Cy in Chains


Cy in Chains coverTHE LOWDOWN:
Cy Williams, thirteen, has always known that he and the other black folks on Strong’s plantation have to obey white men, no question. Sure, he’s free, as black people have been since his grandfather’s day, but in rural Georgia, that means they’re free to be whipped, abused, even killed. Almost four years later, Cy yearns for that freedom, such as it was. Now he’s a chain gang laborer, forced to do backbreaking work, penned in and shackled like an animal, brutalized, beaten, and humiliated by the boss of the camp and his hired overseers. For Cy and the boys he’s chained to, there’s no way out, no way back. And then hope begins to grow in him, along with strength and courage he didn’t know he had. Cy is sure that a chance at freedom is worth any risk, any sacrifice.”

 

FIRST IMPRESSION:
There was no way to escape the shouting and noises of animal terror bursting from Teufel’s stall. The crack of the whip against the stallion’s side, the horse’s maddened whinnying of rage and fear, the curses from John Strong’s mouth.

—ARC paperback edition

SNAPSHOT:
Teenage Cy learns the hard way that while slavery is supposed to be illegal, there are white men out there who still have ways of oppressing and enslaving young black men like himself. At the slightest provocation, boys as young as nine or ten are ripped from their freedom and sent to serve time on chain gangs for insignificant or made-up crimes.

Cy’s story in the boy’s labor camp is hard to turn away from, due to the brutal territory it covers. His friends, like Jess, Mouse, and Billy, are well-developed through a few simple, sorrowful strokes as we learn pieces of their past and hopes for the future. The villains, the labor camp owner and his guards, invoke quick, strong emotions–mostly contempt and disgust, but at least one has moments of sympathy and empathy with the boys.

Cy Williams’ tragic tale bookends brilliantly, pulling together all the emotional strings that the young man wove throughout the novel. Like a steadily pounding drumbeat, the pacing grows more intense with each new chapter.

Recommended for ages 12+. Some strong language, no drug or alcohol use, violence as punishment, murder, and one scene of implied sexual assault. Deals with false imprisonment, racial prejudice, slavery and freedom, finding personal faith, end of childhood innocence, learning to trust again, justice, and taking fate into your own hands.

Readers would benefit from further discussion on how things have changed or not changed since Cy’s time, especially in regards to how people treat young men and women of color and other teenagers suspected of even minor crimes. Could Cy’s story happen today? How does class, race, and age provide or remove privilege from the accused and the accuser?

 

GET IT ON YOUR SHELF:

If you…

– Are fascinated with all things American Civil War
– Have ever wondered what it was like for African Americans post-slavery
– Need a tale of the bad guys getting their comeuppance
– Enjoy characters who stand up for themselves and others

 

THE ESSENTIALS:

YA Historical

Hardcover, 336 pages

Published December 17th, 2013 by Clarion Books (ISBN 0547919680)

 

(Review copy provided by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.)

 

 

 


cy-in-chains

Cy in Chains coverTHE LOWDOWN:
Cy Williams, thirteen, has always known that he and the other black folks on Strong’s plantation have to obey white men, no question. Sure, he’s free, as black people have been since his grandfather’s day, but in rural Georgia, that means they’re free to be whipped, abused, even killed. Almost four years later, Cy yearns for that freedom, such as it was. Now he’s a chain gang laborer, forced to do backbreaking work, penned in and shackled like an animal, brutalized, beaten, and humiliated by the boss of the camp and his hired overseers. For Cy and the boys he’s chained to, there’s no way out, no way back. And then hope begins to grow in him, along with strength and courage he didn’t know he had. Cy is sure that a chance at freedom is worth any risk, any sacrifice.”

 

FIRST IMPRESSION:
There was no way to escape the shouting and noises of animal terror bursting from Teufel’s stall. The crack of the whip against the stallion’s side, the horse’s maddened whinnying of rage and fear, the curses from John Strong’s mouth.

—ARC paperback edition

SNAPSHOT:
Teenage Cy learns the hard way that while slavery is supposed to be illegal, there are white men out there who still have ways of oppressing and enslaving young black men like himself. At the slightest provocation, boys as young as nine or ten are ripped from their freedom and sent to serve time on chain gangs for insignificant or made-up crimes.

Cy’s story in the boy’s labor camp is hard to turn away from, due to the brutal territory it covers. His friends, like Jess, Mouse, and Billy, are well-developed through a few simple, sorrowful strokes as we learn pieces of their past and hopes for the future. The villains, the labor camp owner and his guards, invoke quick, strong emotions–mostly contempt and disgust, but at least one has moments of sympathy and empathy with the boys.

Cy Williams’ tragic tale bookends brilliantly, pulling together all the emotional strings that the young man wove throughout the novel. Like a steadily pounding drumbeat, the pacing grows more intense with each new chapter.

Recommended for ages 12+. Some strong language, no drug or alcohol use, violence as punishment, murder, and one scene of implied sexual assault. Deals with false imprisonment, racial prejudice, slavery and freedom, finding personal faith, end of childhood innocence, learning to trust again, justice, and taking fate into your own hands.

Readers would benefit from further discussion on how things have changed or not changed since Cy’s time, especially in regards to how people treat young men and women of color and other teenagers suspected of even minor crimes. Could Cy’s story happen today? How does class, race, and age provide or remove privilege from the accused and the accuser?

 

GET IT ON YOUR SHELF:

If you…

– Are fascinated with all things American Civil War
– Have ever wondered what it was like for African Americans post-slavery
– Need a tale of the bad guys getting their comeuppance
– Enjoy characters who stand up for themselves and others

 

THE ESSENTIALS:

YA Historical

Hardcover, 336 pages

Published December 17th, 2013 by Clarion Books (ISBN 0547919680)

 

(Review copy provided by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.)