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5.0 out of 5 stars
Gifted Poetess or African Slave Girl?, Jun 7 2006
When she was only just a small girl, living with her caring mother and her hunter father---the leader of their people's tribe---in Senegal, Africa, young Keziah and her best friend, Obour, witnessed the strange, pale-faced European men coming to their African lands. The Africans soon discovered that these pale new men were no friends of theirs. Indeed, the Europeans had come on ships to kidnap the Africans and force them into slavery in the New World, in the Thirteen Colonies. Keziah and her Senegalese people, listening to Keziah's father, avoided the Europeans at all costs.
But then one day, Keziah ventured out too far from home...
Keziah and Obour had run out to play in the vast green fields. But Keziah's father's despicable and spiteful brother, Dahobar, jealous of his brother's prosperity, power, and leadership, sold his own brother's family to the European slave traders. Thus, Keziah and Obour were quickly captured, and Keziah's mother with them, trying to defend the two young girls. But the horror was far from over. The slaves' quarters on the ships were cramped, dirty, hot, and reeked of urine and excrement. Things could not get any worse for Keziah, until her poor mother was thrown overboard by sailors to the hungry sharks below, for supposedly being diseased. And when she would not let go of the deck, they chopped off her hands with a crude cleaver knife, right in front Keziah's eyes. Now Keziah and Obour were all alone.
Finally, the dreadful sea voyage was over. Keziah was bought by Mr. Wheatley in 1761, a kind white businessman, in this strange new city called Boston, in the Colony of Massachusetts. Thus, Keziah was baptized, and renamed with the Christian name Phillis. Soon enough, Phillis met the gentle, soft-spoken Mrs. Wheatley, and her two young adult children, the posh, classy Mary and the scholarly, intellectual Nathaniel, who later became Phillis's personal tutor, and also the source of her romantic fantasies. Yes, Phillis lived a comfortable life with a kind family, she was spoken to more as an equal than a slave, and she received a better education than many slaves.
Phillis developed a love of writing. At first, it was only in secret, writing her mind's thoughts on small scraps of white paper, left over from Phillis's lessons with Nathaniel. But then, her writings were discovered, but the Wheatleys' reaction was quite different from what Phillis originally expected. The Wheatley were astonished to find that Phillis had an amazing talent for writing thought-provoking, beautiful, lyrical poetry. The elegant prose of her words just seemed to float like a butterfly from her mind. Phillis soon became widely known throughout all of Boston. She was grabbing the attention of many, such as John Hancock and George Washington. But as her fame continues to grow, Phillis asks herself, "Do they truly think of me as a poetic genius, or am I a simple slave plaything with a knack for words?"
Ann Rinaldi has written yet another excellent, though this is probably not one of my top favorites of hers, historical fiction novel for teenage and young adult readers, this time taking a different approach on her usual subject matter, the American Revolution. Author Ann Rinaldi, as always, has skillfully woven, blended, and integrated the historical details of colonial life in Boston in the decade of the 1770s---as well as the horrific details of a slave journeying on a slave trade ship---and the quite amazing story of the young poetess Phillis Wheatley. Read this wonderful novel to step into the life of a talented young woman, restricted from getting the recognition she deserved then simply because of the color of her skin.
Highly recommended!
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1.0 out of 5 stars
Do Not Read This Book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, April 7 2004
By A Customer
I picked up this book because it was by Ann Rinaldi, and I usually like her books alot. However, the problems Phillis faced in this novel weren't exciting, making the story rather dull. The main problems were about Phillis getting her poems published, Phillis's love for Nanthaniel Wheatley, and Phillis missing her friend Obour, Senegal, and her mother.
With all of the other Rinaldi books I've read, I couldn't put them down, but I couldn't wait to put this book down!!! Phillis complained a lot during the story, making me dislike her and the story. There's no main plot either!
I would never reccomend this book!!!!
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5.0 out of 5 stars
AMAZING STORY! it's like you're living Phillis's life too!, Jun 15 2003
By A Customer
Ann Rinaldi did a SPECTACULAR job on this story. I've so far loved every book of hers, and I've read at least fifteen of them. In this book though, it's like you ARE Phillis Wheatley, because her feelings are so detailed and perfectly human. But anyways, this story begins telling us about a little African girl, Keziah. So she, along with her friend and her mother, is kidnapped, and taken on a ship where slaves are sold to America. So, when she gets there, her mother is dead, she is seperated from her friend, and goes to live with the Wheatley family. They re-name her Phillis. There, she is treated as a white, and not the black girl she is. Nathaniel, the son, is very kind to her, and educates her. So he teaches her to read and write and stuff. Well, then she starts to write poetry. It even gets published and stuff cause she is such a great poetess! Then she goes with Nathaniel to England, and thats where I'll stop, cause who ever is reading this review, needs to read the book first! It's way good, and I guarrantee you'll love it!! Yes, LOVE it! ENJOY!
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