Ashes (36 page)

Dr. Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, assistant professor in the Reading/Writing/Literacy Division of the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania, focuses her research and writing on the teaching of African-American literature, history, and culture in K–12 classrooms as well as the roles that race, class, and gender play in the classroom. She is the co-editor (with Shanesha R. F. Brooks-Tatum), of
Reading African American Experiences in the Obama Era: Theory, Advocacy, Activism
.

My cup overflows with gratitude for these scholars. In the midst of their very busy professional lives, they all made the time to review
Ashes
and question me about culture references that I might not have otherwise considered. Those of us who write for children have a special responsibility to hold ourselves to the highest standards of research and craft, especially when we are writing outside of our cultural experience.
Ashes
is a better book for the thoughtful assistance of these three women.

Many thanks also to Dr. Gregory J. W. Urwin, expert in military history and professor of history at Temple University, for sharing his thoughts about the number of enslaved Virginians who fled to the British army, how many of those people were captured at Yorktown after the surrender, and the treatment they then suffered at the hands of the Continental army. Katherine Ludwig, the wonderful librarian at the David Library of the American Revolution, kindly facilitated my correspondence with Dr. Urwin.

A tip of my researcher's hat to Dr. John Bezís-Selfa, Associate Professor of History and Chair of the History Department at Wheaton College. Reading his article “A Tale of Two Ironworks: Slavery, Free Labor, Work, and Resistance in the Early Republic,” published in
The William and Mary Quarterly
, 3d Series, October 1999, opened my understanding of the aftermath of the Revolution for enslaved Americans, and led to other research critical for the writing of this book. A second tip of my tricorn to the good people at JSTOR (jstor.org), a digital archive of thousands of academic journals, books, and primary sources. A few years ago JSTOR began making much of their content available to individual subscribers instead of limiting access to researchers affiliated with institutions. The opportunity to use the journals on JSTOR made a significant difference to the quality of my work.

There are other treasure-filled digital resources that deserve a round of applause: The George Washington Papers at the Library of Congress (memory.loc.gov/ammem/gwhtml/gwhome.html), Letters of Delegates to Congress at the Library of Congress (memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lwdg.html), Adams Family Papers: An Electronic Archive at the Massachusetts Historical Society (masshist.org/digitaladams/archive), and The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History (gilderlehrman.org). Thanks to the archivists, administration, donors, and taxpayers who support these institutions and make these Founding-Era documents available to everyone.

I also frequented plenty of brick-and-mortar institutions. My thanks to the Cornell University Library, the Bird Library of Syracuse University, Penfield Library of the State University of New York at Oswego, and the wonderful lending capability of the New York North Country Library System, which I use in my hometown book heaven, the Mexico, NY Public Library. Special thanks go to Mary Jo Fairchild, Senior Archivist at the South Carolina Historical Society, Charleston, SC, and Katherine Ludwig of the David Library of the American Revolution, Washington, DC, for putting up with me requesting a ridiculous amount of material for days on end.

I was fortunate to have two young beta-readers who saw this book in manuscript form and gave me some much needed support: Elise Simon of Washington, DC, and Martha Laramore-Josey of Michigan. Thank you so much! A round of gingerbread for you both! Thanks also to my friend, Jason Reynolds, who read the story with a keen eye and kind heart and said exactly the right things. Thanks also to the members of my writer's group, TOG, for listening, laughing, crying, and cheering.

The incredible people at Simon & Schuster have been patient and steadfast while waiting for the completion of
Ashes
. Since I turned in the manuscript, they have had the fifes playing and drums beating as they prepare to share the entire trilogy with the world. A hearty huzzah of thanks must go to Jon Anderson, President of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; Justin Chanda, VP and Publisher of Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers; Anne Zafian, VP and Deputy Publisher; Lucille Rettino, Director of Marketing; Michelle Leo, VP and Director of Education and Library Marketing; Candace Greene-McManus, Senior Marketing Manager; Chrissy Noh, Marketing Director; Andrea Cruise, Education and Library department; Katy Hershberger, my miracle-working publicist; Clare McGlade, copy editor (sorry for my comma issues, Clare); Debra Sfetsios-Conover, designer; Elizabeth Blake-Linn, production genius; and the entire heroic sales and marketing team. Special thanks goes to the talented artist Christopher Silas Neal, who has illustrated every cover in the trilogy. I feel very lucky to have my stories graced by his art.

Caitlyn Dlouhy, VP and Editorial Director of Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, is so incredible that they named an imprint after her. She is the editor of my dreams. She has been patient and supportive as I navigated the family and health issues that led to several delays of this book, she read my drafts with compassion and integrity, and she set off celebratory fireworks when Isabel finally brought the story to its conclusion. More than being just an editor, she is a visionary American and I am proud to call her my friend. Thank you, Caitlyn. You and I are heart-kin.

All love and appreciation and gratitude to my wonderful agent Amy Berkower, along with her hard-working team at Writers House; to my best friend and sister-girl Deborah Heiligman, who has stood by my side through absolutely everything; and to my friend and former editor Kevin Lewis, who set me on the path of this trilogy by editing
Chains
, and who has remained a constant supporter of both it and me.

Our family has grown considerable in recent years, much to my delight. Thanks to our children, Stephanie, Jessica, Meredith, and Christian; and their partners, Trevor, Ryan, Steven, and Maria; and to our grandchildren, Logan, Owen, Nikolai, and Nolan for being patient as I turn holiday dinners into yet another episode of Why The American Revolution Was The Coolest Thing Ever, complete with footnotes. I love you all.

Finally, this book could not have been written without the unflagging support and good cheer of my Dearest Friend and beloved husband, Scot. Thank you, my love, for sheltering me from the storms, for the endless pots of coffee, and for a soft space in front of the crackling fire at the end of the day.

A
LSO BY

Laurie Halse Anderson

Chains

Forge

Fever 1793

Independent Dames: What You Never Knew About the Women and Girls of the American Revolution

Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving

ATHENEUM BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS

An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division

1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020

www.SimonandSchuster.com

This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Text copyright © 2016 by Laurie Halse Anderson

Jacket design by Debra Sfetsios-Conover and Lizzy Bromley

Jacket illustrations copyright © 2016 by Christopher Silas Neal

Map on p. v by Leo Hartas

All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

ATHENEUM BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc. Atheneum logo is a trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or
[email protected]
.

The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event.

For more information or to book an event, contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at
www.simonspeakers.com
.

Book design by Debra Sfetsios-Conover

CIP data for this book is available from the Library of Congress.

ISBN 978-1-4169-6146-8

ISBN 978-1-4424-4508-6 (eBook)