Chains, by Laurie Halse Anderson, is about a girl named Isabel and her younger sister Ruth who are both slaves during the Revolutionary War. When their former owner, Miss Mary Finch, dies, she declares in her will to release Isabel and Ruth, and they are ready to claim their freedom. Unfortunately, the lawyer who drafted the will, Mr. Cornell, left for Boston before the blockade and took his papers with him. Since they have no proof of freedom, Miss Finche's awful nephew sells both to the Lockton family. Mr. and Mrs. Lockton are two cruel loyalists to whom they are sold in New York. Mr. and Mrs. Lockton have no sympathy for the Patriots, much less for Isabel and Ruth. Once in New York, Isabel meets Curzon, a slave working with the Patriots, as he leads her to the water pump. On the way back, Curzon offers Isabel a deal. If she spies on the Locktons and gives this information to the Patriots, then he can secure her and Ruth's freedom. Hesitant about this deal at first, Isabel says "no" to Curzon to protect Ruth's safety. But after a series of events, she decides to change her mind and spy on the Locktons for the rebellion, which is what this book is about. Isabel is the main character of this book and she is a 13 year old slave with black hair and brown eyes. For a slave, she is very well educated and a very good role model for her younger sister Ruth. Ruth is another main character. She is very simple-minded, hardworking, throws fits and loves her older sister. Mrs. Lockton is also a key character. She is a rich and critical woman who lives with Mr. Lockton. They both possess Isabel and Ruth and are extremely cruel to both girls. "I kept careful track of her in the same way I used ...... middle of paper ...... ys "No fool" and "Shh". Being also separated from his older sister Isabel, the only family he has left At the beginning of each chapter, there is a letter, memoir, and/or other historical document from the 18th century to show the irony. Franklin, slave owner, complaining about the costs and inconveniences of owning a slave In another chapter, it is about Mr. Lockton beating his wife for insubordination There is a letter, before the. chapter, which says: “Among all the species and degrees of slavery which have attracted the attention of mankind…there is perhaps none more pitiful than that of the sick wife Elle. is bound by bonds from which nothing but death can free her, and whatever her sufferings and wrongs, she is constrained by delicacy and respect for her personal reputation... to submit them in silence and hide them from 'observation..”