Jordan Freeman Was My Friend (Signed First Edition)

The friendship between eleven-year-old Billy Latham and former slave Jordan Freeman is set against the backdrop of the American Revolution, in a story based on a real-life 1781 massacre at Fort Griswold in Connecticut. By the author of Mister Grey.

YA?In the early pages of this appealing book set in 18th-century Connecticut, 11-year-old Billy Latham's life is saved by Jordan, a slave. They are thus bound to each other and become friends; as a result of his bravery, Jordan receives his freedom and surname, Freeman, from Colonel Ledyard, his master. Ultimately, both young men are pressed into service at Fort Griswold; in their own ways, they attempt to protect the newly constructed stronghold from Benedict Arnold and the British troops that he commands. The book reads quickly and lends itself to a variety of curriculum applications.?Diane Goheen, Topeka West High School, KS
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The massacre at Groton, Conn., in 1781, when Benedict Arnold's troops decimated the Revolutionary militia, provides the background for this slender, affecting historical novel. Most of the characters are based on real people, and the language and background details are rendered with spare authenticity. Reminiscent of The Hessian and Johnny Tremain , the tale is narrated by 12-year-old Billy Latham. Billy first describes his hardworking but happy boyhood and his friendship with freed slave Jordan Freeman, who comes into Billy's life when he saves the boy from a marauding bull. Freeman is a hired man to Colonel William Ledyard, who commands the troops building Fort Griswold. Billy becomes a water boy at the fort; as a witness to the massacre, he sees the men, including Jordan and his Indian friend Tom Wansuc, fight bravely, with tragic outcomes for most. The language is deliberately simple and the morals spelled out plainly: bigotry is evil, loyalty to family, friends and country is the highest virtue. Young-adult readers are the obvious audience for this remnant of American history illuminated earnestly but without subtlety by White, whose previous novel, Mister Grey , was nominated for a Golden Spur award.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.