A review by carlyxdeexx
Unbound: A Novel in Verse by Ann E. Burg

3.0

I thought this book was solid—written well and in a way that is compelling for younger readers. The strong voice and use of verse reminds me of LOVE THAT DOG, though obviously the subject matter here is drastically different. It’s important to provide young readers with many perspectives on what enslavement in the US was like and an opportunity to practice sympathy and empathy with these people from our history who were so crucial and suffered so much while living lives as rich and complex as anyone’s today. I think this book serves its purpose, though I didn’t find there was anything particularly special about it that would make it a favorite of mine (this likely has more to do with my not being part of the book’s intended audience than anything else). My favorite part of the book was it’s brief afterword on the research done for it and the documented existence of indigenous people and formerly enslaved people living deep within swamps for protection and essentially running their own small societies separately from the greater and more unjust one they were once subject to. I’d be interested in reading some more nonfiction on the subject!