Module 6: The Slave Dancer

Fox, Paula. 1973. The Slave Dancer. Illus. by Eros Keith. Bradbury Press: Scarsdale, NY. ISBN 0-87888-062-3.

As Jessie walked home to his mother and sister, his casualness was abruptly destroyed by the sailors of a ship called The Moonlight. This ship sails across the Atlantic dodging the Spanish, the British, and the Americans, in the quest to bring slaves from Africa to the southern United States. Jessie is kidnapped and thrust into a harsh world of hate, anger, and desperation. All men on the ship have a role. Jessie’s role is to play the fife while the slaves are forced to dance. Dancing helps maintain the Africans’ physical health. As Jessie rides the waves of the Atlantic, he rides emotional waves as he struggles with understanding all that he experiences. As the ship returns to America, disease and disaster strike leaving Jessie and one slave, Ras, as the lone survivors. The remainder of Jessie’s life is influenced by his horrific experience. Ms. Fox successfully created authentic and multidimensional characters. Even the sailors’ actions and motives, which are perceived as simply evil or good, surprise Jessie and the reader. As Jessie’s adventure unfolds, readers are “kidnapped” into the story and are pulled into the tale of The Moonlight’s ill-fated journey.