Copper Sun

Disclaimer: It has taken me so long to post a script because I don't think my book is a good book to do. This is the script I have. I plan on coming in this week to discuss my book or other possibilities for another book with you. 

Script: 

Hello. My name is Taylor Tapscott and I am reporting from American University in Washington, D.C.. The book I will be talking about is entitled Copper Sun by Sharon Draper. Copper Sun features several strong female characters who throughout the book which I think provides excellent role models for teen girls. 

Draper makes the main character Amari like any other 15 year old. In Africa, her only worries are how her fiance feels about her, learning how to be a productive grown woman and looking after her younger brother. Draper made her relateable to other 15 year old in the sense that, generally speaking, many 15 year olds worry about what the cute guy in their class thinks about them, learns about what it takes to be a productive woman in society and (if they have younger siblings) are given the responsibility of being a role model for them. 

During the course of the book, Amari is consistently shown as a beacon of hope and everlasting faith. During the Middle Passage, Amari met a woman on the slave ship who told her, "you have to survive". Amari carried these words with her throughout the book. Specifically during her's and Polly's escape, Amari came though as the character with the most control and handle of sticky situations. Draper paints Amari as a girl who is steadfast in her dedication and pursing her goals. Through Amari, young teen girls could learn to not give up on their goals and "to survive" whenever times get bad. 

Interestingly enough, some of the strongest female characters are not specifically the protagonist of the story. The characters of Polly and Mrs. Derby are interesting in their own respective ways. In the beginning of the novel, Polly harbored feelings of superiority toward any African slave. As the book continues however, Polly experiences many of the hardships and humiliations that the slaves experience so, her feelings are replaced by an emphatic feeling of understanding. Through Polly, girls could learn that personal prejudices are not always validated. One must walk a mile in a man's shoes to truly see how he lives his life. 

Mrs. Derby is a strong female lead indirectly. In her own ways, she is a slave like Amari or an indentured servant like Polly herself. Living in America in the 1700s was not easy for a woman. Often enough, there were expected to cook, clean and take care of the house with not much to do outside of that. However, in this story, Mrs. Derby is one of the only characters who shows some sort of compassion for the slaves. She humanizes the slaves on the plantations while Mr. Derby and Clay (her son and her husband) often dehumanized them. In that respect, Mrs. Derby is strong. She overcomes her imprisonment in being a woman in the 1700s by having relations with an African slave and showing kindness to the slaves on the plantation. 

My only critique about Draper's book is that all it has is strong female leads. Although that is great for females (as there are hardly any books that feature female leads), where does that leave the men? I would imagine that  teen boys reading these books could look to the female characters for inspiration but, I would imagine that there would at least be one strong male lead. 

In conclusion, there are not that many books out there in Teen Fiction land that feature strong female leads. I appreciate Drapers portrayal of strong female characters in a context that is historically accurate and, on some levels, relatable to females in today's world. Thank you for listening.