Customer Reviews

Forge (Chains Series)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If by some chance you missed Chains, you'll want to read it before delving into this sequel--the second volume of a planned trilogy. Chains, set at the beginning of the Revolutionary War, focuses on the story of Isabel, a 13-year old slave owned by a prominent New York City family who support the British. Isabel meets another slave, Curzon, with ties to the Patriots, and becomes a spy for the Patriot cause--with the hopes of obtaining her freedom.

In Forge, the story begins where Chains ends, with Isabel and Curzon escaping to freedom, but the focus of the story quickly changes from Isabel to Curzon. The two have separated again, with Isabel running away to try to find her sister and Curzon finding himself in the middle of the Battle of Saratoga, then enlisting in the Patriot army. The irony of a slave fighting for the freedom of others does not escape Curzon, who attempts to argue his case with his friend and fellow soldier Eben. Curzon questions whether bad laws deserve to be broken, but Eben is frustrated by Curzon's logic. "Two slaves running away from their rightful master," he says," is not the same as America wanting to be free of England. Not the same at all."

But when the army arrives at the winter encampment at Valley Forge, white and black soldiers alike are unprepared to deal with the conditions there: about 12,000 soldiers with no barracks, bitter cold, and no meat. The author begins each chapter with a quote from a contemporary source, many of which are increasingly desperate reports from General Washington to the Continental Congress on the need for supplies of all kinds, from food to shoes to clothing. Most days rations consisted of nothing but firecake, a mix of flour and water that tasted like ashes and dirt, and was "hard enough to break rat's teeth." Anderson so successfully evokes conditions at the camp that we groan along with the men at their terrible conditions. But the men manage to find a little humor in their situation..no food means "we've got nothing to fart with." A special treat for Christmas is a piece of chewy pigskin to chew on (I'm assuming like the pigs ears people buy now for our dogs).

Through all the hardship Curzon manages to keep secret that he is really an escaped slave, but he can't stop thinking about Isabel and what might have become of her. Fate is to bring them together again at Valley Forge. While General Washington and Baron von Steuben try to forge the raggedy American volunteers into real troops, Curzon and Isabel try to forge their way to a new relationship...are they more than friends or an ever-bickering brother-sister pair? And can they in turn forge their way to a life of freedom along with the Patriot army?

This book equals Chains in its ability to bring the complex world of Revolutionary America to life--a world in which some struggled for freedom while others were condemned to a life of slavery. What will happen to Curzon and Isabel? We won't know until the last volume in the trilogy comes out next year.

While the main characters in the story are fictional, Anderson integrates their story seamlessly around real-life figures such as Washington, Nathaniel Greene, Charles Wilson Peale, and others, and in an afterword explains clearly which characters are "real" and which are fictional, as well as additional historical explanations. For example, she explains how black Americans fought for both the Patriots and the British. The appendix also provides a wealth of suggestions for future reading.

But don't call her book historical fiction. The author believes historical fiction gets a bum rap from kids. Please, she begs teachers and librarians, in her blog, call her books "HISTORICAL THRILLERS." The phrase historical fiction, she says, makes kids bolt for the exit or writhe on the floor in agony because between Johnny Tremain and the excruciating boredom of history class, they think all things historical are worse than chewing on barbed wire." I think the "thriller" label is justified for Forge, as it is for Chains--I had a hard time putting the book down, and literally gasped with shock at times as I turned the pages. Put this in the hands of young readers, please, and kudos to Anderson for another page turning thriller (with some non-excruciating history thrown in).

I fell in love with strong Isabel in Laurie Halse Anderson's first book, Chains. She is a compelling, original character that, although her status as a slave, didn't accept things as they were. Living in New York City, she befriends another boy in a prison named Curzon, who together escapes to a better life. The sequel, "Forge", picks up the story, with a shift in narrators, and tells an equally compelling story of American independence mixed with slavery.

Escapaing together, Isabel quickly ditches Curzon to find her only surviving family member, younger sister Ruth. Curzon quickly finds himself enveloped once again in the fight for liberty, enmeshing himself with a group of patriots, some more accepting of his skin color than others. Bad timing. The Continental army is spending a very cold winter at Valley Forge. Everyone fights off cold, near starvation, thievery and infighting, until a surprise twist whisks Curzon away into a new set of complications I honestly didn't see coming.

For those of you like myself that adore Isabel, and may have been put off with a change in narrators, I encourage you to not to give up hope. Anderson's book is definitely Curzon's story. It ends up being interesting to view Isabel through this lad's eyes. You get quite a different sense of her, which I truly appreciate. In some ways, Isabel becomes more alive this way, more rounded, more real.

It all comes down to Halse's writing style. Brisk, extremely well researched without dwelling in period details or language that would leave the reader lost, the story moves along at a great pace. Short chapters lend themselves to building tension and drama, and make it ideal for a read aloud. The kids will relate to Curzon right away; his reduced status, in the eyes of some, make him a smart, "cheer"-able underdog. While I didn't think this at first, it was a great move to have Curzon pick up this part of the story.

In all, this series of books is a brilliant twist on an all-too-familiar story. Having African-American characters participate in a battle for freedom, in which their own freedom is non-existent, speaks volumes to the unexplored in children's literature racial conflict that is a compelling paradox to our American Revolution. In Halse's deft and skilled writing hands, it ultimately is a winner of a book all around.

When Laurie Halse Anderson's novel CHAINS was published in 2008, it became a finalist for the National Book Award and won the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction. The book introduced young people to an important --- and often overlooked --- chapter in American history, as Anderson told the story of the dawn of the American Revolution through the eyes of a young slave girl.

Anderson now continues this work in FORGE, the second book of what will eventually be a trilogy. Here the narrative shifts gears from Isabel to her friend Curzon, a fellow runaway who becomes separated from Isabel but finds safety --- of a sort --- when he enlists as a soldier fighting on the American side during the Revolutionary War. As one of the few black soldiers, he is disrespected --- and worse --- by some of his peers and his officers. With his customary courage, hard work and loyalty, however, Curzon gains the respect and even the friendship of many of his fellow soldiers.

All the young men's fortitude is brutally tested, however, when they are told to report to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, during the winter of 1777 and 1778. As Curzon and his comrades struggle just to survive, Anderson vividly brings to life the horrifying details of life in Valley Forge, unflinchingly documenting the hardships that most high school history books just gloss over. From surviving days without food to digging trenches in frozen ground to trudging through snowdrifts in just a pair of wet, stinking socks, Curzon's story, and that of all the men, will both repulse readers and remind them of the soldiers' remarkable fortitude and bravery.

Besides being a compelling, unfailingly realistic account of the winter at Valley Forge, though, FORGE's story also serves as a powerful metaphor: "This camp is a forge for the army," remarks one character. "It's testing our qualities. Instead of heat and hammer, our trials are cold and hunger. Question is, what are we made of?"

What indeed? Curzon finds himself asking this question and others when his past as a runaway slave starts to catch up with him. By all accounts, he should be freed; he has kept his part of a bargain that he made months earlier. But he doesn't have paperwork showing he's been freed, and if he's revealed as a runaway, hunger and cold will be the least of his problems. One beloved but complicated relationship from his past also resurfaces when he encounters Isabel once more and must deal not only with their shared and separate histories but also with his evolving feelings toward her.

Once again, in FORGE, Laurie Halse Anderson has managed to compose a historical novel that feels both entirely true to its period and completely contemporary. Curzon's voice rings true as that of an 18th-century young man, but its sophisticated narration and storytelling style introduce contemporary perspectives seamlessly in ways that will not only allow readers to reflect on their own times but also to reconsider their understanding of and approach to history. With its extensive historical notes and glossary, FORGE (like CHAINS) would be an ideal classroom companion to more traditional history-book fare, one that readers will likely relish as much for its sensitive storytelling as for its gutsy depictions.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

This is the sequel to the amazing book Chains. Curzon is a slave, supposedly freed, who is mistreated by his boss and ends up fighting for the Revolultionary War and eventually at Valley Forge. LIke Chains, it is an eye-opening look at the treatment of African Americans during that war. It took me a bit to get into the story because Curzon was just a secondary character in Chains and I really wanted to find out what happened to Isabel, but once I got into Curzon's character, I loved the book. Can't wait for the third which I assume will be about both of them together!

PS Although girls who read Chains will like this, it is a great one for boys. And they don't need to have read the first one.

Imagine the soldier's moment of fear in single combat when he doesn't know whether he will be shot before he can kill the enemy loading his gun just a few feet away. Laurie Halse Anderson does a remarkable job of describing this gripping scene and of conveying other visceral details of cold, exhaustion, hunger, loss, boredom and destitution among the rebel army at Valley Forge in 1777.

The soldier's experience does not overshadow Anderson's central storyline, however, which focuses on the experience of two teenaged slaves in the American colonies. As in "Chains", She continues to challenge readers to consider that the so-called fight for freedom never included freedom for enslaved African-Americans. The details of hardship, abuse and humiliation inflicted on Curzon and Isabel by their greedy and ambitious owner build and build until we can bear them no more, and we inwardly cheer on each small step the characters take toward escape.

I liked this book more than "Chains," although I very much enjoyed the first book. I found the details of the Valley Forge experience more compelling than the details of where the pump was located or how windows were constructed in old New York City.

I also disagree with reviewers who say that "Chains" absolutely must be read before "Forge". Although some details of the relationship between the two main characters might be spoiled if "Forge" is read first, I believe the second book stands well on its own. It is not necessary to know about the first part of Isabel and Curzon's history to make sense of this second installment. And those hard-to-reach middle school boys might be more tempted to read about a soldier than they would be to read about a slave in the home of a rich Colonial family. But students who love the second book will definitely go back to read the first book on their own.

As a teacher, I like the inclusion of primary source material at the beginning of each chapter, Anderson's clear and well-written prose, and the metaphors around birds, windows, stones, seeds and the ongoing symbolism of chains and forges. For an interdisciplinary unit, students could research the life of Elizabeth Freeman, a slave in Massachusetts whose real-life experience has things in common with Isabel's initial situation.

There is a lot to like in both books. I look forward to the third volume!

A story of the brutal winter and nearly unbearable conditions of the soldiers at Valley Forge in the winter of 1777-78, as told through the eyes and heart of a 15-year-old emancipated slave boy named Curzon. It is a sequel to Chains, but where that volume focused on Isabel, this one focuses on Curzon. Forge is less gripping than Chains, but still a strong book on its own. There is a third book, Ashes, that should be released soon. The audio book of Ashes was released Oct 1, 2011.)

You must read "Chains" by the same author to know the characters in Forge. "Chains" is our newest 5th grade Battle of the Books books in El Paso County. Both books are excellent reads for that level. Very descriptive.

Summary: After their adventure in Chains, Cruzan was abandoned by Isabel and after working for a crooked boss, he must find a way to survive. As he is running away, he stumbles across a Revolutionary War battle and ends up, through a series of incidences, enlisting.

What I Think: I am a sucker for a good historical fiction novel! I think it is the best way to learn about history because it makes the reader "experience" the historical event which truly leaves an impression (much better than memorizing dates!) and puts history into perspective. Forge, just like every other Laurie Halse Anderson book I've ever read, is beautifully written and completely accessible. On top of that, it is historically accurate and informative!

Cruzon is as headstrong and brave as he was in the first book. He will do whatever it takes to be independent and free. In Forge that means enlisting in the army, which is the last thing he said he'd ever do, but it is the only option to keep from returning to servitude. Within the army, he finds allies like he's never had before, but also enemies like he has known. With his troop, he embarks on one of the hardest winters ever for American military, Valley Forge, where hardships are worse than we can even imagine!

One thing that I truly loved throughout the book is the multiple weavings of "forge" and what it means. There's the meaning as described in the Goodread's summary: "the tale of what it takes for runaway slaves to forge their own path in a world of obstacles." Then within the book, they also use it in its truest meaning: to shape metal by heating and hammering. And then of course: Valley Forge.

I gave it three stars because it is a good book but there is not much action and it is more about Curzon and Isabel meeting at moore hall. The end was OK because it doesn't leave you hanging and it doesn't end when someone leaves or when someone dies it ends when Curzon and Isabel are walking to get out of a crowd. The main part of the book is really good because Curzon joins the army and his old slave master rides up on his horse sees him and then reclaims him to be his slave. Then Isabel is found and brought to Moore hall and she got a iron ring put on her neck so she can't run away. Then Curzon tries out his key making skills to make a key to unlock Isabel's ring. Thats all I can tell you.

I read the first book "Chains" and I knew I would have to read the next book. I enjoyed evey minute of the book and can't wait to read the next one.