Book Summary
Chains is a novel by Laurie Halse Anderson, first published in 2008. It is a fictional story following the life and struggles of Isabel and her little sister, Ruth, during the events of the American Revolutionary War (Anderson 7). Isabel seeks to help the rebels against the loyalists to free herself and her little sister from Robert Finch, a known loyalist and a cruel master (Anderson 10). I read this book during my course and found it engaging and historically enlightening. Despite the characters being fictional, Anderson captures the spirit of that time well.
Exploration of the Book and Its Elements
The book’s plot is exciting, focusing on children as the story’s main protagonists. The setting is the American Revolutionary War, which is heralded as the battle for freedom – an idea that both Isabel and Ruth completely buy into (Anderson 28). They both are the symbols representing the African Americans currently employed as enslaved people in the country. They are young, naive, and relatively powerless but find ways of helping fight for the cause they believe in (Anderson 34). The fact that slavery was institutionalized and maintained for centuries after the Revolutionary War serves as a symbol of broken trust. The themes and style of the book revolve around danger, naivety, purity, and struggle versus the harsh reality of the world. Freedom is heralded as the ultimate goal for the two girls and the entire nation. It is something worth fighting and dying for. Likewise, life in captivity and bondage is wrought with hardship and injustice and is something to fight against.
Personal Recommendation
I think people interested in black perspectives of the American Revolutionary War would find it very interesting to read this book. There are not many accounts of how various enslaved Black people perceived the war. Though imaginary, the characters are very compelling, and the author researched the subject, which makes the book come alive. Children aged ten and above would also find the book interesting. The American Revolutionary War is the cornerstone of our society. Experiencing its history through the prism of the perception of other children would be an interesting way for them to learn. Overall, however, I think the book would be enjoyable for all readers and audiences. The subject is politically relevant even up to this day, without being divisive or purposefully breeding hate or strife. It seeks to bring about an understanding of the nuanced events of ages long past.
Social Issues
The central social issue in this book is slavery. This is hinted at in the title of the book – “Chains”. They represent the physical chains of bondage and the societal perceptions of people and classes. It also showed how blacks were used by all sides of the conflict, either as labor force, spies, or anything else – as valuable tools to promulgate their cause. As history shows us, in the end, this war brought liberation only for whites, while blacks remained in bondage.
Connections to Lecture Books
One connection I found to our course book is that it demonstrates how serious and important topics could be introduced into students’ literature from an early age. The secret is to allow them to emphasize and experience the story through the eyes of people who they could connect with (Hintz and Tribunella 70). Children can do so with other children more so than with adults. It is because they think differently, with emotions and colors, more so than with pure logic. I think Chains does a great job of connecting to different audiences and normalizing black history.
Works Cited
Anderson, Laurie Halse. Chains. Vol. 1. Simon and Schuster, 2010.
Hintz, Carrie, and Eric L. Tribunella. Reading Children’s Literature: A Critical Introduction. Broadview Press, 2019.