Freewater - 2023 Newbery Grand Prize

Description

A major debut film that won both Newbery and Coretta Scott King at the same time.
Winning both the Newbery Grand Prize and the Coretta Scott King Award is a great honor for both the author and the work. The Coretta Scott King Award, which recognizes outstanding works of children's and young adult literature written by African Americans, was established in 1970 and has been around for over 50 years, and the Newbery Award is a literary award called the Nobel Prize of children's books with a history of over 100 years. During that long period of time, there were only two works (I'm Not Buddy, I'm Bud! (2) and New Kid (2000)) that simultaneously won the Newbery Grand Prize and the Coretta Scott King Award. This time, 『Freewater』 became the third glorious work.
Additionally, Amina Lookman Dawson immediately won the Newbery Award for her debut novel. Cases like this are rare in the 100-year history of the Newbery Prize. In the 21st century, there was only one author who won the grand prize for his debut work, Manifest's Blue Moonlight (Claire Vanderpool, 2011). Even though she is a new writer, the reason 『Free Water』 has attracted so much attention is undoubtedly due to her excellent work. Numerous characters each have their own unique characteristics, and the work is neither lacking nor overpowering, and as the events flow quickly, descriptions and explanations of the background are not missed, making it possible to understand the story in a rich and three-dimensional way.
The Newbery Review Committee commented that the author skillfully handled the characters and said, “The committee, which has a history of 101 years, chose the incredibly surprising 『Freewater』 as the subject.”

Immersion in the story provided by variations between first and third person
『Freewater』 has an interesting structure. The title at the beginning of each chapter is the name of the main character of each chapter. As the main characters appear and change in each chapter, all characters and events are depicted in three dimensions. It also has the advantage of allowing readers to become immersed quickly because they can focus on the main character of each chapter.
The most noteworthy point in the composition is that Homer and other characters are written from different perspectives. If I had to pick one main character in this book, it would be Homer. This is because Homer is the central character in the big story of how he escapes from the farm, comes to Freewater, and then returns to the farm to rescue his mother. The chapters in which Homer is the main character are written from the perspective of the first-person protagonist, unlike the chapters of the other main characters. In the case of Jang, the main character, the rest of the characters were written in the third person, omniscient point of view.
The chapter written from the first person perspective of the main character is a device that allows the reader to empathize more deeply with the main character, Homer. The reader is encouraged to think more about freedom by identifying with Homer, who was a slave, became a free man, and is on the verge of losing his freedom when he is captured again. In addition, Homer calls Crumb, the owner of the slave farm, "Master Crumb," and then simply calls him "Crum" upon entering Freewater, allowing the reader to feel Homer's changes in small details. Other chapters written from a third-person perspective also provide unique fun. Each character has a unique personality and many lovable qualities, so it can be said that it is a composition that allows you to understand each character more deeply and the various situations surrounding Freewater in a three-dimensional way.

The joy of reading a book and the emotions you feel differently each time you read it.
『Freewater』 consists of a considerable number of 488 pages, but it can be read very quickly once you open the bookcase and start reading. Each chapter is short and the events unfold quickly, helping you turn the pages quickly.
It often takes time to become immersed because it is usually difficult to understand the story well in the beginning. The longer the description of the era and background, the more difficult it is to become immersed in the book in the beginning. However, the story of 『Freewater』 begins with Homer escaping from the farm and running away. Even if you don't understand the background or characters at the beginning of these events, you can quickly become immersed in them because you can turn the pages by focusing only on whether the main character will be able to escape successfully. Afterwards, various events are organized in an easy-to-understand manner, making for a stress-free reading experience.
However, Freewater is not a book that can be read quickly. Even without considering that it is a novel based on historical facts, this book contains a variety of themes. The better the literature, the more diverse emotions and impressions each reader receives, but 『Freewater』 pays attention to different points for each reader, and each time they read it, they are moved by something new.
For example, Homer, Billy, and Ferdinand in this book were slaves but became free men of Freewater. But Sanjinajuna was born in Freewater, and she lives as a free person from the beginning. Their thoughts and actions are different, and comparing these aspects makes them think about freedom. We also pay attention to their stories by seeing how Billy's stuttering and timid behavior changes and how Ferdinand's behavior of criticizing Sanji changes. The differences in the positions of Anna, who is a slave and still trying to escape, and Nora, who was born as the owner's daughter and has never thought about the problem of slavery, as well as the hero Suleman and the slave director Stokes, allow us to understand the situation at the time in a three-dimensional way.
While reading 『Freewater』, which contains various characters and events, some will focus on the thrilling adventure, some will feel the catharsis that comes from friendship and cooperation, some will look warmly at the happiness of love and family, and others will feel courage. Some people will be impressed by the way he becomes a hero and become curious about the history of that time.

Freedom, living as the master of life
There are many themes in 『Freewater』, such as friendship, courage, love, growth, and family love, but the most noteworthy theme among them is 'freedom'. This book does not explicitly define what freedom is. However, readers can also feel and think about freedom through what the characters say, do, and feel throughout the story.
The scene that Homer feels while working in the cornfield for the first time after coming to Freewater is described as follows.

There was no one here to give us instructions, crack a whip, or scare us. What was instructing us was a wetland. If it rained and the ground was wet, it meant going home. When the soil dried and the fog cleared, it meant getting to work.

And Juna also says this to Homer about working:

“You are learning the work of Freewater. “They say sweating is the same as before, but the smell of sweat is more fragrant.”

They say that whether working as a slave or as a free man, the need to work to make a living may be the same, but they are different. The reader naturally feels that that difference is ‘freedom.’
When Homer was a slave, he talked about the importance of living unnoticed and being invisible to others, and he lives that way. But when he comes to Freewater, Homer changes. He breaks the rules he previously followed. He makes loud noises and takes the lead by telling others to do things, which is something Homer did not do when he was a slave.
The scene where Homer returns to Sutherland Farm to rescue his mother also allows us to see how Homer's body feels freedom.

I pulled my straw hat down so that it covered my ears. And I commanded my body. walk. Walk as usual before going to Freewater. Walk unnoticed, as if you were working here. So I did. But this time, my back hurt and my neck was stiff. It was so strange. I felt like my body was suffering because I had lost my talent for not being noticed by others.

In this way, throughout the book, people who live as slaves are compared with people who have found freedom, and through this, it naturally makes you feel what freedom is.
What is the freedom talked about in this book? Each reader may define it differently, but it certainly seems to be telling this story. Freedom is living as the master of your own life rather than letting others be the master of your life. The author says that being the master of your own life and working, acting, and loving is freedom.