Wow. I have just finished reading Laurie Halse Anderson’s Chains, appropriately on the very day Barack Obama was inaugurated as President of the United States. Both the book and the occasion are moving and magnificent.
I thought I knew a lot about the history of this country but the story Laurie tells was new to me. How we suffered to become a free and independent country, and how long it has taken us to grant independence and freedom to all our citizens.
Chains has won numerous awards, and many of you have already read it. For those who haven’t, let me say that thirteen-year-old Isabel is a slave in Revolutionary War New York who dreams of freedom. Betrayed by both sides, she discovers that her loyalties lie not with politics or armies but with those she loves. Isabel must be dancing with joy today. I know I am.
Yes, we can.
