Don't be fooled. This incredible book is not a simple historical account of a slave boy living on a southern plantation where everyone is known by a number. It's so much more, and it's actually science fiction.
Forty-seven is a young slave with a cruel master and the prospect of a tortured, harsh life picking cotton 14 hours a day, 365 days a year. One day, a mysterious runaway slave runs into Forty-seven (literally) on a path,
"When our eyes met the boy seemed to be looking for something inside me. He peered closer, frowning and straining as if he saw something familiar. Then he broke out into a broad grin. He walked up to me, put out a helping hand, and pulled me to my feet.
"There you are at last," he said as if we were playmates just come to the end of a game of hide-and-seek. "I've been looking high and low for you."
Tall John has been looking for Forty-seven for 3,000 years. He brings to him the idea of freedom and equality, and the idea that a fourteen-year-old young man in bondage is the person who can save the universe. The author,
Walter Mosley, promises that "47" is the first in a long series. I can't wait until the next one comes out. In the meantime, here's a
podcast of an interview with Mosley about this book.
Students in Mrs. Graham's class can click on the comments link below to post their comments
Students in Mr. Graham's class can click on the comments link below to post their journals.
Don't be fooled. This incredible book is not a simple historical account of a slave boy living on a southern plantation where everyone is known by a number. It's so much more, and it's actually science fiction.
One of my favorite books of all times is Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. We all take for granted our freedom to read books. But, imagine a futuristic time and place where books are banned, illegal in fact. Firemen don’t put out fires; actually their job is to burn books. Guy Montag is a fireman who, after getting to know his 17 year old neighbor, Clarisse, starts to question his job and society. He begins hiding books, a crime which could result in more than just his books and house being burned. His wife doesn’t understand his quest for ideas. She only wants him to work harder so they might be able to afford a fourth TV wall. Hard to believe but, when she discovers his collection, she reports him to the government. Although originally written in 1953, this book is as relevant today as it was then. It truly makes one think about what could happen in a society where people stop thinking independently. By the way, Fahrenheit 451 is the temperature at which books burn.
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