Copper Sun

Copper Sun by Sharon Draper is a book told from the perspective of a 15 year old African girl named Amari. When pale strangers enter her village, broughten there by a neighboring tribe, the village welcomes them and celebrates as is the custom. Confusion strikes when these pale people begin murdering those who are unfit and capturing the strongest villagers. While her whole family is slaughtered, Amari is beaten, whipped, and taken aboard a ship. Amari realizes she will never return to Africa. Cramped, beaten, and raped aboard the ship Amari is forced to witness horrors she could have never imagined. Once in America, she is sold to a plantation owner as a present for his son's 16th birthday. Survival and escape are the only things Amari dreams of, along with the other slaves on the plantation.

I could not put this book down once I started reading it. It is heart wrenching and vivid with details. The book gives the perpestive of the slave trade through a young girls eyes, which would captivate any reader and hold their attention. I would use this in conjuction with a unit on slavery. The students could read this to get true insight as to what a slave had to endure while serving their master. I recommend everyone puts this on their summer reading list!

Tree Girl

They call Gabriela Tree Gril. Gabi climbs trees to be within reach of the eagles and watch the sun rise into an empty sky. She is at home among the outsretched branches of Guatemalan forests. Then one day from the safety of a tree, Gabi witneses the sights and sounds of an unspeakable massacre. She vows to be Tree Gril no more and joins the hordes of refugees struggling to reach the Mexican border. She has lost her whole family; her entire village has been wiped out. This novel is great for the high school level and allows students the opportunity to learn about a country that is often overlooked.

Podcast from The Boy in Striped Pajamas

An excerpt of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, as read by Ashley.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a story told from the perspective of a nine-year-old boy named Bruno. Bruno and his family live in Berlin until the government promotes his father to Commandant and instructs the family that they will be moving. Bruno’s family moves to a place called “Out-With”, as he pronounces it. Bruno does not like his new home but is intrigued by the people he sees outside his window; all wearing striped pajamas and living inside a fence. Bruno has no idea why these people are there or why they are all wearing striped pajamas, but figures it must be some sort of village. While exploring, Bruno finds the fence and discovers a boy about his age named Shmuel. The two become friends and Shmuel never explains why he is on that side of the fence, other than the fact that the soldiers hate him and his people. Bruno comes to the fence everyday to meet Shmuel and can’t understand why they can’t play together. The story tells of the horrors of the holocaust and innocence of children. The ending will surely touch any reader’s heart.

I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone who is interested in the Holocaust and would teach it in conjuction with a unit on World War II.

Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy

Disposable People is a powerful awakening on the reality of slavery's existence in our modern world. His investigation of conditions in Mauritania, Brazil, Thailand, Pakistan, and India reveals the tragic emergence of a "new slavery," one that is intricately linked to a global economy. Bales explains the difference between this "new slavery" and Trans-Atlantic slavery. I would suggest using excerpts from this book. It is a good book to offer students at the high school level insight into a world that many thought had ended more than a hundred years ago.

To find out more or what you can do, go to the following website,

http://www.freetheslaves.net/