Reviews

Copper Sun by Sharon M. Draper

kjwit's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

It was such an eye-opening book written by the granddaughter of a man who used to be a slave. The book was written in the perspective of two fifteen-year-old girls. One white, one black. The black girl is Amari who has lost everyone and everything she loved and the white girl, Polly, is an indentured servant and orphan. There is so much character development that these girls display as they overcome experiences that many people could never imagine.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Slavery, Sexual harassment, and Child abuse

Moderate: Rape, Gun violence, and Child death

carmeneend's review against another edition

emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

patiencemay's review against another edition

5.0

This book was horrifying yet beautiful. It started off with immediate devastation and heartbreak. I feel all of the bad things were absolutely necessary to be talked about. The resilience of the characters in this book was amazing. I felt so hard for all of them (not the slave owners of course). I think the pacing was fantastic. I loved the character development of the two girls. I loved their dynamic in the end. Although many bad things took place, and what we learned at the end about their fate was still tainted, the ending was a pleasing one. Definitely a necessary read to understand the absolute horrors slaves faced during that time.

nwells24's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

candelibri's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

nitalu's review against another edition

5.0

The copper sun was amazing. It's historical fiction and every part felt so real. I love how Sharon shared the research she did to wrote the book and all the resources she utilized. I plan to get this book for my nephews. This would be a good educational tool for then to begin learning about slavery. This was such a powerful book.

charlestonmes's review against another edition

4.0

Wow! I could not put this book down.

deekabee's review against another edition

5.0

An excellent and orginal view of slavery in the United States. I never knew that escaping using a southerly direction was an option.

ekreher7's review against another edition

4.0

Even though this book is historical fiction, I can imagine some of the scenes in this book actually took place which is so sad. No value for human life and feelings of superiority just because of the color of your skin, it’s sad and disturbing.

k8s's review against another edition

4.0

That is how I feel after finishing Sharon Draper's YA novel Copper Sun. Blessed to have read such a beautifully written piece of historical fiction charting the devastating passage of Amari into slavery, following the trauma of the middle passage, her purchase by a plantation owner as a birthday present for his 16 year old son, and the inhuman treatment throughout. And yet I am scarred for the same reason. The book is brutal, but it is beautiful too.

I'm glad I read this. I had been putting it off - the book has been on my coffee table for several weeks - because I knew how it would affect me. Like many of us who love to read, I frequently am emotionally involved in my reading. Always have been. Not with everything, of course, but I feel my books. Know my books, know me. Or, perhaps better stated: know my reading, know me.

I will find a way to integrate this book into my teaching someday. I know I will. Visit the author's site - she has assembled a wonderful bibliography of source material about slavery.