Cy in Chains

Gr 9 Up—The plight of a group of African American boys in rural Georgia in the late 1800s is brought vividly to life in this novel about 13-year-old Cy Williams. Cy grows up working on a plantation with his father, but his friendship with the plantation owner's son results in Cy being kidnapped and turned over to a brutal chain-gang manager. Based on true stories, Dudley's novel paints a horrifying picture of the conditions under which chain-gang prisoners lived and worked. Cy spends long days breaking rocks, cutting saw palmetto, and shoveling clay until evening when "He and nineteen other boys were chained side by side on one long platform." Cy becomes friends with several of his bunkmates, including Jess, whose belief in God helps him to persevere, and young Mouse and Billy, who look to Cy for hope and direction. He also befriends the camp's cook, Rosalee, who has her own reasons for wanting to escape. Life in the chain gang is relentlessly oppressive, violent, and heartbreaking. Cy's transformation from innocence to anger and, finally, with the support of his friends, to a leader willing to take risks is compelling. His dream of freedom and reconciliation with his father drives the novel, but his path to happiness is painful and the light is hard to see.—Shelley Sommer, Inly School, Scituate, MA