1951 Newbery Winner
Finished 11-29-06
At-mun was supposed to be a king. Instead he is a slave. When he was just a boy, slave traders abducted him. He is sold in America and his name is changed to Amos. Amos Fortune, Free Man is a chronicle of his life from that point, until his death at the ripe old age of ninety.
Amos Fortune really was an inspiring man. Despite the way he had been wronged, he did not harbor anger in his heart. His goal in life was to make people free: some from slavery, some from poverty, and some from hatred.
But (here it comes) I really think this could have been written more compellingly. It wasn’t difficult to read. It wasn’t terrible. I just think the book could have made Amos Fortune come more to life. I’m not a big nonfiction reader, so if I’m going to like something that’s nonfiction, it has to be really good. The way the book was written felt okay—but it wasn’t great.
I do think Amos Fortune was a man worth writing about. I’m just not sure that this book did him justice.
(Wow, that’s three somewhat-negative review in a row. I promise, promise that I will do a positive review next time.)
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1 comment:
I think you hit the nail on the head with this review. I couldn't help thinking that a re-write (it is pretty loosely based on the facts, anyway) could make Amos Fortune's story much more interesting.
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