Literary Review- Song Yet Sung

Author: James McBride
Copyright: 2008
ISBN: 978-1-59448-972-3
Pages: 359

Beautifully crafted, and expertly put together are just a few thoughts running through my head when I read Song Yet Sung by James McBride. I have never read a novel quite like this one, and I glad that I had the chance to read it. Page after page had me captivated, thinking, and wondering.

Song Yet Sung takes place in the year 1850 on the 3rd month on Maryland’s Eastern Shores. Liz Spocott is a beautiful runaway slave who is caught by Patty, a money hungry slave trader who doesn’t take any mess from anybody. Patty underestimates Liz, who kills one of Patty’s slave catcher/slave and sets all the slaves free.

Liz not only frees the slaves but she has a talent…she is a dreamer. She dreams of the future that is not like what she would have imagined with fancy looking cars, rap music, and radios. Liz will travel a journey (that is one of her visions) to try and find out what it means. The way that she is lead on the journey is what is so captivating. It is a vision of guess who and what, and clues that are not easily comprehended until you follow the paths.

All while Liz is traveling as an escaped slave, Patty is looking for her so that she can kill her. She set her slaves free. Patty is ruthless and all she cares about is money. What makes the task so difficult for Patty to find Liz is that someone else looking for Liz and someone is protecting her, which means Patty has to work hard and kill plenty in order to get what she wants.

Liz has many obstacles and one is to stay away from the Gimp, an old slave catcher whom are notorious for his quick temper and feared by slaves and whites. The Gimp has given up slave trade but when Liz’s owner, The Captain, offers him a great deal of riches, the Gimp decides to come out of retirement to find her, but this may be the most difficult slave he has ever tried to catch and it may cost him his life.

Amber is a slave in his early 20’s owned by Miss Kathleen, who lost her husband to the swamps of Maryland. Amber has his eyes set on getting free but is holding back because he has a sister to look after. When Amber meets the dreamer, freedom has become a must, but there are penalties for harboring a runaway. Therefore, Amber has to be careful in protecting himself and the woman that he now has feelings for… Liz.

Song Yet Sung is a very a reader! Throughout the story, you keep hearing about this code that the slaves use to communicate with each other. It’s very complicated and only certain slaves know what it means. Although I would have liked the author to further explain the code, the mystery of it added to the book. I also like the way the author described the world through the Dreamer’s eyes.

If you are looking for a story of courageous acts and death defying action, then Song Yet Sung is the book to read!

Agasa Elitou- Reviewer