Customer Reviews

For Liberty: The Story of the Boston Massacre

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For Liberty tells the story of the events leading up to, and a detailed account of the Boston Massacre of 1770. The book is mostly focused on the night of the tragedy but it ends with implications for other events to occur between the British and the Sons of Liberty as they struggled for freedom from the crown. The black and white drawings are done in a way to incorporate multiple perspectives. I really enjoy how Timothy Decker has captured snapshots of what it must have been like in the terrifying moments of this important historic event.

The story itself is told in a very compelling fashion. The problem is that some of the details are not very clear to a reader. When I received this book from the publisher, it is marked appropriate for children ages 9-11. I wonder if a child this age will understand the story. One of the problems I had on first reading was in understanding who the British were versus the colonists. Although it becomes clearer the further the reader goes in the text, it is not clear at first. Furthermore, I am not sure what some of the images portray earlier in the text. On one early page, the picture shows (a soldier?) strung up in a tree and a mob with torches. A young reader may ask, what do these images mean?

It may have helped if the author had included a foreword or an afterword to explain some of these things. Early American history can be challenging for youngsters to understand and some unexplained images make the task more difficult. Finally, some of the language may not be appropriate for young readers. Several words used that may not be a part of the vocabulary of 9-11 year olds used in the text are: bellicose, ruffians, branded and vigilant. Although it is important to introduce new words in text, if not understood by context, much of the meaning of the text is left unknown.

In For Liberty Decker brings his wondrous eye to The Colonies in 1770. He's working in what feels like a larger format here, but on closer reflection is actually more of a zoomed in scale. His drawing is deceptively simple, and one can revisit his panels at length and be richly rewarded. The story itself is a familiar one to most of us, but is told here succinctly and with an underlying passion. The loving and lingering examination of the soldiers' uniforms is delightful, and the sudden switch to an aerial view is a beautiful underlining of the narrative. I've only been through it two or three times- I'm sure there is much more to see.