First published 2010
Octavian lives like a prince in Revolutionary Boston. He wears silk clothing and white wigs while scholars numbered instead of named teach him classical subjects. His mother Cassiopeia, called a princess from distant lands, charms these rational philosophers with her intelligence and beauty. They are the only two people in the household who have actual names. Octavian begins questioning why his guardians conduct their obsessive studies and experiments. When he opens a door marked forbidden, he uncovers the terrible truth about their research and his place within it. The revelation shatters his understanding of his privileged life. Around him, American Patriots fight for liberty while enslaved Africans are promised freedom they will never receive. Octavian must confront what it means to be both subject and object of philosophical inquiry in a world where human worth depends on the color of skin.
Genres: 20th-century, 19th-century, african-american-historical-fiction, academic
Vibes: dark, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Boston, America
Period: Revolutionary Era
370 pages · Kindle Edition · Candlewick
Content warnings: racism, slavery