Cy Williams, thirteen, has always known that he and the other black folks on Strong's plantation have to obey white men, no question. Sure, he's free, as black people have been since his grandfather's day, but in rural Georgia, that means they're free to be whipped, abused, even killed. Almost four years later, Cy yearns for that freedom, such as it was. Now he's a chain gang laborer, forced to do backbreaking work, penned in and shackled like an animal, brutalized, beaten, and humiliated by the boss of the camp and his hired overseers. For Cy and the boys he's chained to, there's no way out, no way back.

And then hope begins to grow in him, along with strength and courage he didn't know he had. Cy is sure that a chance at freedom is worth any risk, any sacrifice. This powerful, moving story opens a window on a painful chapter in the history of race relations.

This unflinching YA historical fiction explores the brutal reality of the post-Civil War South:

Chain Gang Survival Story: Thirteen-year-old Cy Williams is stolen from his life and forced into a brutal labor camp where boys are shackled like animals and every day is a battle to live.
Coming of Age in Chains: Forced to grow up in a world of casual cruelty, Cy must find a strength he never knew he had to protect not only himself but the other boys chained alongside him.
Stories of Resilience: An unflinching look at the fight to hold onto hope and humanity when freedom seems like an impossible dream.
Based on a True Story: Inspired by the real-life convict leasing system that targeted Black children after the Civil War, this novel illuminates a painful and powerful piece of American history.

Cy in Chains

Cy in Chains