Book Review: Copper Sun by Sharon Draper

Description of Copper Sunfrom Amazon:

"Amari's life was once perfect. Engaged to the handsomest man in her tribe, adored by her family, and living in a beautiful village, she could not have imagined everything could be taken away from her in an instant. But when slave traders invade her village and brutally murder her entire family, Amari finds herself dragged away to a slave ship headed to the Carolinas, where she is bought by a plantation owner and given to his son as a birthday present.

Survival seems all that Amari can hope for. But then an act of unimaginable cruelty provides her with an opportunity to escape, and with an indentured servant named Polly she flees to Fort Mose, Florida, in search of sanctuary at the Spanish colony. Can the illusive dream of freedom sustain Amari and Polly on their arduous journey, fraught with hardship and danger?"

This book was haunting and awful and beautiful all wrapped up in one. Amari's survival through the brutalities and hardships she faces as a slave is just amazing. Throughout the book, I wondered how people could survive these horrors. The answer testifies to the tenacity of the human spirit - hope. I was blown away. I love how it shows Amari struggling to like any white person, even ones who show her kindness or help her. I imagine it was extremely difficult to overcome those feelings of revulsion. Though the part where they run away seems a little lacking in detail, I had to keep reading to know what happened to Amari, Polly, and Tidbit.

RATINGS:
s-factor: !
Mostly racial slurs.

mrg-factor: X
Rape is commonplace, but not described.

v-factor: ->->
Violent death and other cruelty to slaves. Not overly descriptive, however.

Overall rating: ****