"In 1854, Anthony Burns, a 20-year-old black man, was put on trial in Boston
under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Retelling the events of the trial, which
polarized the city, Hamilton shows the kind of political issue which brought
the nation to fever pitch in the decade before the Civil War. Hamilton's
biography is actually a 'docudrama' which centers on the often silent,
mistreated, and humbled runaway slave. The insights Hamilton gives into the
personal side of slavery are moving and unforgettable."--(starred) "School
Library Journal." "Does exactly what good biography for children ought to
do: makes them feel what it was like to be that person in those
times."--(starred) "Horn Book.
"

 

This book was recognised in the Nonfiction category by the Horn Book Award. Presented annually since 1967 by the Boston Globe and Horn Book Magazine for excellence in childrens and young adult literature. This honour is granted in the three categories of Fiction and Poetry, Non-fiction, and Picture Book. Presented annually since 1967 by the Boston Globe and Horn Book Magazine for excellence in childrens and young adult literature. This honour is granted in the three categories of Fiction and Poetry, Non-fiction, and Picture Book. It was recognised in the Author category by the Coretta Scott King Award. Presented annually since 1970 by the American Library Association to books by African-America authors and illustrators, this award recognizes excellence in promoting a deeper understanding of the African-American Experience.

There are 465 pages in this book. This book was published 1993 by Cornerstone .

Virginia Hamilton's many awards include the Newbery Medal and National Book Award for M. C. Higgins the Great ; the Coretta Scott King Medal for The People Could Fly ; and the Hans Christian Andersen Award for the body of her work.