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Amos Fortune, Free Man
When Amos Fortune was only fifteen years old, he was captured by slave traders and brought to Massachusetts, where he was sold at auction. Although his freedom had been taken, Amos never lost his dignity and courage. For 45 years, Amos worked as a slave and dreamed of freedom. And, at age 60, he finally began to see those dreams come true.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1950
143 people are currently reading
5833 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Yates
99 books77 followersElizabeth Yates, author of over forty books for children, was born in New York State on December 6th, 1905. Determined to be an author, she moved to New York City to launch her career. She worked a variety of jobs including reviewing book, writing short stories, and doing research. She moved to England with her husband and wrote her first book, High Holiday, based on her travels in Switzerland with her three children. The family returned to the U.S. in 1939 and settled in New Hampshire. Yates won the Newbery Award in 1951 for her book, Amos Fortune, Free Man, a biography of an African prince who is enslaved and taken to America.
Yates conducted writer's workshops at the University of New Hampshire, the University of Connecticut, and Indiana University. She also served as the Director of the New Hampshire Association for the Blind.
Yates was widowed in 1963. Elizabeth Yates died Sunday at a hospice in Concord, New Hampshire on July 29, 2001 at the age of 95.
Elizabeth Yates' books have been described as "the result of extensive research, a strong underlying belief in God, and a vivid imagination."
Yates conducted writer's workshops at the University of New Hampshire, the University of Connecticut, and Indiana University. She also served as the Director of the New Hampshire Association for the Blind.
Yates was widowed in 1963. Elizabeth Yates died Sunday at a hospice in Concord, New Hampshire on July 29, 2001 at the age of 95.
Elizabeth Yates' books have been described as "the result of extensive research, a strong underlying belief in God, and a vivid imagination."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 743 reviews
December 7, 2015
"Hate could do that to a man, Amos thought, consume him and leave him smoldering. But he was a free man, and free at a great cost, and he would not put himself in bondage again."
Here is a story not to be missed, of a young teenage boy in Africa, son of a chief and tribal leader, who is kidnapped by slavers and brought to America. Educated by Quakers and offered his freedom, Amos possesses both an extraordinary spirit as well as a penchant for learning his trade well. His tenderness for his young, handicapped sister, and the memory of how he would want to see her cared for, prove to be the gateway for freedom for other suffering Africans, as he buys their freedom with the money earned by his skill of tanning leather.
"It was Ath-mun who had been the fount of freedom to those others, Amos thought, as he reached back into memory for the beloved sister."
As terrible as it was to read of African tribal slavery, the horrors of the transatlantic voyage, and the mistreatment of blacks in America, the most incredible part of this story is its picture of redemption. Suffering such cruelty and injustice that he did, Amos could easily have become embittered, even murderous in his spirit. But like Joseph in prison, he did not forget his identity as a king - the son of a chief in Africa - and as he read the Bible, he realized now he was a king unto the Lord (Rev. 1:6)
There were times I had to set this book down to cry. I could not believe how blessed I've been in my life compared to some, and how shameful it is ever to complain. But the best part of this powerful, true story is that one day, I will get to meet Amos.
Here is a story not to be missed, of a young teenage boy in Africa, son of a chief and tribal leader, who is kidnapped by slavers and brought to America. Educated by Quakers and offered his freedom, Amos possesses both an extraordinary spirit as well as a penchant for learning his trade well. His tenderness for his young, handicapped sister, and the memory of how he would want to see her cared for, prove to be the gateway for freedom for other suffering Africans, as he buys their freedom with the money earned by his skill of tanning leather.
"It was Ath-mun who had been the fount of freedom to those others, Amos thought, as he reached back into memory for the beloved sister."
As terrible as it was to read of African tribal slavery, the horrors of the transatlantic voyage, and the mistreatment of blacks in America, the most incredible part of this story is its picture of redemption. Suffering such cruelty and injustice that he did, Amos could easily have become embittered, even murderous in his spirit. But like Joseph in prison, he did not forget his identity as a king - the son of a chief in Africa - and as he read the Bible, he realized now he was a king unto the Lord (Rev. 1:6)
There were times I had to set this book down to cry. I could not believe how blessed I've been in my life compared to some, and how shameful it is ever to complain. But the best part of this powerful, true story is that one day, I will get to meet Amos.
September 6, 2016
I did my best to rate this what I might have rated it as a child, or maybe if I'd read it back when it was written.
As a book, I would probably rate it highly in a list of similar children's biographies for interest and readability.
Amos Fortune had a very interesting life, and a new biography of him would be great.
But this book is almost unreadably racist and patronizing. If it weren't for the award, it would certainly have been weeded from school and public libraries long ago. I don't know what should be done about Newberys like this. I wonder if, possibly, the new edition that I see pictured includes a foreword about the racist nature of the book, which would help somewhat.
The illustrations (in the edition I read, anyway) depict dreadful caricatures.
NOT recommended.
As a book, I would probably rate it highly in a list of similar children's biographies for interest and readability.
Amos Fortune had a very interesting life, and a new biography of him would be great.
But this book is almost unreadably racist and patronizing. If it weren't for the award, it would certainly have been weeded from school and public libraries long ago. I don't know what should be done about Newberys like this. I wonder if, possibly, the new edition that I see pictured includes a foreword about the racist nature of the book, which would help somewhat.
The illustrations (in the edition I read, anyway) depict dreadful caricatures.
NOT recommended.
June 3, 2025
This is an exceptional juvenile biography, told as a historical fiction narrative. Elizabeth Yates is a sympathetic, caring author, and brings these qualities to the sad yet inspiring story of Amos Fortune, an African prince sold into slavery at age fifteen who spent the next forty-five years working for various slave owners, trying to purchase his own freedom and, eventually, the freedom of others. Amos's goal was to one day find his younger sister, who was also sold as a slave, and this strong, resourceful man would move mountains to achieve that goal.
Amos Fortune, Free Man is a powerful and moving story. No other author could have written it better that Elizabeth Yates. We are lucky to have this book.
Amos Fortune, Free Man is a powerful and moving story. No other author could have written it better that Elizabeth Yates. We are lucky to have this book.
November 29, 2012
I had grave misgivings before I began reading this book. It won the Newbery Award, yes, but it won in 1951, and it's a book about a black man written by a white woman. In 1950. That's enough to give me a bit of a pause entering into the reading experience.
On the whole, the book was not as racially insensitive as I thought it would be. That doesn't mean that it's a shining example of careful research and subtle characterization, just that it's not as bad as it could have been.
It's interesting to me that being free is such an integral part of who Amos Fortune is, and is clearly one of his most vividly held beliefs, and yet slavery is generally shown to be not that bad. All of the slaves in the book want to be free. But when his original owners, who were going to free hi offer him freedom, he denies it because "he's not ready". And later when the male owner dies and his widow and child sell Amos on the auction block to pay off their debts, Amos is not upset about this because he knows that it is his duty to help out his friends in paying the debts. Um, I'm sorry, but when your "friends" consider it perfectly acceptable to put you up on the auction block, a humiliating experience that could possibly result in physical and mental danger depending on who buys you, that is not friendship. That is not doing your duty. That is one set of people who have not been able to reach out a true hand of friendship and therefore still see you as chattel when push comes to shove and the good times end. Amos should have felt betrayed. Even if he understood why they felt they had to sell him, he should have felt something more than just cheerful to do his part.
Because the book spans nearly one hundred years, I had a hard time connecting to the emotional life of Amos. Each chapter covers a decade or more in his life, leaving very little time to truly feel the impact of any one decision or life event. The only major incident that is brought up throughout the book as a painful memory is Amos's sister Ath-Mun. And that memory made me angry, because it was so obvious that he was being incredibly idiotic about his continued search for a 12 year old girl. That a man as smart as Amos spent decades looking for his little sister before realized suddenly that she would no longer be 12 seemed unrealistic.
This is supposedly a biography, but it falls into the category only vaguely. It would not be published as such today. It lacks any sort of bibliography or resources to indicate how the author did her research. It also takes liberties, with the narrator claiming to understand what Amos was thinking or feeling, when there is no way to really know that. This was common in children's biographies of decades past (Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, also a Newbery winner from the '50's, is written in a very similar vein. Actually, that book covers a very similar time period, though from a completely perspective. Both books are about men who worked hard to "make something of themselves" though, which is interesting.) but it's still frustrating to me as a modern reader who would like something more.
The overt Christianity in the book annoyed me a bit too. Amos's people are pagan at the beginning of the book, but it's made clear that they're the "good" kind of pagan that even though they aren't Christian don't resort to wanton violence. That's patronizing. There's a fine line between a character believing strongly that his good fortunes are from God and that his misfortunes are God testing him, and the author signaling that that is clearly her worldview and all else must therefore spring from it. This book goes over the line.
With all of that criticism, there were still some good aspects. Although I found bits of the book patronizing, or misrepresentative, or otherwise flawed, I could see that the author was trying to show that African Americans were equal in intelligence and ambition to every other type of American, and for 1950 just the fact that she was trying counts for a lot.
I'm not entirely certain what the committee saw in the book. I don't think the themes were necessarily carefully expressed throughout the book (Amos loves freedom, but isn't upset when it is denied to him, twice, by owners who are supposed to care.) The characters go through so much of their lives that they are not terribly well drawn, more glimpses into their lives. The setting is well done, I'll give them that.
On the whole, the book was not as racially insensitive as I thought it would be. That doesn't mean that it's a shining example of careful research and subtle characterization, just that it's not as bad as it could have been.
It's interesting to me that being free is such an integral part of who Amos Fortune is, and is clearly one of his most vividly held beliefs, and yet slavery is generally shown to be not that bad. All of the slaves in the book want to be free. But when his original owners, who were going to free hi offer him freedom, he denies it because "he's not ready". And later when the male owner dies and his widow and child sell Amos on the auction block to pay off their debts, Amos is not upset about this because he knows that it is his duty to help out his friends in paying the debts. Um, I'm sorry, but when your "friends" consider it perfectly acceptable to put you up on the auction block, a humiliating experience that could possibly result in physical and mental danger depending on who buys you, that is not friendship. That is not doing your duty. That is one set of people who have not been able to reach out a true hand of friendship and therefore still see you as chattel when push comes to shove and the good times end. Amos should have felt betrayed. Even if he understood why they felt they had to sell him, he should have felt something more than just cheerful to do his part.
Because the book spans nearly one hundred years, I had a hard time connecting to the emotional life of Amos. Each chapter covers a decade or more in his life, leaving very little time to truly feel the impact of any one decision or life event. The only major incident that is brought up throughout the book as a painful memory is Amos's sister Ath-Mun. And that memory made me angry, because it was so obvious that he was being incredibly idiotic about his continued search for a 12 year old girl. That a man as smart as Amos spent decades looking for his little sister before realized suddenly that she would no longer be 12 seemed unrealistic.
This is supposedly a biography, but it falls into the category only vaguely. It would not be published as such today. It lacks any sort of bibliography or resources to indicate how the author did her research. It also takes liberties, with the narrator claiming to understand what Amos was thinking or feeling, when there is no way to really know that. This was common in children's biographies of decades past (Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, also a Newbery winner from the '50's, is written in a very similar vein. Actually, that book covers a very similar time period, though from a completely perspective. Both books are about men who worked hard to "make something of themselves" though, which is interesting.) but it's still frustrating to me as a modern reader who would like something more.
The overt Christianity in the book annoyed me a bit too. Amos's people are pagan at the beginning of the book, but it's made clear that they're the "good" kind of pagan that even though they aren't Christian don't resort to wanton violence. That's patronizing. There's a fine line between a character believing strongly that his good fortunes are from God and that his misfortunes are God testing him, and the author signaling that that is clearly her worldview and all else must therefore spring from it. This book goes over the line.
With all of that criticism, there were still some good aspects. Although I found bits of the book patronizing, or misrepresentative, or otherwise flawed, I could see that the author was trying to show that African Americans were equal in intelligence and ambition to every other type of American, and for 1950 just the fact that she was trying counts for a lot.
I'm not entirely certain what the committee saw in the book. I don't think the themes were necessarily carefully expressed throughout the book (Amos loves freedom, but isn't upset when it is denied to him, twice, by owners who are supposed to care.) The characters go through so much of their lives that they are not terribly well drawn, more glimpses into their lives. The setting is well done, I'll give them that.
August 24, 2017
Read with mother and younger siblings for school (and a couple years before that, also for school). I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it.
I found some of Amos's ideas a little silly - such as finding his sister, whom he assumed would be the same age as she had been when he last saw her no matter how many years past. That was just annoying. He was also a pushover sometimes. I think perhaps that had a little to do with the way people during the time of this book perceived African-Americans (?), perhaps, but it could just be his personality, in my opinion.
I've read that some people think this book was very racist; I don't think it was that bad. Even so, you do have to take in account the year it was written + the time it was written about.
Also, as with many children's history books of the day, there were tons and tons of huuuuge timeskips and each chapter covered literal decades of Amos's life. Just not a fan of this style.
Thanks for reading,
~Kellyn Roth
I found some of Amos's ideas a little silly - such as finding his sister, whom he assumed would be the same age as she had been when he last saw her no matter how many years past. That was just annoying. He was also a pushover sometimes. I think perhaps that had a little to do with the way people during the time of this book perceived African-Americans (?), perhaps, but it could just be his personality, in my opinion.
I've read that some people think this book was very racist; I don't think it was that bad. Even so, you do have to take in account the year it was written + the time it was written about.
Also, as with many children's history books of the day, there were tons and tons of huuuuge timeskips and each chapter covered literal decades of Amos's life. Just not a fan of this style.
Thanks for reading,
~Kellyn Roth
July 18, 2017
I picked up this book because it won the Newbery medal in 1951. In addition, I was pleased to see that the story is based on the life of a real person. And he was sold at a slave market in Boston. So many books about slavery are set on plantations in the South that it's easy to forget that there were also slaves in the North.
I see that quite a few readers aren't happy with this presentation of an African American who lived in Massachusetts in the late 1700s. I don't see a problem with it. I would be happy to have the kids read this story. Here, we are introduced to a man who is wise, kind, hard-working, and respected. The picture of slavery is not wretched nor is it pleasant. The young reader learns how people were brutally torn from the families and homes, how they suffered physical and mental agony in the ships across the ocean, and how they were sold at auction to whites with the money in hand. Then they became someone's property, a slave to the owner's demands. No man wanted to be a slave. Cruel treatment was always a possibility (e.g., the poor girl whose legs were broken because she attempted to escape). But this is a book for kids, ages 9 to 12 perhaps? They do not need to hear all of black history in one slim volume. This does an admirable job of introducing many aspects of an ugly chapter in not only American history, but also in the history of the world.
This book was called a biography. Maybe today we'd call it historical fiction. After reading this, kids just might turn to the internet to see what more can be learned about Mr. Fortune.
I see that quite a few readers aren't happy with this presentation of an African American who lived in Massachusetts in the late 1700s. I don't see a problem with it. I would be happy to have the kids read this story. Here, we are introduced to a man who is wise, kind, hard-working, and respected. The picture of slavery is not wretched nor is it pleasant. The young reader learns how people were brutally torn from the families and homes, how they suffered physical and mental agony in the ships across the ocean, and how they were sold at auction to whites with the money in hand. Then they became someone's property, a slave to the owner's demands. No man wanted to be a slave. Cruel treatment was always a possibility (e.g., the poor girl whose legs were broken because she attempted to escape). But this is a book for kids, ages 9 to 12 perhaps? They do not need to hear all of black history in one slim volume. This does an admirable job of introducing many aspects of an ugly chapter in not only American history, but also in the history of the world.
This book was called a biography. Maybe today we'd call it historical fiction. After reading this, kids just might turn to the internet to see what more can be learned about Mr. Fortune.
November 20, 2016
I was hoping for more from this book, especially since it is still fairly widely read and assigned as a Newbery. For its time, I'm sure this book was tremendously important and maybe even progressive. But now it seems so domesticated, watered-down, and pandering to a white audience.
Amos as a character is extremely compelling, and it is rare that you read a children's book where the main character is an old man for most of the story. The details about 18th-century African American life and trades like tanning were interesting. I also really appreciated the lack of dialect in this book; this may be the first Newbery with a black character where that character doesn't constantly say "lawsy me" and other such nonsense.
However, this book is so full of platitudes for appeasing and justifying the white audience that it's hard to bear. Even Amos himself spends a lot of time telling other characters that "if you just give someone their freedom, they won't know what to do with it." The unhealthy patriarchal relationship between white "savior" and slave is glorified to the utmost here. And this book is not frank enough about the realities of the treatment that slaves suffered at the hands of their oppressors. Overall, disappointing, and probably not progressive enough to carry forward into the future.
Amos as a character is extremely compelling, and it is rare that you read a children's book where the main character is an old man for most of the story. The details about 18th-century African American life and trades like tanning were interesting. I also really appreciated the lack of dialect in this book; this may be the first Newbery with a black character where that character doesn't constantly say "lawsy me" and other such nonsense.
However, this book is so full of platitudes for appeasing and justifying the white audience that it's hard to bear. Even Amos himself spends a lot of time telling other characters that "if you just give someone their freedom, they won't know what to do with it." The unhealthy patriarchal relationship between white "savior" and slave is glorified to the utmost here. And this book is not frank enough about the realities of the treatment that slaves suffered at the hands of their oppressors. Overall, disappointing, and probably not progressive enough to carry forward into the future.
November 18, 2011
There is precious little information about the man who became Amos Fortune and I would not send anyone to this book trying to find any. As a novel, however, it is very affecting. I'm sure research was done into the slave trade to get background information, but if Fortune left no written record himself of his youth, then that part of the narrative is so much marsh gas. If he had been just a villager, rather than a "king's son," where would his nobility have come from? He has to fall far. It isn't enough just to be captured, maltreated, and sent across the ocean to be a slave. He has to be a king's son. And he has to spend his life searching for his lame sister (which eventually leads him to buy a lame slave and marry her? This is sick!), who was quite logically rejected by the slavers.
Once you get past the actual slave traders, the majority of the white people Fortune is in contact with are plaster saints - and none of them give him his freedom. There are exceptions - there is the constable who tells the family to move on, but it is implied he's only paying lip service to the regulation and he ends up being helpful. The one realistic white man won't pay Fortune the agreed price and makes him pick up the coins from the ground.
This book is a fairy tale to make white people feel better. It is a book of its time period (1950), a novel rather than a biography, insulting, pandering, and yet it still brought tears to my eyes.
Once you get past the actual slave traders, the majority of the white people Fortune is in contact with are plaster saints - and none of them give him his freedom. There are exceptions - there is the constable who tells the family to move on, but it is implied he's only paying lip service to the regulation and he ends up being helpful. The one realistic white man won't pay Fortune the agreed price and makes him pick up the coins from the ground.
This book is a fairy tale to make white people feel better. It is a book of its time period (1950), a novel rather than a biography, insulting, pandering, and yet it still brought tears to my eyes.
July 9, 2010
The thing that struck me most about this book is that Amos is not tortured or horribly hurt in any way by being a slave. He isn’t raped or beaten or anything else. I think that this is what makes the book interesting. It does not matter that you are mistreated and hurt by being a slave. That is not really the point. That’s not what is horrible about racism. Racism is people not paying you for your work even though it is excellent. Racism is people not letting you sit in a pew at church. Racism is not good no matter how benign it seems. I think that by seeing Amos as a real person who does things that normal people do and who leaves a normal life which is not particularly horror filled, that the awfulness of slavery is made even more apparent.
November 13, 2022
Very dated and an odd choice for children, even back in 1951. This is the tale of Amos Fortune. From his childhood kidnapping and his enslavement in America to how he became a free man. More than half the book tells how Amos makes money and purchases women to become his wives, essentially making them free. He's a hero and the story is interesting, unfortunately it's writing is so dull that I don't believe many children will finish it.
Newbery Medal - 1951
Newbery Medal - 1951
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August 27, 2023A quiet, true story of a quiet man, but a man who had a tremendous impact on lives around him. Amos Fortune was born At-mun, the son of an African king, raised to become the ruler of his people in due time. He loved his younger sister who was lame and had been spared from death by her father's love, and At-mun loved all disabled creatures for her sake all his life.
When he was fifteen, slave traders came to his village and rounded up the people whom they could sell as slaves. At-mun endured the long imprisonment and voyage to America, and was put on the auction block in Boston, Massachusetts in 1725. There he was purchased by a Quaker tanner, who brought him home and taught him not only the business of tanning, but also how to speak and read English and how to live in this new world. Although his new owner always intended to set him free, he died before doing so, and Amos was sold a second time. But because he had become an excellent tanner, he was able to begin to earn a bit of money that he put aside to buy his own freedom.
It was always his dream to live free and use his skills to purchase the freedom of others around him, especially those who were ill or crippled, so that they could "die free." Finally in his late 60s, he was able to begin business for himself, and later to marry and buy a bit of land. He did much good with his earnings and was always one who looked out for those who needed his help, in memory of his little sister. Amos Fortune was a quiet man, but his life produced many ripples of kindness that changed lives around him.
When he was fifteen, slave traders came to his village and rounded up the people whom they could sell as slaves. At-mun endured the long imprisonment and voyage to America, and was put on the auction block in Boston, Massachusetts in 1725. There he was purchased by a Quaker tanner, who brought him home and taught him not only the business of tanning, but also how to speak and read English and how to live in this new world. Although his new owner always intended to set him free, he died before doing so, and Amos was sold a second time. But because he had become an excellent tanner, he was able to begin to earn a bit of money that he put aside to buy his own freedom.
It was always his dream to live free and use his skills to purchase the freedom of others around him, especially those who were ill or crippled, so that they could "die free." Finally in his late 60s, he was able to begin business for himself, and later to marry and buy a bit of land. He did much good with his earnings and was always one who looked out for those who needed his help, in memory of his little sister. Amos Fortune was a quiet man, but his life produced many ripples of kindness that changed lives around him.
February 8, 2017
Newbery Medal Winner--1951
"But that's what they are, those black people, nothing but children. It's a good thing for them the whites took them over."
Yeah...you've gotta be okay with a little "that's how it was back them" racism to get through this one. Granted, the author almost always goes on to show how amazing Amos is and how he doesn't care, but it's still frustrating to read at times. It's a pretty interesting story of a slave--from his capture from his African tribe all the way to his death as a free man--but it also leaves a lot to be desired.
Amos is pretty lucky (I know...no slaves were actually "lucky"), which is how he comes by his last name. As a slave he is taken in by two kind, loving families who allow him to sleep in the house, learn to read and write, and both intend to give him his freedom. He is never whipped or beaten by an owner, and he is able to make a life for himself and others once he's free. An inspiring story, sure...but Amos never experiences the horrors that many slaves did. These things are mentioned in passing, but very little is said about them. It's all a bit...white-washed, if you will.
"But that's what they are, those black people, nothing but children. It's a good thing for them the whites took them over."
Yeah...you've gotta be okay with a little "that's how it was back them" racism to get through this one. Granted, the author almost always goes on to show how amazing Amos is and how he doesn't care, but it's still frustrating to read at times. It's a pretty interesting story of a slave--from his capture from his African tribe all the way to his death as a free man--but it also leaves a lot to be desired.
Amos is pretty lucky (I know...no slaves were actually "lucky"), which is how he comes by his last name. As a slave he is taken in by two kind, loving families who allow him to sleep in the house, learn to read and write, and both intend to give him his freedom. He is never whipped or beaten by an owner, and he is able to make a life for himself and others once he's free. An inspiring story, sure...but Amos never experiences the horrors that many slaves did. These things are mentioned in passing, but very little is said about them. It's all a bit...white-washed, if you will.
March 20, 2018
Started on audio and finished in print. The ending wrapped up too quickly, but the first two-thirds was five stars. There are a number of interesting topics addressed, especially the concept of freedom - more than once we see those who are not slaves being "set free." It was also useful to be presented with both the idea of slaves being paid and indentured servitude - slavery appears in different forms.
One thing I could wish for is an author's note detailing some of the historical documents consulted. Happily, there is even better: Amos Fortune: The Man and His Legacy by Peter Lambert includes all manner of primary sources (with transcriptions), and it clearly sets forth various contradictory theories and indicates where Yates fictionalized the story. This is essential reading for students.
Audiobook had a good narrator. Loved the illustrations by Nora S. Unwin in the book.
One thing I could wish for is an author's note detailing some of the historical documents consulted. Happily, there is even better: Amos Fortune: The Man and His Legacy by Peter Lambert includes all manner of primary sources (with transcriptions), and it clearly sets forth various contradictory theories and indicates where Yates fictionalized the story. This is essential reading for students.
Audiobook had a good narrator. Loved the illustrations by Nora S. Unwin in the book.
December 1, 2016
My first impression was that this story was a bit Pollyannaish putting a happy glossed over spin on what must have been horrifying for young Atmun. But then I remembered the audience this is a book for young people. They do not need to be given all the horrors of the slave trade to know it was wrong and the lesson that Amos taught with his life was one that children need to learn and can learn from this book. That "it does a man no good to be free until he knows how to live, how to walk in step with God." That quote alone made the whole book worth reading!
April 14, 2024
➳ 4 ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚
this was so good and so beautifully told and so necessary and even though it was required reading i loved it so i call that a win 🤭💌
୧ ‧₊˚ 🍓 ⋅ ☆
this was so good and so beautifully told and so necessary and even though it was required reading i loved it so i call that a win 🤭💌
୧ ‧₊˚ 🍓 ⋅ ☆
October 19, 2015
Although I greatly admired Amos Fortune in Elizabeth Yates’s 1951 biographical novel, it was his love for a mountain in his later years with which I connected the most.
A former African prince, At-mun was abducted by slave traders in 1710, after they destroyed his village and murdered his father. He endured great suffering during his captivity and journey to Boston, but knowing that he was of royal lineage, he endured his ordeal stoically, wanting to give hope to those captured with him. He kept that sense of responsibility for others during his whole life.
Amos, as his name became, earned his last name “Fortune” since he had the very, very good luck of being owned by kind masters for the almost fifty years that he was enslaved. He learned to read, was taught (and embraced) Christianity, and then mastered the tanning trade. Eventually, Amos was given his freedom. He never stopped trying to help fellow slaves earn theirs, and his efforts to do so brought him to Jaffrey, New Hampshire in the late 1700’s.
There, he came to love Mount Monadnock, which became a source of strength and consolation as he aged. Fortune’s life was certainly still difficult, but he continued to support and provide for those he loved. Through his inspiring integrity and the skills he learned, he earned the respect of not only his family and friends, but also many areas of New Hampshire as well.
I recommend this biography for early middle-schoolers. Although the slavery scenes are not as graphic as some, they depict the horror of captivity, the great sadness from lack of freedom, and the joy Amos experienced when freedom was finally again his.
The comfort Amos receives from nature is sweet to hear and to nurture in young readers. Amos has “his mountain,” which he scales to its peak even in his seventies. I, too, have hiked that mountain in New Hampshire, and was impressed by his climb! Children who have nature close to them are lucky indeed, and the book underscores that fact.
Reading Amos Fortune also reminds me how wonderful connecting to a book can be. Fortune’s story is one of endurance and triumph over adversity. I would honor him just from reading Yates’s research; the personal connection to that grand mountain in New Hampshire makes him even more memorable!
A former African prince, At-mun was abducted by slave traders in 1710, after they destroyed his village and murdered his father. He endured great suffering during his captivity and journey to Boston, but knowing that he was of royal lineage, he endured his ordeal stoically, wanting to give hope to those captured with him. He kept that sense of responsibility for others during his whole life.
Amos, as his name became, earned his last name “Fortune” since he had the very, very good luck of being owned by kind masters for the almost fifty years that he was enslaved. He learned to read, was taught (and embraced) Christianity, and then mastered the tanning trade. Eventually, Amos was given his freedom. He never stopped trying to help fellow slaves earn theirs, and his efforts to do so brought him to Jaffrey, New Hampshire in the late 1700’s.
There, he came to love Mount Monadnock, which became a source of strength and consolation as he aged. Fortune’s life was certainly still difficult, but he continued to support and provide for those he loved. Through his inspiring integrity and the skills he learned, he earned the respect of not only his family and friends, but also many areas of New Hampshire as well.
I recommend this biography for early middle-schoolers. Although the slavery scenes are not as graphic as some, they depict the horror of captivity, the great sadness from lack of freedom, and the joy Amos experienced when freedom was finally again his.
The comfort Amos receives from nature is sweet to hear and to nurture in young readers. Amos has “his mountain,” which he scales to its peak even in his seventies. I, too, have hiked that mountain in New Hampshire, and was impressed by his climb! Children who have nature close to them are lucky indeed, and the book underscores that fact.
Reading Amos Fortune also reminds me how wonderful connecting to a book can be. Fortune’s story is one of endurance and triumph over adversity. I would honor him just from reading Yates’s research; the personal connection to that grand mountain in New Hampshire makes him even more memorable!
December 9, 2013
This book reads like a giant Mad Lib. Yates took the handful of known history about Amos Fortune, then just randomly made stuff up to fill in the gaps. Most of it makes no sense from one page to the next. Characters want freedom, then they don't, then they do. Characters are noble, then stupid, then brilliant. All of it adds up to the lesson of the book, which is... what? I really don't know.
This book has been accused of racism, but I found it more bewildering than anything else. There are slave-owners who seem to be portrayed positively, even while they extol slavery. Yet, Yates was clearly trying to write an anti-discrimination book. It all has the feel of a daydream in which premises and continuity are discarded midthought to make way for new whimsies.
I'm giving it two stars instead of one because it was oddly readable. I trusted Yates enough not to change the known facts of the story too much, and I read on to find out what they were. (Wiki would have been quicker, of course.)
This book has been accused of racism, but I found it more bewildering than anything else. There are slave-owners who seem to be portrayed positively, even while they extol slavery. Yet, Yates was clearly trying to write an anti-discrimination book. It all has the feel of a daydream in which premises and continuity are discarded midthought to make way for new whimsies.
I'm giving it two stars instead of one because it was oddly readable. I trusted Yates enough not to change the known facts of the story too much, and I read on to find out what they were. (Wiki would have been quicker, of course.)
January 12, 2014
The story itself is really not that bad, but the fact that the author made up the majority of the story based upon the few facts available on Amos Fortune's life sort of disturbs me. The details of slavery and prejudice are very glossed over and are not realistic at all. Amos is depicted as being happy all the time, and although I don't doubt that he was a very upbeat person, not one time in this book is he sad (although he gets angry at one occasion). I just didn't feel like I got a very good taste of what Amos had to go through as a slave and as somebody who was always looked down upon. The details of his life in Jaffrey, New Hampshire, are a bit more interesting, but still pretty dull. Not a book I'd expect kids to pick up, but it's readable and somewhat inspiring.
September 11, 2020
A biography of African young 15 year old lad who is dreaming of being king of tribe, light life to his disabled sister loss his independence by being slave... Then his journey starts of not only getting independent, also to find his disabled sister and working hard to gift independence to his fellow mates.... No twists and turns, but hits hard to bow down to one of the noble heart we read for... Definitely a good read...!
July 25, 2019
Informative and inspiring!
January 18, 2025
This was a good, sweet book -- maybe too sweet! Amos's life went very well, he was a strong Christian man, and not too many bad things happened to him -- which we all know is not what happened in real life, especially not to a slave in the 1700s....
However, I would say it might be a nice, inspirational book to read to a young child if you were trying to introduce some history to them. I'm sure they will be taught more realistic versions as they get older and are more prepared to understand.
I really enjoy Elizabeth Yates as an author, but this was not my favorite book of hers.
However, I would say it might be a nice, inspirational book to read to a young child if you were trying to introduce some history to them. I'm sure they will be taught more realistic versions as they get older and are more prepared to understand.
I really enjoy Elizabeth Yates as an author, but this was not my favorite book of hers.
March 31, 2025
Ok, this is gonna be short cause I’m tired(😅😂🤣 )but this one was a cool, easy read. It was so interesting how steady and chill Amos is 😆. Also kind of sad just the whole relationship between people with different colored skin, you know? Anyway, just my thoughts! Really good book! ⭐️⭐️⭐️
August 16, 2020
Thank goodness this story is very dry and most Middle Grade aged readers will drop it like a hot potato before it fills their heads with sugar-coated nonsense. I cannot for the life of me figure out how this was a Newbery winner, but it won in the 1950s, so that may be the reason.
The captured Africans in this book were brought up from below decks for regular exercise and were hosed down for cleanliness, although this was in the 1700s and there weren't pressure hoses. There were quite a few anachronisms in this story. It wasn't very well researched. They were also fed well. Upon arriving in America, which was made to seem like a short voyage, Amos was lucky to be bought by a Quaker on a whim; someone who treated him like a family member. His next owner treated him like a white employee/apprentice. There was also this reoccurring mention of slaves being automatically given their freedom after twenty-five years of "service", which is not true. It was also too easy for Amos to buy other slaves to free them and marry them. This book made it seem like being a slave was a mere bump in the road to success.
Next Amos was again lucky to find a town that just happened to be freed slave friendly, the very first town he stopped at, imagine that. The town deacon just happened to have a piece of land which had all the land features Amos needed to set up his tannery business, and he could use it for free. There was an ex-slave widow in town with a lot of children who was seen by Amos' wife as being shiftless because she couldn't support her children and needed charity, even though Amos had bought his wife and her daughter's freedom and supported them and the child wasn't his. Then they watched as the widow's oldest boy was taken away and put into servitude to help offset the charity they were given, with the aside that the hardship would make him a better person; yet Amos took in a White doctor's son as an apprentice. Why couldn't he have taken in the widow's son as an apprentice? This White boy apprenticeship was also used as an example of how White people value a work ethic. Do not let your children read this book!
There was also a comment made that Black people were like children and that's why they needed owners. I was sure this statement would be refuted and resolved at some point, but it never came up again.
Then there were all the language inconsistencies, which in my mind wouldn't need research because they would be common sense. In the beginning of the book the Englishmen kept saying that Amos couldn't speak because when asked his name he didn't reply, but the captured Africans didn't speak English, so how would he know to answer the question, how would any of them know how to answer? Then while learning English, from being read to from the Bible, when hearing the word "king" Amos said he was a king, but his village's word for king wouldn't have been the same and there was no context for him to deduce the meaning. At one point when he saw a group of new captives at auction he thought to himself that he wished he still remembered his old language so he could talk to them, which gives a false idea that all Africans speak the same language. He also told a group of children that they used to sing Swing Low Sweet Chariot in his village when he was a child, but... they weren't Christian in his village, and he said he didn't remember his African language, so how did he know they were the same words. Plus the song is a spiritual/hymn that wasn't written until the 1800s in America and this story takes place in the 1700s. Honestly, I don't think the Newbery judges read these books.
The story also has a heavy helping of Christian teachings and states more than once that Amos' success came from being a Christian and gaining God's blessings. There are also hymns and Bible verses included, which might be a little much for many contemporary parents.
I read this title for my Newbery Award reading challenge.
The captured Africans in this book were brought up from below decks for regular exercise and were hosed down for cleanliness, although this was in the 1700s and there weren't pressure hoses. There were quite a few anachronisms in this story. It wasn't very well researched. They were also fed well. Upon arriving in America, which was made to seem like a short voyage, Amos was lucky to be bought by a Quaker on a whim; someone who treated him like a family member. His next owner treated him like a white employee/apprentice. There was also this reoccurring mention of slaves being automatically given their freedom after twenty-five years of "service", which is not true. It was also too easy for Amos to buy other slaves to free them and marry them. This book made it seem like being a slave was a mere bump in the road to success.
Next Amos was again lucky to find a town that just happened to be freed slave friendly, the very first town he stopped at, imagine that. The town deacon just happened to have a piece of land which had all the land features Amos needed to set up his tannery business, and he could use it for free. There was an ex-slave widow in town with a lot of children who was seen by Amos' wife as being shiftless because she couldn't support her children and needed charity, even though Amos had bought his wife and her daughter's freedom and supported them and the child wasn't his. Then they watched as the widow's oldest boy was taken away and put into servitude to help offset the charity they were given, with the aside that the hardship would make him a better person; yet Amos took in a White doctor's son as an apprentice. Why couldn't he have taken in the widow's son as an apprentice? This White boy apprenticeship was also used as an example of how White people value a work ethic. Do not let your children read this book!
There was also a comment made that Black people were like children and that's why they needed owners. I was sure this statement would be refuted and resolved at some point, but it never came up again.
Then there were all the language inconsistencies, which in my mind wouldn't need research because they would be common sense. In the beginning of the book the Englishmen kept saying that Amos couldn't speak because when asked his name he didn't reply, but the captured Africans didn't speak English, so how would he know to answer the question, how would any of them know how to answer? Then while learning English, from being read to from the Bible, when hearing the word "king" Amos said he was a king, but his village's word for king wouldn't have been the same and there was no context for him to deduce the meaning. At one point when he saw a group of new captives at auction he thought to himself that he wished he still remembered his old language so he could talk to them, which gives a false idea that all Africans speak the same language. He also told a group of children that they used to sing Swing Low Sweet Chariot in his village when he was a child, but... they weren't Christian in his village, and he said he didn't remember his African language, so how did he know they were the same words. Plus the song is a spiritual/hymn that wasn't written until the 1800s in America and this story takes place in the 1700s. Honestly, I don't think the Newbery judges read these books.
The story also has a heavy helping of Christian teachings and states more than once that Amos' success came from being a Christian and gaining God's blessings. There are also hymns and Bible verses included, which might be a little much for many contemporary parents.
I read this title for my Newbery Award reading challenge.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 30, 2019
I have/had fond memories of this book, which I first encountered in middle school. I found it in one of the many book bins in one of my classrooms. I kept thinking about it through the years, and was glad when I was able to get a copy later. However, after rereading the book in college, I find that I have some serious issues with it, much of which has been mentioned in earlier reviews. Handled the proper way, the story of Amos Fortune, a figure who no doubt had a fascinating and complex life, could have made for a satisfying historical read, one that generations of children could benefit from. As it stands now, the book supports paternalism, assimilation, the misuse of Christianity, and the system of slavery in general. Overall, it actually defends racism, which it doesn't see as having a largely negative effect on Africans and African-Americans. This viewpoint reveals much about the author's intentions (she was white), the racial atmosphere of the time (1951) and the myths surrounding slavery, which still lingered in the public consciousness.
In the text, slavery is not viewed as innately evil and cruel to those forced into it. Rather, the institution is just viewed as an obstacle or inconvenience that people have to overcome. The author disturbingly suggests that slavery actually makes individuals, Black individuals, better people because they learn to work through the hardships and adapt to different situations. Amos himself supports this view. Furthermore, the author paints slavery as an honest institution, one that others like Amos can free themselves from if they simply work hard and accept their fate as God's will. When Amos finally does get his freedom, the book implies that Amos can now appreciate it better because of his years of working towards it, ignoring the fact that he was already free before he was stolen from his homeland.
None of the white people who own Amos are cruel or even indifferent to him. Throughout the book, they treat him with respect and kindness. Despite this, they never see Amos as their equal, even though they praise his acceptance of Christianity as a step towards his becoming "civilized". Ironically, the first people who owned Amos were Quakers, a group that has strongly been identified with the antislavery movement in the United States, even though some of them did practice slaveholding. They are the ones who "rename" him and instill in him Biblical tenets that he carries with him throughout his life. All slaveowners may not have been Simon Legree, but this doesn't mean that the Simon Legrees were nonexistent, even in the early days of the United States.
Perhaps most disturbing is the fact that in spite of a few early protests, Amos accepts his fate willingly, and shows no desire to see the rest of his family again. He wants to be free, but turns down a number of opportunities that would have afforded him freedom, and he doesn't attempt to run away. In regards to his past, there is no real description of African culture or societal structure. The reader's main introduction to Amos (or rather, Ath-mun's) pre-American home is through a jungle celebration with eating and dancing, as well as a "barbaric" custom that Amos saves his sister from. Not once is their culture viewed as being equal in status to that of the Europeans.
This book still has relevance as an historical document that presents a distorted view of an important historical event. It does seem disturbing that this won an award as one of the best examples of children's literature. I can't help but think about the schoolchildren who read this book and enjoyed it as fact, and the effect that it may have had on them.
In the text, slavery is not viewed as innately evil and cruel to those forced into it. Rather, the institution is just viewed as an obstacle or inconvenience that people have to overcome. The author disturbingly suggests that slavery actually makes individuals, Black individuals, better people because they learn to work through the hardships and adapt to different situations. Amos himself supports this view. Furthermore, the author paints slavery as an honest institution, one that others like Amos can free themselves from if they simply work hard and accept their fate as God's will. When Amos finally does get his freedom, the book implies that Amos can now appreciate it better because of his years of working towards it, ignoring the fact that he was already free before he was stolen from his homeland.
None of the white people who own Amos are cruel or even indifferent to him. Throughout the book, they treat him with respect and kindness. Despite this, they never see Amos as their equal, even though they praise his acceptance of Christianity as a step towards his becoming "civilized". Ironically, the first people who owned Amos were Quakers, a group that has strongly been identified with the antislavery movement in the United States, even though some of them did practice slaveholding. They are the ones who "rename" him and instill in him Biblical tenets that he carries with him throughout his life. All slaveowners may not have been Simon Legree, but this doesn't mean that the Simon Legrees were nonexistent, even in the early days of the United States.
Perhaps most disturbing is the fact that in spite of a few early protests, Amos accepts his fate willingly, and shows no desire to see the rest of his family again. He wants to be free, but turns down a number of opportunities that would have afforded him freedom, and he doesn't attempt to run away. In regards to his past, there is no real description of African culture or societal structure. The reader's main introduction to Amos (or rather, Ath-mun's) pre-American home is through a jungle celebration with eating and dancing, as well as a "barbaric" custom that Amos saves his sister from. Not once is their culture viewed as being equal in status to that of the Europeans.
This book still has relevance as an historical document that presents a distorted view of an important historical event. It does seem disturbing that this won an award as one of the best examples of children's literature. I can't help but think about the schoolchildren who read this book and enjoyed it as fact, and the effect that it may have had on them.
December 20, 2019
Okay, Amos Fortune. This book is based on the true story of a fifteen-year-old boy who was captured by slave traders in Africa and brought to New England in the early 1700s. Not much is known about the real Amos Fortune, so this book is not a biography. The author made most of it up. We do know that when Amos was in his 60s, he bought his freedom, started a tanning business, and made enough money to buy land for his family and freedom for other slaves. He eventually grew influential enough to become a well-respected leader in his town.
This book was written for children, but it’s different from most children’s books because Amos is an adult for most of the story. I like that. Since Amos is a slave for a lot of his existence, he doesn’t really get to live until he’s in his 60s. He has to wait that long to buy a house and start a business. His story shows you’re never too old to completely change your life.
I was impressed with Amos’s kindness. Even as a slave with limited resources, he always tries to do what’s right. As a young man, he goes to the docks to search slave auctions for his sister. When he gets older and starts making money, he saves for years to buy freedom for his friends. He’s always thinking of ways to do the most good with what he has.
This novel is extremely heavy handed with the Christianity. I suspect it’s the author’s own beliefs coming through, but it didn’t bother me very much because the real Amos Fortune was a Christian who left a lot of his fortune to a church after he died. I like that the book reflects the religious part of his life. Still, I know many readers get irritated when they want a story and get a sermon instead. The book gets very preachy at times.
What did bother me is Amos’s naivety. He’s able to learn English and a bunch of different household and job tasks, but he doesn’t understand that his sister won’t stay 12 years old forever? That doesn’t seem realistic.
Sometimes when I read Newbery winners, I wonder what the award committee was thinking. Some of the winners are bland. Unfortunately, that was the case with this one. The events of Amos’s life feel shallow and watered-down. I think that’s because the book covers 91 years in 192 pages. There isn’t room for depth. Everything is glossed over. Amos falls in love three times, but the reader learns nothing about the women or why he loves them. The important women in Amos’s life just appear and then disappear a few pages later.
You can tell that this book was written for white readers in the 1950s. The black characters (except Amos) are underdeveloped, and the white characters are savior-types who do everything for Amos except give him his freedom. Amos’s thoughts and emotions about being a slave are mostly ignored. I found that disappointing.
So, I didn't love this one. I like my books to have more depth.
Do you like opinions, giveaways, and bookish nonsense?
I have a blog for that.
This book was written for children, but it’s different from most children’s books because Amos is an adult for most of the story. I like that. Since Amos is a slave for a lot of his existence, he doesn’t really get to live until he’s in his 60s. He has to wait that long to buy a house and start a business. His story shows you’re never too old to completely change your life.
I was impressed with Amos’s kindness. Even as a slave with limited resources, he always tries to do what’s right. As a young man, he goes to the docks to search slave auctions for his sister. When he gets older and starts making money, he saves for years to buy freedom for his friends. He’s always thinking of ways to do the most good with what he has.
“He said little about his dream but he nourished it in his heart as the best place for a dream to grow.”
This novel is extremely heavy handed with the Christianity. I suspect it’s the author’s own beliefs coming through, but it didn’t bother me very much because the real Amos Fortune was a Christian who left a lot of his fortune to a church after he died. I like that the book reflects the religious part of his life. Still, I know many readers get irritated when they want a story and get a sermon instead. The book gets very preachy at times.
What did bother me is Amos’s naivety. He’s able to learn English and a bunch of different household and job tasks, but he doesn’t understand that his sister won’t stay 12 years old forever? That doesn’t seem realistic.
Sometimes when I read Newbery winners, I wonder what the award committee was thinking. Some of the winners are bland. Unfortunately, that was the case with this one. The events of Amos’s life feel shallow and watered-down. I think that’s because the book covers 91 years in 192 pages. There isn’t room for depth. Everything is glossed over. Amos falls in love three times, but the reader learns nothing about the women or why he loves them. The important women in Amos’s life just appear and then disappear a few pages later.
You can tell that this book was written for white readers in the 1950s. The black characters (except Amos) are underdeveloped, and the white characters are savior-types who do everything for Amos except give him his freedom. Amos’s thoughts and emotions about being a slave are mostly ignored. I found that disappointing.
So, I didn't love this one. I like my books to have more depth.
Do you like opinions, giveaways, and bookish nonsense?
I have a blog for that.
March 9, 2021
I wanted to give "Amos Fortune, Free Man" by Elizabeth Yates 5 stars, but it does unfortunately have some problematic content.
Yates, wrote a few things like this from Amos's viewpoint: "The white man, in the person of Caleb Copeland, had become such a protector to Amos. Amos looked to him with reverence and loyalty. He did not want his life to be apart from Caleb's in any way."
And while I agree with the quote that "...it does a man no good to be free until he learns how to live, how to walk in step with God.", I also understand the difficulty of attributing that sentiment to a former black slave without evidence from a historical document that he said it.
So why did I think this was such a good book? Yates wrote honestly about how blacks (both slave and free) were viewed and treated in America by whites. Statements like these were painful to read but I think it was clear that these were not her own views: "He is part animal now." and "But that's what they are, those black people, nothing but children. It's a good thing for them the whites took them over."
After Amos buys his freedom, "achieved by his own effort and not through the kindness of any man" Yates writes disparagingly about slavery as in when Amos recalls "....the memory of toil as another's chattel, from indignity and privation and the long slow years of servitude." and she writes beautifully about freedom and Amos's commitment to bringing others to freedom as his means allowed.
I loved the scene in which Yates wrote about slavery to sin: "Hate could do that to a man, Amos thought, consume him and leave him smoldering. But he was a free man, and free at a great cost, and he would not put himself in bondage again."
I also loved these quotes from the last chapter of the book that showed her hope for the future:
"Amos told himself that if people knew what it was they did that caused suffering they would no longer do it."
"Humbly he prayed that as the boys and girls learned more, they would know what they did and so do only what was worthy of men and women."
Yates, wrote a few things like this from Amos's viewpoint: "The white man, in the person of Caleb Copeland, had become such a protector to Amos. Amos looked to him with reverence and loyalty. He did not want his life to be apart from Caleb's in any way."
And while I agree with the quote that "...it does a man no good to be free until he learns how to live, how to walk in step with God.", I also understand the difficulty of attributing that sentiment to a former black slave without evidence from a historical document that he said it.
So why did I think this was such a good book? Yates wrote honestly about how blacks (both slave and free) were viewed and treated in America by whites. Statements like these were painful to read but I think it was clear that these were not her own views: "He is part animal now." and "But that's what they are, those black people, nothing but children. It's a good thing for them the whites took them over."
After Amos buys his freedom, "achieved by his own effort and not through the kindness of any man" Yates writes disparagingly about slavery as in when Amos recalls "....the memory of toil as another's chattel, from indignity and privation and the long slow years of servitude." and she writes beautifully about freedom and Amos's commitment to bringing others to freedom as his means allowed.
I loved the scene in which Yates wrote about slavery to sin: "Hate could do that to a man, Amos thought, consume him and leave him smoldering. But he was a free man, and free at a great cost, and he would not put himself in bondage again."
I also loved these quotes from the last chapter of the book that showed her hope for the future:
"Amos told himself that if people knew what it was they did that caused suffering they would no longer do it."
"Humbly he prayed that as the boys and girls learned more, they would know what they did and so do only what was worthy of men and women."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 27, 2023
Amos Fortune began his life as the son of an African king. Kidnapped into slavery as a young man and brought to the United States, he is purchased at auction by a Quaker family who take him in, teach him to read, and eventually give him his freedom. From there, Amos works toward freeing other slaves and slowly building the life he wants for himself.
The writing in this book is really well-crafted and it makes the story of Amos Fortune's experiences fighting against hardship really come to life. I read this aloud to my three oldest daughters, ages 4, 6, and 8, and they were utterly enthralled, begging me for just one more chapter. This was their first introduction to slavery in American history, and I appreciated that the book handled the subject matter in a way that was accessible for them. It was already very clear to all three of them that slavery is wrong (we talk about that when we read the Old Testament), and this book helped them understand how that wrong was carried out in our own society. They also love biographies, and hearing the details of Amos's jobs, homes, spouse, etc. really appealed to them.
Amos Fortune, Free Man isn't the most popular book today because people often judge it based on what it doesn't include, using today's approach to race as the standard. But considering this is a children's book from 1950, prior to the Civil Rights movement, I find it pretty impressive. Another wonderful book we recently read from around the same time period is Carvers' George (1952) by Florence Crannell Means. While George Washington Carver was born into slavery in the US and freed as a child, he has much in common with Amos Fortune when it comes to dealing with relentless adversity. Neither of these would be sufficient as the only book a child reads about the experience of black people during and after slavery, but they are both excellent entrypoints into the discussion for young readers.
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
The writing in this book is really well-crafted and it makes the story of Amos Fortune's experiences fighting against hardship really come to life. I read this aloud to my three oldest daughters, ages 4, 6, and 8, and they were utterly enthralled, begging me for just one more chapter. This was their first introduction to slavery in American history, and I appreciated that the book handled the subject matter in a way that was accessible for them. It was already very clear to all three of them that slavery is wrong (we talk about that when we read the Old Testament), and this book helped them understand how that wrong was carried out in our own society. They also love biographies, and hearing the details of Amos's jobs, homes, spouse, etc. really appealed to them.
Amos Fortune, Free Man isn't the most popular book today because people often judge it based on what it doesn't include, using today's approach to race as the standard. But considering this is a children's book from 1950, prior to the Civil Rights movement, I find it pretty impressive. Another wonderful book we recently read from around the same time period is Carvers' George (1952) by Florence Crannell Means. While George Washington Carver was born into slavery in the US and freed as a child, he has much in common with Amos Fortune when it comes to dealing with relentless adversity. Neither of these would be sufficient as the only book a child reads about the experience of black people during and after slavery, but they are both excellent entrypoints into the discussion for young readers.
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
November 1, 2016
I found the pacing of this book strange and off-putting (there are poignant moments where Amos reflects on the most minute detail of a sunset, preceeded and followed by paragraphs where whole decades fly by), but perhaps life can be a bit blurry in a similar way. I found myself wondering about the race of the author, and then wondering if that was fair. I still haven't delved into it too deeply, because I'd like to ponder the book as a standalone work before dragging the author's whole life experience into it. It's not a great *book,* in my opinion, but it is a nice telling of an exemplary life. Amos' reflections on what it really means to be free and use freedom wisely are very moving.
January 4, 2019
It’s just not a good book. Amos is an interesting character, but so little happens, so little detail is shared, and it seems so strange to write a children’s story about slavery that presents slavery as “not so bad.” Such a strange book.
That said, I still want to read it with my class, because I want them to see the whitewashing of history and call it out. I want them to say, “wait a second, it can’t really have been like this for everyone”. Instead of a lesson on what slavery was like, I’ll use this as a lesson in how we (as a society) can spin stories to make whatever we want seem palatable and pleasant.
That said, I still want to read it with my class, because I want them to see the whitewashing of history and call it out. I want them to say, “wait a second, it can’t really have been like this for everyone”. Instead of a lesson on what slavery was like, I’ll use this as a lesson in how we (as a society) can spin stories to make whatever we want seem palatable and pleasant.
September 12, 2019
I loved the story in and of itself, but the style of writing, the grammatical flow (or lack thereof) was very difficult to Wade through at times.
However, it was a wonderful example of God using a dark period in our history to show His ability to shine even where there should be no light, by human understanding. The power of Christ in us to rise above the demeaning circumstances of life...may we all grab hold of that just a little bit, to experience what Mr. Amos Fortune did.
However, it was a wonderful example of God using a dark period in our history to show His ability to shine even where there should be no light, by human understanding. The power of Christ in us to rise above the demeaning circumstances of life...may we all grab hold of that just a little bit, to experience what Mr. Amos Fortune did.
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