is primary in the novel. Chains are heavy; they are used to bind, constrict, and control, and Isabel is covered in them. She is bound by her race, her status, and her sex. Yet even when she cannot physically remove

these chains, she can mentally break free from them. Isabel reads, learns, and expands her mind. She keeps her ears and her heart open to possibilities; even her liabilities become her strengths. From this, young readers will find themselves easily connecting to Isabel and her plight, delighting in the idea that one person, much like themselves, can make a difference, can be brave enough to risk it all in hopes of a better life..”

Walsh, L. (2009). Chains. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 53(3), 263-265. Retrieved from Academic Search Complete database.

5 Connections

Anderson, Laurie Halse. 1999. Speak. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux. ISBN 9780374371524