Young slave's tale of breaking the bonds a fascinating read

Chains By Laurie Halse Anderson Published by Bloomsbury ISBN 9780747598060

The American Revolution was fought in the latter half of the 18th century when 13 colonies in North America joined together to break free from Great Britain and form an independent country. They wanted to be in charge of their own government and not be controlled by British politicians in London.

Historians estimate that 40 per cent of the people in North America at the time were in favour of breaking away, 20 per cent wanted to remain part of Britain, and the rest were either neutral or on whichever side was winning at any particular time.

The British government wanted to hang on to the American colonies, and in August 1776, an army of 30,000 men was shipped from London to deal with the revolutionaries. There was terrible fighting around New York and the city was filled with troops, spies and ordinary citizens caught up in the middle of the violence.

When the American Revolution broke out, and Americans were fighting for their freedom, 500,000 people in the 13 colonies were literal slaves. Between 1700 and 1775, more than 300,000 Africans had been kidnapped and brought to the New World as workers. As the Revolution gained momentum, many slaves fled their owners and joined the British. The land was in turmoil.

Set in New York at the beginning of the American Revolution, Laurie Halse Anderson's Chains is all about the importance of freedom both for a new nation and for one young girl.