1776: Son of Liberty: A Novel of the American Revolution

Middle schoolers and high schoolers are at an age when the complexities, subtleties and harsh realties of life become part of their lives as they encounter the real world through experience, the media, and literature. It is the parents' job to gauge their son's or daughter's readiness and maturity to meet these complicated subjects, but one thing is certain...our young children will face these more severe issues of life with or without us. This excellent book provides an opportunity for parents to read along with their children and discuss these topics with them. Elizabeth Massie's "1776: Son of Liberty" provides a highly age-appropriate and thought-provoking platform for such gritty subjects as war and racism and the concerns that those subjects entail, but it also tempers that with the more noble aspects of being a human being... discussions of what freedom means, loyalty, love, friendship and the triumph of the human spirit over tragedy. This book tells the life of a "free black" and his enslaved friend, and how they grow and learn about themselves and the world against the backdrop of the American Revolution. By no means is this book a "dark novel" but it is a shining example of how people can triumph over adversity. It's a subject for today.

As the mother of two adolescents (11 and 14), I found this book to be highly appropriate and thought-provoking for both of them, presenting issues that are not only historic but also contemporary. War, slavery, love, friendship, abuse of power, freedom, and loyalty. The story does not flinch from the more gritty aspects of slavery and I am glad for that. We do our children no service to not let them understand an event in its context; there is a brief rape scene but what followed in the story was the triumph of the human spirit over such tragedy. This book shares the life of a "free black" and his enslaved friend, and how they grow and learn about themselves and the world against the backdrop of the American Revolution. An excellent novel I would recommend highly to middle schoolers and high schoolers.

This book takes a look at the years prior to the American Revolution and then into the war from an original and not often used point of view...that of a teenaged free black who lives an isolated life on a Quaker farm in Maryland. He hears about the struggles and the disagreements between the colonies and England but it really doesn't affect him much. Until he is banished from the farm for kissing the daughter of the farm owner, helps a slave friend escape from a neighboring farm, then goes south to join up with Lord Dunmore's Ethiopian Regiment. This regiment was made of ex-slaves and free blacks who wanted to fight on the side of the British. I disagree somewhat with the previous reviewer who says Massie offers facts through a black and white lens. I found the book very balanced...should a free black fight for the British? Should he fight for the Colonies? Does he have a stake in fighting at all? The story was not interjected with author feelings but rang true as coming from the turmoil in Caleb's own mind. An excellent book for classrooms while teaching the Revolution as it addresses a little discussed population at the time. It has lots of accurate details of the time period. Also an excellent book for teenagers or adults looking for an adventurous tale set in historical America.

Over all, this is a good book. It's narrative is written very well, with a slight but no over bearing of cynical humor to it. Basically, it's about this free black boy during the Revolutionary war. His close friend, who is a slave is nearly beaten to death by his master. Fortunately, our hero saves his friend. Unfortunately, in the process they make themselves wanted men. They run off to join the British army, being as our hero's friend believes this is his only way to freedom. I won't spoil it for you but this book had me near tears a few times. Typical of Massie's Young Founders series, it is pretty opinionated and I found myself agitated by her constant almost black and white picture of the revolution. But if that doesn't bug you that much. As a matter of fact, I highly recommend this book, esp. if you have a book report to do for History class