Chains

Chains, written by Laurie Halse Anderson, is the first novel in the Seeds of America trilogy, a series of historical fiction novels, and was first published in the United States on October 21, 2008. The trilogy follows the story of thirteen-year-old Isabel, an African-American slave fighting for her and her younger sister's freedom during the American Revolutionary War. Chains takes place mainly in New York City in 1776 into 1777, at a time when slavery was legal and common in the colonies. The book is followed by sequels Forge (2010) and Ashes (2016). Though the novel is fictional, parts of the story are inspired by and depict actual events that occurred during the early stages of the war, such as the failed plan of George Washington's assassination and the hanging of one of the conspirators, the capture of Fort Washington, and the popular pamphlet Common Sense by Thomas Paine. The novel contains 45 chapters numbered in Roman Numerals with the dates of the events in the chapter appearing beneath the chapter number. Under the dates, Anderson includes quotes from important historic documents such as private letters, newspapers, the Common Sense pamphlet, the Declaration of Independence of the United States, and spoken opinions from various world leaders. These openings to each chapter give a perspective on what Isabel/Sal might face in the chapter.