The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox
The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox, is a 1974 Newbery Medal winner. Set in 1840, 13 year old Jessie Bollier lives a simple but relatively safe childhood. He plays his fife down on the docks in New Orleans for a few pennies which helps supports his mother and sister. Sometimes, out of idle curiosity, he would walk down to the slave market and watch men, women, and children be sold. One evening, while on an errand for his mother, Jessie is kidnapped and taken aboard The Moonlight, a slave ship headed to Africa for new cargo to take back to Cuba. He’s been taken for a purpose and that’s to play music so the slaves could “dance” to keep them from going weak on their journey; to keep them more profitable. Jessie is apprehensive about his work, especially when he sees the cruelty from the crew members towards the blacks. After four months at sea, Jessie and the crew experience an awful horror that will be a turning point in the rest of Jessie’s life.
The Slave Dancer is not an easy read. It’s very slow to start and I admit that I would often set the book down because it really dragged. The story certainly picked up after arriving in Africa and acquiring its cargo. By cargo, I mean men, women and children taken from their homeland and forced into conditions that no human should ever have to experience. There are some difficult scenes to read about. I heard somebody describe it as a “casual cruelty.” That’s exactly what makes this book such an emotional read. There is a scene where they just start throwing people overboard. It’s just awful.
Jessie has a lot of guilt about the role that he plays in the slave trade. He learns about prejudice, racism, trust, and eventually friendship. The Slave Dancer is well worth reading and an excellent insight into the slave industry.
The Slave Dancer is part of my themed reading for the month of February which celebrates Black History Month. Join me this month as I explore books that celebrate the history of African-Americans. Also reviewed this month: Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope by Nikki Grime, The Well by Mildred D. Taylor, Freedom Walkers, The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Russell Freedman, Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges and Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson. Other reviews of interest: A Thousand Never Evers by Shana Burg, Yankee Girl by Mary Ann Rodman, Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, and Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis.
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Category: Book Reviews, Fiction, Young Adult
Tags: Africa, banned, Black history, E-H Author, historical fiction, Newbery, Q-T Title, slavery
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I actually own this book and I read it ages ago, but the details were all fuzzy.
Your review brought it back a little bit clearer. I remember the scene you were speaking about where people are being thrown overboard. I remember it dragging as well for a bit. It is worth the read though.
For some reason your review also brought the movie Amistad to my mind. That was a powerful movie. The slave trade was just so brutal. I remember watching that movie when I was 19 or 20 and crying while watching it. I’m not usually a crier during movies, that is, unless I am pregnant and then I cry at toothpaste ads.
on February 10th, 2009 at 10:06 pmI read this years ago, and remember being blown away by the loveliness of Fox’s prose.
Did you know Fox is the biological grandmother of Courtney Love? Bizarre, but true.
on February 14th, 2009 at 10:34 amJenn M. – I watched Amistad years and years ago. I don’t cry very much but you can guarantee that I’ll be crying in two seconds flat when Extreme Makeover – Home Edition starts!
Girl Detective – That is really bizarre!
on February 15th, 2009 at 9:33 pmI’m looking forward to reading this one eventually. I know she wrote a few novels that have been adapted to the screen but I was disappointed to learn this wasn’t one of them
on February 16th, 2009 at 6:40 pmJessie believes that Captain cawthorne is no better then pirate, a person who preys on others. Do you agree or digree with Jessie assement?Why?
on March 21st, 2009 at 2:24 am