Anna of Byzantium (Laurel-Leaf Books)

I did a search to see about reports on the racism in this book and only found the review from 2001 or 2000 saying it wasn’t. It is. It plays off the romantic idea of being a princess and getting whatever you want because of that. Then she has a conversation with a eunuch where she shuns (and shames) the notions of guilt, group accountability and individual responsibility (much less compassion) and encourages apathy because a priest told her that’s the way it is, and if she wants to remain a princess, she better love it. What child doesn’t want to remain a princess? Then, she’s supposed to be kind when she didn’t pull rank on a nun because she didn’t have to. That’s the first two chapters of the book. That’s the initial emotional tie for the reader- the starting point to identify with the fantastical main princess character from which all other actions are derived and established within. It’s too old to be innocent (published in 1991) and too insidious to be ignorant. It’s racist. Period.

This is an awesome book! It's kinda slow in the beginning, but all the characters are really well described, and it's a really interesting book. You can feel Anna's pain and anger. I'd never heard of Byzantium before reading this book, but I really learned alot. Again, I think this is a really good book!

In my job as a children's librarian, I read many books for children and young adults. I loved Anna of Byzantium, and was shocked to see a reader call the book "racist."I've had many young readers tell me that they loved this book. Not one of them ever mentioned feeling that it was racist. In fact, I first found out about Anna of Byzantium in a special issue of Book Links (a journal for librarians) that addressed the issue of multicultural literature (Dec. 2000/Jan. 2001)! Anna of Byzantium was a featured book.The book is NOT racist. In fact, it is clear that Anna is showing how arrogant and self-centered she is, when she is unable to perceive the beauty of her companion, Sophia (Sophia is a Turk, one of many enslaved by the Greek rulers). As Anna grows and matures, she learns to respect and love Sophia. At the end, she wonders how she could ever have perceived her as ugly.One other reviewer made a similar mistake, when she (he?) said that it was hard to see how John, a cruel and evil child, could grow up to be a beloved ruler of the Byzantine Empire. Can't this reader tell that we are seeing John through the eyes of his desperately jealous big sister? If not, I guess this proves that Barrett is so skillful at drawing the reader into Anna's world that an inattentive reader might confuse her misguided perceptions with the reality: that he is a lonely little boy who is trying hard to get his power-hungry, manipulative relatives to love him.Anna thinks he is stupid because he can't read. But careful attention to the reading will show that he is dyslexic. Unfortunately, even today some people confuse the two. So it's understandable that a jealous big sister, living centuries before anyone ever heard of learning disabilities, would fall into that trap too.If there were more than 5 stars to give to a book, I would give them to Anna of Byzantium!

Born in the royal purple chamber of the palace, Anna Comnena was the first born of Byzantine Emperor Alexius, and therefore his heir. She was a princess, and had maids who waited on her hand and foot. As she grew up and matured, she was taught the art of diplomacy by her grandmother. She was also taught how to battle when diplomacy didn't work and how to compromise when she was tired of battling. Her grandmother was a very manipulating woman who wanted power for herself. Anna, though, was not the type of puppet her grandmother wanted her to be. The Emperor always listened to his mother, and she, Anna's grandmother, had complete power over him. One of the most important moments in Anna's story is when her grandmother makes the Emperor change his mind about who should be the future ruler of the empire... She was very beautiful, but behind her beauty there was determination. Perhaps, if she hadn't been so determined in trying to show her independence, she would have been become Empress of Byzantium.There was a stormy relationship between Anna and her grandmother. Because of their equally strong determination, they both ended up hating each other. Anna hated her grandmother because she was always manipulating and conspiring, and all she wanted to do was to take over the Empire for herself. Her grandmother hated Anna for exactly the opposite reason, because she always told the truth, and would not let herself be turned into her puppet. This relationship was extremely tense, and gave me goose bumps any time both of them were together.The conflict throughout the whole book was thus between Anna and her grandmother. With all the hatred between them, they were always trying to find ways to humiliate to each other... As you read the book you are both anxious and frightened just by thinking of their next move.The author keeps the story constantly moving forward with many different exciting plots. Anna's grandmother teaches her how to be the ruler of an Empire while her father is away at war. Anna then realizes that her grandmother wants power for herself, and is only using Anna as her puppet. When Anna's father comes back from the war, the grandmother makes him change his mind about who should be the heir. When Anna's father dies, the throne is passed on to her little brother, with his grandmother at his side. Anna makes an attempt to kill her brother, but is betrayed and banished to a convent in the faraway mountains from where she will never be able to take revenge. Anna is visited by friends, who make her finally forget the misery of the past years and open a whole new world to her eyes.I learned from the book that you have to resist being hypocritical, untrustworthy and unjust, because it only increases your problems. Even if it makes you happy at that moment, sooner or later it will come back to you, and you will pay for it.I thought that the entire book was thrilling because something unexpected happened at the e

I've always been fascinated by Byzantine times, and my mother, knowing this, told me about this book. Yes, it is loosely based on historical fact, but Ms. Barrett explains that very thouroughly in her author's notes. In it, you are drawn into a world of intrigue and historical majesty. Anna wasn't so kind and sweet; she was quite frankly polished to be a ruler. Ever seen "I, Claudius"? I've only seen the Masterpiece Theatre version, but Anna's grandmother sure reminded me of Livia-- wicked and crafty and all. One thing that needs to be changed is the arrangement with the ending. The second to last chapter had such good closer, and the information in the last chapter should have come before. The analogy with Sophie's picture left me with such satisfaction that I was sort of jolted with another chapter. But, all around, this is the best book I read this summer!

Both my daughter and I loved the story. What a creative and artistic author. We highly recommend it!!