Copper Sun

First of all, a couple of things need to be made clear, and I will do it as nicely as I can. The main character, Amari, was brutally captured in Africa and brought to America to be a slave. On the voyage across the sea, the women were not treated with much respect. The same is true at the slave market. Amari was not an ugly person, and she was not bought for her strength....

Draper does a good job in her award winning book. Although it is about slavery, and the cruelty involved, it does have a somewhat happy ending. After thinking about this book, I realized Draper could have made it a lot worse. In the above clarification I told you what the 'bad' parts were... but I feel that I should defend Draper, a little. When 'certain things happen', the author does not go into detail. Nothing was brought up that made me close the book in disgust. Draper did not disclose what happen, she did not hide it, but she did not describe it. Make sense?

Amari is betrothed to Besa, and is happy because of it. Their plans change when their tribe is attacked and the survivors are chained together and forced to march. Amari has lost everything. She witnessed the death of her mother, father, and younger brother. No one she knew is ever the same again. She meets many other people on her journey. Afi, who offers love and encouragement; Polly, who despises Amari at first; Teenie, who cooks all the meals for the Derbys; Mrs. Isabelle Derby, who offers many questions and problems; and, my favorite, Tidbit; Teenie's seven year old son who haslots of dreams and games still lingering in him.

Copper Sun will not be a book one easily forgets. Let me end with a quotation from the book's Cover " Stolen from her village, sold to the highest bidder, fifteen-year-old Amari has only one thing left of her own -hope."