Book Review: The Other Side of Free
Someday. There's a place for us, and all that jazz (West Side Story). But seriously, someday I will be caught up on my book reviews--in time for me to fall behind again. That's how it works.
In 1739, Jem has escaped slavery and made it to "freedom" granted by the Spanish at Fort Mose in Florida. But as the British close in on Fort Mose, they begin to wonder whether this is what they were promised, or if they are just meat shields/resources to the Spanish. As Jem learns about the idea of freedom, the ideal of freedom, family, and trust, history swirls around him.
I enjoyed this book, but not as much as I think I could have. In a lot of ways, it felt like it was a Newbery-fisher. You probably know what I mean by that. They were trying very, very hard to win a Newbery award, but in the end, it would have been more worthy of a Newbery if the author hadn't wanted one quite as bad. The symbols felt manufactured rather than natural, and the historical fiction element felt researched. That's both a good thing and a bad thing--she did her research, but she didn't insert herself into the mindsets, the paradigm of the time, and it came off like a fifth-grader's well-researched history assignment.
I did enjoy the approaching an aspect of slave history that people don't usually know about/treat in literature, and the character was generally likeable. Basically, if I could just say one thing about it: it felt like she was trying just a little bit too hard.
Four stars for this one.
In 1739, Jem has escaped slavery and made it to "freedom" granted by the Spanish at Fort Mose in Florida. But as the British close in on Fort Mose, they begin to wonder whether this is what they were promised, or if they are just meat shields/resources to the Spanish. As Jem learns about the idea of freedom, the ideal of freedom, family, and trust, history swirls around him.
I enjoyed this book, but not as much as I think I could have. In a lot of ways, it felt like it was a Newbery-fisher. You probably know what I mean by that. They were trying very, very hard to win a Newbery award, but in the end, it would have been more worthy of a Newbery if the author hadn't wanted one quite as bad. The symbols felt manufactured rather than natural, and the historical fiction element felt researched. That's both a good thing and a bad thing--she did her research, but she didn't insert herself into the mindsets, the paradigm of the time, and it came off like a fifth-grader's well-researched history assignment.
I did enjoy the approaching an aspect of slave history that people don't usually know about/treat in literature, and the character was generally likeable. Basically, if I could just say one thing about it: it felt like she was trying just a little bit too hard.
Four stars for this one.
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