But as the book progresses, the bewildered boy who started out afraid of and repulsed by most of his fellow slaves begins to empathize with and champion them. Mosley uses both science fiction and magical realism to guide the reader through his hero’s fight for liberation. Karen Grigsby Bates: Learning freedom is a full-time job and a dangerous one for 47. In 2005, NPR’s Karen Grigsby Bates interviewed author Mosley about his book and its meaning. ISBN: 9780316016353 | Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Author Interview The novel mixes historical and speculative fiction into a powerful narrative about the nature of freedom.

To 47, his life seems doomed until he meets the mysterious Tall John who not only introduces him to an unimaginable magical science but teaches 47 the meaning of freedom. I enjoyed the book but I foolishly was expecting something like 'War and Peace.Walter Mosley‘s young-adult book 47 is set on a forced-labor plantation camp, where a boy named “47” is growing up under the watchful eye of a brutal slave master. If I hadn't expected something much more grand I would have given that fifth star. The narrator has an old scratchy voice but you soon get used to it and is evocative of a man who has seen too much strife and pain but who has not lost his capacity for joy. Kudos for an original idea! While the story does have an ending it seems like a possible set up for a series. I loved this character's maxim: 'Neither master nor nigga' be.' This character's overwhelming love for everyone and his naive belief that love and kindness will always be returned with gratitude is the most heartbreaking aspect of this bit of science fiction mixed with slavery. Then a very unexpected visitor arrives to change things. Still Mosely tells a basic but vivid story of the cruelty of slavery, how that meanness twists the hearts of men who should kind to each other because of their commond bonds (quite literally). This was recommended on NPR (National Public Radio) so my expectations were far too high (not having read any other reviews). Vice versa on a book/movie with expectations too high. When I think a movie is going to be junk and turns out to be a bit better I tend to rate it higher because I'm pleasantly surprised.

A lot of how you enjoy a book or movie depends upon your prior level of expectation.

47 by Walter Mosley