The Slave Dancer [UNABRIDGED] (Audio Cassette)

by Paula Fox (Author), Peter MacNicol (Reader)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Fox has woven a spellbinding tale of suspense and survival that will horrify as well as fascinate..."

-- Library Journal (starred review)

"A story that movingly and realistically presents one of the most gruesome chapters of history, with all the violence, inhuman conditions, and bestial aspects of human nature -- exposed but never exploited in Fox's graphic, documentary prose."

-- Booklist (starred review)

Product Description
"Take up the pipe, Claudius," a voice growled near Jessie's bound head. "He's worth nothing without his pipe!"

Snatched from the docks of New Orleans, thirteen-year-old Jessie is thrown aboard a slave ship where he must play his fife so that captured slaves will "dance," to keep their muscles strong and their bodies profitable for their owners' use.

Jessie is sickened as he witnesses the horrible practices of the slave trade. But even those horrors can't compare to the one final event awaiting Jessie's witness. Can the cruelty to his fellow human beings be stopped? And will it be too late when it finally does stop?

In a stunning performance by Peter MacNicol, Paula Fox's enduring classic comes magnificently alive, with the seating truth about a period of American history we would otherwise most likely wish to forget.

"Fox has woven a spellbinding tale of suspense and survival that will horrify as well as fascinate..."

-- Library Journal (starred review)

"A story that movingly and realistically presents one of the most gruesome chapters of history, with all the violence, inhuman conditions, and bestial aspects of human nature -- exposed but never exploited in Fox's graphic, documentary prose."

-- Booklist (starred review)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Listening Library; Unabridged edition (July 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553476963
• ISBN-13: 978-0553476965
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (131 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,129,304 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Deadly dancing, February 3, 2001

By	Krista (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Slave Dancer (Paperback)

Jesse Boller is a New Orleans teenager of the 1800s with a fondness for playing the fife. His musical inclination results in big trouble when he is kidnapped and taken to work on a slave ship. His job on the ship is to play the fife while the slaves are forced to "dance," supposedly to keep their bodies strong.

Jesse, who has never given much thought to slavery, recoils at the treatment of the slaves, treatment that was typical for its time, I suspect. Paula Fox does an especially good job of delving into the psyches of the men who voluntarily serve on the ship's crew, people who are not evil by nature, but whose constant rejection of the horror of slavery has inured them to normal human emotion.

A shipwreck during the book's course leads towards a somewhat dubious conclusion. For the most part, though, Fox skillfully carries us into the experience on the ship. We smell the stench, feel the claustrophobic crowding, and experience disbelief and outrage right along with Jesse. This book is a reminder of the unspeakable horrors that people -- even so-called decent people -- can inflict upon each other.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tuckahoe Fourth Grader Who Enjoyed This Book, March 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Slave Dancer (Paperback)

The year is 1840. Thirteen year old Jessie Bollier is walking home through the streets of New Orleans when he is kidnapped. The kidnappers put him on a slaver, a boat that goes to Africa to get slaves and bring them to America to be sold. On his journey he sees the horrors of slavery and he is sickened. The book's title comes from Jessie's job: Jessies job is to play his fife so the slaves will dance and get exercise. Then they can be sold for higher prices. During the journey, to keep the slave ship from being stopped, all but one of the slaves - a young boy named Ras - are thrown into the shark-filled waters. Then a storm hits and Jessie and Ras hide below. Will the ship sink? Will Jessie and Ras survive? Will Jessie be able to go home? To find out, read this exciting book. My favorite part is when Purvis, an older sailor, befriends Jessie by telling him jokes and giving him hope. I recommend this book to people who like historic fiction and who like exciting but sad stories.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy reading for those who might best benefit from it, October 26, 2002

By	S. Silverman "ReaderGeode" (California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Slave Dancer (Paperback)

A mid-70's Newbery winner, and a gem. With Out of the Dust, and Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry, the very finest Newbery has to offer in historical fiction. The reading level may be late elementary or early middle school, but the content calls for later middle school or high school. The details of abducting and carrying slaves, their treatment at the hands of their transporters, the crude and often cruel behavior of the ship's crew, and the horrors of shipboard life make the themes tough for sensitive younger readers. It will provide a young reader with a thoroughly unsettling look at an unseemly part of American history. The main character, the white boy kidnapped from the streets of New Orleans in 1840 to play his fife to encourage the slaves to dance, is a good, clear, child's view of things, properly aghast and open-minded, the pleasant part of the story and its first person teller. What Slave Dancer gives is brilliant in its clarity and horror. I recommend it highly with the caveats above.