Copper Sun is a young adult fictional book written by Sharon Draper and was first published on 2006 by Atheneum Books. The book focuses on transatlantic slavery, and was inspired from Draper’s visit to Ghana where she first-hand witnessed the slave bays.
The book follows Amari, a once carefree young woman, whose entire tribe and family were lost to the brutality of the slave trade. Amara is bought by an owner of a plantation to be given as a gift to his son. In a bid to escape, she befriends a fellow servant, Molly, and the two journey to find a new freedom. However, this is short-lived and Amari is subject to more horrific mistreatment which leaves her fighting for her life.
Draper is a three-time New York Times bestselling author and has won a Coretta Scott King Award for Copper Sun. The book was extremely well revived, with Booklist commending it for being “A searing work of historical fiction.”
