Product Description

“It does a man no good to be free until he learns how to live.”

These were the words of Amos Fortune, born the son of a king of the At-mun-shi tribe in Africa. When Amos was only fifteen years old, he was captured by slave traders and brought to Massachusetts, where he was sold at auction. Although his freedom had been taken, Amos never lost his dignity and courage. He dreamed of being free and of buying the freedom of his closest friends. By the time he was sixty years old, Amos Fortune began to see those dreams come true. Amos Fortune, Free Man is a Newbery Award winner that is based on a true story.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #704396 in Books
• Published on: 1950-01-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 192 pages

Review
The moving story of a life dedicated to the fight for freedom. -- Booklist

Review
The moving story of a life dedicated to the fight for freedom. (Booklist)

About the Author
Elizabeth Yates (1905–2001) wrote more than fifty books for children. Nora Unwin (1907–1982) illustrated more than one hundred books for children.

Customer Reviews

It's Not the Circumstances that Make the Man
Amos Fortune is the true story of a man who was born in Africa - the son of a great chief - and was kidnapped (along with many people from his tribe) and taken to America, where he was sold into slavery. He was purchased by a Quaker family in New England who treat him more like a son than a slave and teach him to read and help him to embrace the Christian faith.

Through an agreement with his first owner, Amos eventually earns his own freedom. He proceeds to work very diligently and live very simply in order to earn enough money to buy the freedom of several other slaves over the course of his lifetime. He is the embodiment of diligence, patience and integrity.

The story is remarkable both because it is a true story and because it takes place in America in a place (the northern states) and time (around the time of the American Revolution) not often considered part of the story of slavery.

Appropriate for fourth grade and up.

How a man should live his life
This is an excellent book about a young chief named At-Mun, who was taken from his tribe in Africa and shipped off like an animal to be sold as a slave in the new world. Everything he knew and held dear: his religion, his family and friends (specifically his sister whom he loved), his language, his culture, and his home had to be left behind. After a hard trip across the Atlantic, enduring the pain of sickness and severe cruelty, watching even his own people die, they finally reached America. It had been a long three months. At-Mun was sold at the slave auction to a kind man and his family. He changed hands a few times after the family had to move. Through those many years he learned the English language and culture. He even took up their Religion of Christianity, which he took very seriously. He was eventually given a new name, and was known to everyone as Amos Fortune. When he was in his sixties, he received his freedom and married, then decided to take up the work of a tanner, which he had been taught in his earlier days. From then on, he was known as Amos Fortune, Free man. It meant so much to him to be free, that he began freeing other people too. His love for his God, people, his work, and his family made him beloved to many people. This is an excellent book about a man who never gave up, and who never stopped loving. This is a perfect example showing how every man should be.

I love this book
I read this to my children and found it to be very encouraging, uplifting, and simplistic in the man's trust and faith in God. The character traits reflected in Amos are ones that you truly desire in your children. One of the best books we read this year in school.