Anthony Burns

“In 1854, Anthony Burns, a 20-year-old black man, was put on trial in Bostonunder the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Retelling the events of the trial, whichpolarized the city, Hamilton shows the kind of political issue which broughtthe nation to fever pitch in the decade before the Civil War. Hamilton’sbiography is actually a ‘docudrama’ which centers on the often silent, mistreated, and humbled runaway slave. The insights Hamilton gives into thepersonal side of slavery are moving and unforgettable.”–(starred) “SchoolLibrary Journal.” “Does exactly what good biography for children ought todo: makes them feel what it was like to be that person in thosetimes.”–(starred) “Horn Book. “

Awards