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Copper Sun
 | Copper Sun Draper, Sharon Date: 03 January, 2006 — $11.53 — Book Rating: |
During the nineteenth century, Amari is an African teenager, living a happy life in her village with her loving parents and brother. She is promised in marriage to the gentle, Besa. Her life takes a nightmarish turn, when pale faced vistors invade her village and kill her entire family and several friends. Amari is captured and sold into the slavery in the Carolina colony. Polly, a white teenager from the colonies, is forced into indentured servitude in order to make up for her late father's debts. The two girls are brought together at Derbyshire, home of Mister Derby, his son, Clay, and his suffering wife, Isabelle. Amari, whose name is changed to Myna, is beaten severly by Mister Derby, and is raped by Clay. Polly ,at first, has no feelings for Amari or the other slaves, and longs only to work at the big house. However, over time, Polly grows sympathetic and close to Amari, and the two girls, become friends. Along with Tidbit, a four year old boy and a slave, the they attempt to escape to Florida.
This is the most powerful and most graphic juvenile/Young Adult novel I have ever read about American slavery. The descriptions of Amari's treatment in the holding station in Africa and on the slave ship are harrowing. The most haunting scenes involve the use of Tidbit, by some white boys, as "bait" for aligators, and the murder of a slave and his half white baby daughter. Draper, to her credit, does not sugar coat anything, in this novel, and while some passages are hard to read, they're important to the story. Draper also doesn't depict the majority of her characters are being either completely good or completely evil. Two characters, in particular, stand out. One sailor, on the slave ship, actually is very kind to Amari, and while the rest of his crewmates rape most of the African women, he teaches Amari English, so that she can survive in the colonies. Yet, he still participates in the slave trade. In a similar vein, Amari and Polly encounter a woman, who is very enthusiastic about helping them escape, and, in fact, proves to be a big help. Amari is surprised to learn that this woman owns slaves, and has no plans to set them free.
I highly reccomend this book to adults and teenagers, alike. It really affected me. Due to the graphic nature of some of the scenes, the book may be a hard read for some on the younger side of the YA set.
