Chains

Chains follows Isabel, an enslaved girl living in New York City at the outbreak of the American Revolution. As colonists cry out for liberty from British rule, Isabel is forced to confront a brutal contradiction: a fight for freedom that excludes people like her.

Told in spare, emotionally resonant prose, this historical novel centers the lived experience of enslavement during a period often taught as heroic and uncomplicated. Isabel’s story is one of courage, intelligence, and endurance in a world that refuses to see her humanity.

This book doesn’t rewrite history. It completes it.

Why it’s been banned

Chains has been challenged and removed for:

• Depictions of slavery and physical abuse
• Strong language
• Portrayals of racism and violence
• Being considered “too disturbing” for young readers

It is often banned for telling the truth about America’s founding and for centering that truth through the eyes of a Black child.

Why we love it

• Because it exposes the myth of a “clean” revolution.
• Because it gives young readers historical context without dilution.
• Because it insists that freedom narratives must include everyone—or they’re incomplete.

This book trusts young readers with hard history. And they rise to it.

Perfect for

Middle grade & YA readers • classrooms and educators • banned books supporters • readers interested in American history • anyone ready to question who freedom has been built for