The Slave Dancer
Registered by dancing-dog of Cordova, Tennessee USA on 6/13/2006
This book is in a Controlled Release!
This book is in a Controlled Release!
14 journalers for this copy...
Plot Summary from amazon.com:
Jessie Bollier often played his fife to earn a few pennies down by the New Orleans docks. One afternoon a sailor asked him to pipe a tune, & that evening Jessie was kidnapped & dumped aboard The Moonlight, a slave ship, where a hateful duty awaited him. He was to play music so the slaves could "dance" to keep their muscles strong, their bodies profitable. Jessie was sickened by the thought of taking part in the business of trading rum & tobacco for blacks & then selling the ones who survived the frightful sea voyage from Africa. But to the men of the ship a "slave dancer" was necessary to ensure their share of the profit. They did not heed the horrors that every day grew more vivid, more inescapable to Jessie. Yet, even after 4 months of fear, calculated torture, & hazardous sailing with a degraded crew, Jessie was to face a final horror that would stay with him for the rest of his life.
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I enjoyed this story - a very gripping tale of a disturbing and often gruesome subject, I felt it was well-written and that the character of Jessie was very believable. Have mixed feelings about the ending but I won't say much else since I don't want to spoil it for others.
Reserved for spacedog's Newbery Medal Bookrings, Round #3
Participants: (corrected 9/7/06, sorry about that)
yokaye
Rosalinde
DoveiLibri
knitwit
bookhunter21
tuff517
spacedog
Jessie Bollier often played his fife to earn a few pennies down by the New Orleans docks. One afternoon a sailor asked him to pipe a tune, & that evening Jessie was kidnapped & dumped aboard The Moonlight, a slave ship, where a hateful duty awaited him. He was to play music so the slaves could "dance" to keep their muscles strong, their bodies profitable. Jessie was sickened by the thought of taking part in the business of trading rum & tobacco for blacks & then selling the ones who survived the frightful sea voyage from Africa. But to the men of the ship a "slave dancer" was necessary to ensure their share of the profit. They did not heed the horrors that every day grew more vivid, more inescapable to Jessie. Yet, even after 4 months of fear, calculated torture, & hazardous sailing with a degraded crew, Jessie was to face a final horror that would stay with him for the rest of his life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I enjoyed this story - a very gripping tale of a disturbing and often gruesome subject, I felt it was well-written and that the character of Jessie was very believable. Have mixed feelings about the ending but I won't say much else since I don't want to spoil it for others.
Reserved for spacedog's Newbery Medal Bookrings, Round #3
Participants: (corrected 9/7/06, sorry about that)
yokaye
Rosalinde
DoveiLibri
knitwit
bookhunter21
tuff517
spacedog
Rec'd today with 2 other newbery ring books. thanks!
This is a sad and disturbing tale, but I found it to be realistic and emotional without being melodramatic. I think the ending could've/should've been done a little differently too, but I won't spoil it for anyone else, either. :)
It's one of those thought-provoking stories we want to shelter our kids from, yet at the same time encourage them to read. I think it could open the floor for disscussions about slavery and the time period, and give kids a deeper understanding of the horrors of that time in our history.
Will send along in a day or two!
It's one of those thought-provoking stories we want to shelter our kids from, yet at the same time encourage them to read. I think it could open the floor for disscussions about slavery and the time period, and give kids a deeper understanding of the horrors of that time in our history.
Will send along in a day or two!
Received in the mail yesterday along with 3 other books for Spacedog's Newberry Ring round 3. I'll get to these right away!
Finished another one late at night. This one had a poetic spirit from the beginning to the end - from the fragrant spools of thread to the music at the end. I liked this one.
I hadn't heard of slaves having to dance before this book. It makes me wonder if it was common or a rare thing with certain captains. The character development was wonderful, each of the characters seemed to transform. Though a darker story, it had a lot to think about.
One of my favorite quotes:
"...the hope that delivered me from the depths and brought me up to air again again as though most of my true life had taken place in that stretch of the sea."
I liked it because it's almost how life is. You go through the bad parts and struggle as if you're drowning. It seems you forget the times before and can only concentrate on breathing.
~ * ~ * ~
Sending this on to Doveilibri after I get done with the Avi book.
I hadn't heard of slaves having to dance before this book. It makes me wonder if it was common or a rare thing with certain captains. The character development was wonderful, each of the characters seemed to transform. Though a darker story, it had a lot to think about.
One of my favorite quotes:
"...the hope that delivered me from the depths and brought me up to air again again as though most of my true life had taken place in that stretch of the sea."
I liked it because it's almost how life is. You go through the bad parts and struggle as if you're drowning. It seems you forget the times before and can only concentrate on breathing.
~ * ~ * ~
Sending this on to Doveilibri after I get done with the Avi book.
(<--- This is the Newbery Medal!) We rec'd this book today in the mail as part of SpaceDog's Newbery Book Ring Round 3 (Link). Libretto #1 is going to read this and we'll send it off as soon as possible. All the Newbery books seemd to have arrived the same week! We'll try to move them along quickly!Added August 25, 2006: Wow! Libretto #1 was so intrigued by this book that he finished it in ONE DAY! BookHunter21 seems to be getting all the Newbery books at the same time, so we're going to hang onto this book for a while so that Libretto #2 can read it, and then send it along. He's reading Bridge to Terabithia right now, but he should be done with that by next week!
Uh-oh seems to be a snafu! Here at the journal, the next participant is listed as BookHunter21. At SpaceDog's bookshelf, the next participant is listed as Knitwit in Pennsylvania! I've PMed SpaceDog and will hang onto the book until they tell me who to mail it to next!!!!! All packaged, stamped and waiting for travel orders!
Journal Entry 9 by 
Dove-i-Libri
at -- By Hand Or Post, Ray/Ring, RABCK, Meet-Up in Fort Myers, Florida USA on Thursday, September 7, 2006
Dove-i-Libri at -- By Hand Or Post, Ray/Ring, RABCK, Meet-Up in Fort Myers, Florida USA on Thursday, September 7, 2006
Released 17 yrs ago (9/8/2006 UTC) at -- By Hand Or Post, Ray/Ring, RABCK, Meet-Up in Fort Myers, Florida USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
This should relieve BookHunter21 a little bit ... sending to Knitwit in Pennsylvania first (via media mail) and then Knitwit will send the book to BookHunter21! OK! Happy Traveling, Little Book! Happy Reading, Folks!
Arrived today with beautiful "American Superlatives" stamps on the package! I have a couple of bookrings before this one but it shouldn't take me too long to get to this and pass it along. Thanks for sharing everyone - I love reading all this great Newbery literature.
What a horrific tale from our shameful past. Hard to say I enjoyed it since it was such terrible topic but I thought it was well written and didn't sensationalize the plot. I would encourage my older child to read this one in the hopes of being able to discuss the book with him.
This is ready to head to Bookhunter21 but it won't be going out until the middle of next week.
This is ready to head to Bookhunter21 but it won't be going out until the middle of next week.
Received on Tuesday, September 26. I've heard about this book and am looking forward to reading it!
I feel really bad, but i just could not get into this book. I started it several times and never got past the initial kidnapping. I will send it on this week.
Sent to tuff517 on January 4.
Currently reading.
I give up! I just cannot get into this book, and I've tried repeatedly. It's not something I would've picked up as a youngster and I still can't enjoy it. I give. Sending this on with Bridge to Terabithia. Thanks anyway!
received yesterday. will prob. get to in a week or so.
i'm glad to see i'm not the only one who found this book hard to get through. i don't know why i found this book to be so tedious, but i think it's prob. b/c there's a lot of description and much less action and dialogue. there were some interesting psychological portrayals, most particularly of stout with his twisted sadism, and the book as a whole reminded me a bit of what i can remember of heart of darkness. but like that book i found the effective depiction of the oppressive atmosphere wasn't enough to keep me interested. one of the more sophisticated books for children i've read.
will be mailing back to owner on monday. thanks.
will be mailing back to owner on monday. thanks.
Has arrived home - thanks everyone!
05/03 - saving this one for ariesgirl29
05/03 - saving this one for ariesgirl29
Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I think I'm going to read this one next - just need to think what to do with it next...
10.13.07 - sending as a RABCK with a bookring to cinnycat.
10.13.07 - sending as a RABCK with a bookring to cinnycat.
Journal Entry 21 by BookBirds from Somewhere in the USA, -- Wild Released somewhere in USA -- USA on Tuesday, October 23, 2007
What a lovely surprise, ariesgirl29! It is a nice match to travel along with Kindred by Octavia Butler. I'm reading them at the same time and The Slave Dancer will keep traveling with the ring you sent it with.:D I'll write another journal entry as soon as I'm finished reading this.
Journal Entry 22 by BookBirds at Controlled releases in Exchange/Trade, A Bookcrossing member -- Controlled Releases on Friday, December 14, 2007
Released 16 yrs ago (12/14/2007 UTC) at Controlled releases in Exchange/Trade, A Bookcrossing member -- Controlled Releases
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
RELEASE NOTES:
I didn't think this was a BAD kids book... it reminded me of Captains Courageous..but there were no slaves in Captains Courageous. hmm... Enjoy this RABCK!
I didn't think this was a BAD kids book... it reminded me of Captains Courageous..but there were no slaves in Captains Courageous. hmm... Enjoy this RABCK!
Thanks for the RABCK, cinnycat! ...What a Happy Holiday treat!
Thank you for sharing this book along with the Kindred BookRing. After reading Kindred, my head was so full of thoughts about all the scars that the slave trade has left on American society that I wasn't quite ready to leave the issue behind. It was good to be able to read though another perspective.
I will continue this book's journey and send it along with Kindred to the next participant!
I will continue this book's journey and send it along with Kindred to the next participant!
I released this book in the mail yesterday! Happy travels!
Arrived in the mail yesterday. I will get to it as soon as i can.
This book has arrived with another ring. Not sure why its travelling with it. I've already read this book and did not enjoy it.
Sending as a RABCK to samutsari at the request of bestfriend. Enjoy!
Thanks for sending this lauraloo29. It will be included in the box for the Children of the Sea Book Project
Released 15 yrs ago (9/24/2008 UTC) at
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:
Sent to St Margaret's Home, Kotte, Sri Lanka.
Please know that this book may no longer have journal entries after this.
Sent to St Margaret's Home, Kotte, Sri Lanka.
Please know that this book may no longer have journal entries after this.
