"Copper Sun" by Sharon Draper is a winner of the Coretta Scott King Award. It takes place in the 1770s. The protagonist is Amari, a fifteen-year-old girl, who is the "golden girl" of her village. She has it all: a handsome fiancee and a loving family. But her life changes forever when she is captured in her African village and is sold into slavery. She is headed to the Carolinas. In the ship, headed to a foreign land, Amari meets Afi, who acts as a mentor to the girl, telling her to stay hopeful--despite the dire circumstances.
Once in America, Amari is sold to a plantation owner, who gives the girl to his son for a birthday present. Amari meets a white girl named Polly, who is also a servant. The two girls become fast friends. Later, they (along with a small boy) escape to Florida.
This book is intense. It leaves little to the imagination in terms of the subjugation of women by men and spares no details. It is written for a teen audience and I wonder if perhaps it is a bit too intense for a teen audience? I really don't know. I think that it might have been too heavy for me as a teen. I would love to ask a teenager who has read it, if it was too much or just right. It is certainly a powerful book based on the very nature of the subject matter.
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