The Slave Dancer

The Slave Dancer is a children's book written by Paula Fox and published in 1973. It tells the story of a boy called Jessie Bollier who witnessed first-hand the savagery of the Atlantic slave trade. The book not only includes a historical account, but it also touches upon the emotional conflicts felt by those involved in transporting the slaves from Africa to other parts of the world. The book received the Newbery Medal in 1974.

Plot

Author's opinion
Paula Fox expressed that for her The Slave Dancer was the most difficult book she had written so far. Being her first historical book she had difficulty trying to be the most accurate with historical events and the descriptions of the time.

Reception
Kirkus Reviews said of the book: "...each of the sailors is sharply individualized, the inhuman treatment of the captives is conveyed straight to the nose and stomach rather than the bleeding heart, and the scenes in which Jessie is forced to play his fife to '"dance the slaves"' for their morning exercise become a haunting, focusing image for the whole bizarre undertaking." In a retrospective essay about the Newbery Medal-winning books from 1966 to 1975, children's author John Rowe Townsend wrote, "In its superficial aspect, The Slave Dancer is a sea-adventure story; yet the true adventure of Jessie Bollier is a spiritual adventure into the most terrible depths of human nature."

References

Category:1973 American novels
Category:1973 children's books
Category:Children's historical novels
Category:Novels about slavery
Category:American children's novels
Category:Newbery Medal-winning works
Category:Novels by Paula Fox