Copper Sun a novel by Sharon Draper that goes deep into the life of slavery for a fifteen year old girl named Amari who lives a peaceful life and is betrothed to her beloved. She is loved by all, respects her community and elders. The story is complex and yet intriguing.

Amari a fifteen year old girl who lives in her village alongside her family and community is visited by foreigners, they are compared to the colors of goats milk once they arrive. Although her people are anxious and confused as to why they have come they meet these foreigners and welcome them with open arms and serve them with a small and yet festive banquet.

These pale faced men accompanied by a neighboring village had other plans than to celebrate with Amari’s people. Unexpectedly a gun fire was shot and before Amari could focus on what’s going on people were dying from gunshots and being chained into lines.

Nothing horror was amist with the people she had grown with dying left to right, she was the only survivor in her whole family. Amari had been captured and was now forced to leave her home with nothing but hope that she would someday escape.

Everything was taking from her in an instant. She had now entered the life of slavery wondering where this boat would take her and if it would be the edge of the world. She had been presented as a beast and auctioned till sold to a south Carolina plantation owner, she was intended to be a present to his son.

In Spite of it all Amari makes a friend named Polly and is surprised that she is also pale skinned and enslaved. They formulate a plan to escape the plantation when something happens on the plantation to cause worry with the slave cook’s son.

They plan to head south instead of north to a place called Fort Mose in the Spanish colony. The path they take has nothing but search dogs, watchful slave captures and always the mindset of being seen to be caught.

This novel is both deep and challenging for both reader and character to have hope for what is to come next. In spite of all the struggles Amari hopes to over oevrcome slavery and displays a strong character who has everyone reason to give up and yet focuses on surviving.