Book Review: The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Volume II by M.T. Anderson

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Wavescontinues the story of Octavian as he escapes from his owners. He eventually ends up joining Lord Dunmore's Ethiopian regiment - a group of ex-slaves who were told they would be set free if they joined (only if they were owned by rebels). His experiences in that regiment during the year 1776 will change the way he thinks and views the world forever.

Wow. This book was a huge eye-opener for me. I was pretty much clueless about the experiences of slaves during the Revolutionary War. This story revealed a new and interesting view of that war, the American cause, and slavery. I was not as interested in the first volume of his story (reviewed here), but this second one, while continuing the somewhat inaccessible language, is told mostly in first-person and is much more story-oriented. The message was very powerful.

RATINGS:
s-factor: !
Some language, but not a lot.

mrg-factor: none.

v-factor: ->->
A story about slavery and war - it has violence.

Overall rating: ****