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    The Slave Dancer
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    The Slave Dancer
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    The Slave Dancer
    Audiobook4 hours

    The Slave Dancer

    Written by Paula Fox

    Narrated by Peter MacNicol

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    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, and that evening Jessie was kidnapped and 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 and tobacco for blacks and 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 four months of fear, calculated torture, and hazardous sailing with a degraded crew, Jessie was to face a final horror that would stay with him for the rest of his life.


    From the Paperback edition.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJan 22, 2008
    ISBN9780739371862
    Author

    Paula Fox

    Paula Fox’s novels include Desperate Characters, The Widow’s Children and Poor George. She is also a Newbery Award-winning children’s author. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

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    Reviews for The Slave Dancer

    3.5/5

    170 ratings18 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Jessie is a young boy who lives in New Orleans. Against his mother's rules, he takes the long way home one day, playing on his fife as he went. Jesse found himself wrapped in sail cloth, kidnapped and brought aboard a slave ship. His job on the ship is to be the slave dancer, playing music so that the slaves can dance to keep them exercised during the long voyage. Jessie didn't care for the idea of slavery to begin with, and the horrors of the reality on the slave ship sickened him. He sees the inhuman way the slaves are treated while the men on the ship can only focus on the money they will get for their efforts. The greed and brutality get worse every day, and Jesse must continue to dance the slaves to keep himself alive. In the final scenes, Jessie experiences the worst horrors of his excursion.Telling the story of the horrors of slavery through the eyes of a young white boy could be difficult, but Paula Fox found a sympathetic character in Jesse. He, himself, has been enslaved to these men on the ship, yet he is treated fairly well. As the story unfolds, we experience through Jessie's eyes the truth about a dark period in American history.
    • 4/5
      Shows the horrors of the slave trade, particularly focusing on the brutality and harsh conditions on board the ships that bring the slaves from Africa to America.
    • 4/5
      This is one of the most disturbing children's books I have ever read. It would even rank up there with disturbing adult books. It is about a thirteen year old white boy who is kidnapped from New Orleans and forced to work on a slave ship. He helps with general ship activity, but his main job is to play his fife for the slaves so they dance, both to entertain the ship's crew and so they get exercise so they are worth more at market. The boy is subjected to physical and emotional abuse at the hands of the crew as he is forced to watch and participate in many horrific events. I felt physically ill while reading much of the book. It is always odd to give a book like this four stars, but it was well-written and evoked powerful emotions about a very real historical topic. The 1974 Newberry winner, but I wouldn't recommend it for children.
    • 4/5
      The Slave Dancer, by Paula Fox, is the story of Jessie,a 13-year-old boy who is kidnapped from his home in New Orleans, by slave traders. Jessie plays a fife and the kidnappers wanted him on their ship to play while slaves were forced to dance on the deck of the ship. This was meant to keep the slaves active and strong on the long voyage across the ocean since they were very cramped and unable to move most of the time. The slave traders were only interested in the money they could make for each slave once they were back in the United States. Jessie is forced to grow up quickly as he encounters corrupt and evil men and must face his collusion in the immoral enterprise. I enjoyed the book as it was well-written, but it is hard to hear about the cruelty and inhumanity that was this part of our nation's history. I tried to imagine what it was like for a young boy to be taken from his home and forced to participate in something so evil. I was glad the author had a "happy" ending which would be easier for a young reader to absorb.As far as classroom extensions, this would be a perfect novel to have as part of a study of the slave trade and the history leading up the the Civil War. Another good use of this book would be as a character study of Jessie, his home life, how he changed during the ordeal of his kidnapping, his relationships aboard ship and his connections with the slaves, particularly Ras, the boy close to his age.
    • 5/5
      This1974 Newbery Medal award winning book is by far the most compelling, graphic and intensely dark Newbery I've read. Having said this, you may wonder why I highly recommend this dark tale full of vivid, violent details.The answer is simply this: Slavery was abhorrently wrong and this book captures the gruesomeness of the slave trade without stopping to the real temptation of pounding home a truth to the point wherein the reader closes the pages. Never exploiting the power of the evil, but honestly capturing the horror, Paula Fox did a marvelous job of addressing man's inhumanity to man. In 152 short pages the author accomplished what many writers cannot do with 500 pages of text.In 1840 Jessie Bollier lives in New Orleans with his hardworking seamstress mother and his lovable sister. Veering off the path when returning from his Aunt's house, he is kidnapped and taken aboard a slave ship. He is a young 13 year old white male who, while aware of the dirty business of slavery, had no idea what was in store for him or the slaves.Playing the fife during the day to earn extra money to help his mother renders him a target of the nasty traders who capture him and stow him on the ship. His job is to play for the slaves when they are allowed a bit of sunshine on deck. Providing sunshine is not done as a kind deed, rather the precious cargo is forced to dance in order to provide stronger muscle tone when they are sold at the final destination of Cuba. As Jessie witnesses the injustice, his notes become disjointed and shrill and he is beaten if he does not earn his keep.Jessie witnesses fights, treachery and hostility between ship mates. As the ship travels to Africa and then to Cuba, the author's excellent writing, provides clear, crisp images that anchor the reader while the ship is tempest tossed and hell bent toward finishing their destination The journey becomes darker and deeper as evil resides above the deck and 98 slaves witness terror below.When Jessie asserts that if the slaves are not treated properly there will not be more trading with the salves all gone, the response of a crew mate is simply stated as "The slaves are never gone!' All of Africa is a bottomless sack of blacks." Thus, with one sentence the author captured the incredible evil misconception that life does not matter...that it does not matter at all!!!!!Another example of excellent writing are these paragraph:For some time after the sun had set, the sky remained the color of rope. The ship lay steady on the glass-lie surface of the water which was pricked, now and then, into small ripples when a seabird struck its surface.A few lanterns were strung up to give us light. They made a mystery of the ship -- we floated like a live ember in a great bowl of darkness.This is anything but a light, easy-breezy YA book. It is nonetheless a part of history that cries to be told with bitter, angry tears of righteous indignation. And, if as the final page is turned, the reader does not come away with the brutality of American slavery, then there is something dramatically wrong with our society.This is an author I'll be sure to read again.FIVE big stars!
    • 5/5
      Jessie is taken from his mom and sister in New Orleans to play his fife on a slave ship. The slaves, in order to keep healthy, are forced to dance to the music he plays. Thrust into a dangerous situation, Jessie must survive treacherous crew members, a sadistic captain and the horrors of the slave trade. Well written, the book is engaging and its characters realistic. I believe this book would be highly appealing to teenage boys for its flair of adventure and danger.
    • 2/5
      Jessie Bollier, a thirteen year-old boy living in New Orleans, is pressed into service on a slave ship to play his fife for the slaves to dance to daily to help keep them as healthy as possible.This is not a book I would recommend for children. The only reason I can give for this to be considered as a children's book it that it is told through the eyes of a boy.It depicts complex and dark relationships among the crew members with little explanation of any of their motives. The only slave the reader gets to know at any depth is Ras, and that happens only near the end of the book.This is not an enjoyable reading experience, although realistic.
    • 5/5
      Jessie Bollier is a 13yo boy in 1840 New Orleans, kidnapped into service on a slave transport ship because he knows how to play a fife. As he gets his sea legs, Jessie gets to know the crew, and in the process begins to see his first glimmer of how complex human nature and relations are. Purvis, who kidnapped him, is funny and helpful with advice. Another man, Stout, is superficially kind, but inconsistent. Once the ship reaches Africa and takes on its live cargo of slaves, Jessie's awareness is pushed even further, as he's forced to play his fife to "dance" the slaves as they get periodic exercise on the ship.The slimness of the book belies the heavy themes it holds. Fox's clear, spare writing conveys Jessie's terror, horror and dawning knowledge of the depths of human cruelty. There are certain things--the occasional kindness of others to Jessie, beautiful days at sea, moments of connection with others--that keep the reader from drowning utterly in the frequently gruesome history this book relates. Highly recommended for adults and older children.
    • 5/5
      Jessie Bollier is kidnapped, taken from his mother and sister, and left stranded aboard a slave ship, on its way to Africa to acquire a boatload of slave cargo. He has been taken in order to play the fife on the ship, to play the fife for the slaves, to entice them to dance, to keep the slaves fit while incarcerated on the ship. This was a grueling tale to read. Jessie is in misery. His fellow members of the crew are in misery. The slaves are in misery. There can be no happy stories in this book and there can be no happy endings. But, along the way, Jessie meets a few people who show tiny sparks of humanity and give him hope.
    • 5/5
      This is a wonderfully written novel with excellent details about life aboard a slave ship.
    • 5/5
      This was a book that stayed in my mind for years. An amazing story that tells the story of the slave trade in a dramatic way, yet is still geared towards children. Highly recommended!
    • 4/5
      Quite uneven, for me. Many sections forced me to reread to capture the meaning, and some touched me. I didn't feel terribly connected to Jessie, but he was a very sympathetic narrator.
    • 4/5
      This story is based on the time when slaves were around. This is a very good book but at some points it gets a bit monotonous. This story is about a boy who is on a slave ship and he has to "dance" the slaves.
    • 3/5
      Thirteen-year-old Jessie Bollier is kidnapped by sailors and taken to work upon their ship. Jessie learns that the ship is a slaver and is going to Africa to pick up slaves to take back to Cuba. Jessie's purpose on the ship is to be the 'slave dancer', he will play his flute, while the slaves are made to dance so as to keep their muscles fit. This was an okay book. The first half of the book is an intriguing look at life at sea and the characters are interesting. The second half of the book deals with the slave trade and the horrors of such are not sugar-coated and it is a compelling read. However, the writing just didn't grab me all the much. The characters lacked vitality. It was interesting but not one that will leave a lasting impression. Also, I must say I was not impressed with the illustrations at all. They are full of shadows, lack details and very vague. Ultimately, a good, but not great, book.
    • 4/5
      Thirteen year old Jessie is kidnapped by slave traders. His "job" aboard the ship is to play his fife to make the slaves "dance" so that they will stay healthy and fetch a better price. This dismal tale outlines his struggles, both physical and mental as he witnesses the atrocities of humankind and the brutality of the open sea. A fairly quick read, edgy in many ways.
    • 3/5
      Somewhat interesting story told in first-person by a 13yo boy who is "Shanghaied" by the crew of a slave ship. Portions of the tale were a little difficult to follow, possibly due to the author's uneven writing style.
    • 5/5
      This was a very touching story that I loved. Thirteen year-old Jessie went through so much at a young age to play a fiddle on a ship he hated. What a strong boy!!
    • 4/5
      A thirteen year old boy named Jesse has walked to his Aunt Agatha’s house to fetch candles at his Mother’s request so that she can have enough light (it’s nighttime) to embroider lavish lords and ladies bowing, prancing horses upon apricot fabric for a rich customer. Walking home, he is kidnapped from his Louisiana home by Purvis and Claudius to become the slave dancer aboard a ship sailing to buy slaves from Africa. What ensues is the explication of the ill treatment and mental precepts of the time juxtaposed against Jesse’s understanding of the situation; how his friendship with Ras and Daniel cement his decision to fight with the North, and why he cannot stand to hear his own son play a comb wrapped in tissue; riveting, horrifying, a story that should never be forgotten.If You Liked This, Try: The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare, Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes, Sounder by William H. Armstrong, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor, Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George.Awards: Newbery, 1974.