The Hemingses of Monticello by Annette Gordon-Reed

Released September 17, 2008

This title was announced as a finalist for the National Book Award in the nonfiction category.

“Starred Review. This is a scholar’s book: serious, thick, complex. It’s also fascinating, wise and of the utmost importance. Gordon-Reed, a professor of both history and law who in her previous book helped solve some of the mysteries of the intimate relationship between Thomas Jefferson and his slave Sally Hemings, now brings to life the entire Hemings family and its tangled blood links with slave-holding Virginia whites over an entire century. Gordon-Reed never slips into cynicism about the author of the Declaration of Independence. Instead, she shows how his life was deeply affected by his slave kinspeople: his lover (who was the half-sister of his deceased wife) and their children. Everyone comes vividly to life, as do the places, like Paris and Philadelphia, in which Jefferson, his daughters and some of his black family lived. So, too, do the complexities and varieties of slaves’ lives and the nature of the choices they had to make—when they had the luxury of making a choice. Gordon-Reed’s genius for reading nearly silent records makes this an extraordinary work.” – Publisher’s Weekly

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

Released: Oct. 21, 2008

“With this novel, Anderson returns to the genre she so skillfully explored in Fever 1793. She tells the story of Isabel, a young, orphaned slave whose promised freedom is ripped from her grasp when she and her five-year-old sister, Ruth, are sold to a cruel mistress and shipped from their quiet farm life to New York City during early days of the American Revolution. New York is a city divided and volatile. Isabel is owned by a Loyalist family, wooed by the Patriots, and betrayed by both sides. Each setback pushes Isabel deeper into herself, cut off from everything but her own self-preservation. Despite her efforts and the obvious danger, however, she cannot turn her back on the people who have been kind to her. This exceptional book pulls in readers from the first sentence and keeps them engaged through the last with its gentle pacing and gripping portrayal of a young woman struggling to stay true to herself and fighting for her freedom in any way she can. The layers of complexity, detail, and rich imagery found within these pages allow more mature readers to delve deeply while still giving younger middle school readers a story and characters they will appreciate. Through the graceful simplicity of dialogue and narration, even brief side characters are deftly drawn and believable. Thought-provoking and emotional, Isabel’s story will linger long after the last page has been read.”  –VOYA