This book definitely had an interesting topic, which is why I picked it up via the Libby app. Part of me was REALLY excited for this book. I did see on Goodreads while reviewing this that it's meant for 4th-8th grade (insert facepalm emoji here). However, because I didn't know this beforehand, the book felt very basic. (And it needs to be basic if it's meant as a textbook for 4th-8th graders.) The fact that it was basic, now that I know why it was this way, doesn't bother me. But this book felt...overwhelmingly disjointed. I see how the book connected, but it just felt like it didn't connect as a whole. I don't know how to explain it other than that. The way the Kindle is set up is also very confusing. (I can't explain it, but if you know, then you know.) This is such an interesting topic, but this book just didn't do it for me. ( )

Read the e-book, although it wasn't at all what I was expecting. A true story, written for grades 5-8, about the discovery and unearthing of what turns out to be a slave cemetery. Lots of details provided about how the graves are discovered, unearthed, the bones are casted and studies and faces are recreated using the skulls as models. Lots of interesting details about the DNA studies that were done and how they can extrapolate the work done by different slaves. ( )

I'm always curious about the past and how important it is recognize the impact the past has on the present. This book, "Forgotten Bones: Uncovering a Slave Cemetery" really piqued my curiosity. I enjoy reading about how these relics from the past are discovered and analyzed. In this case, the cemetery is located near Albany, NY, and discovered during an excavation to lay sewer pipes. The land belonged at one time to a wealthy farmer who owned slaves. The archaeologists were able to discover two rows of carefully buried bodies. After examination, the researchers were able to identify DNA, perform examination of the skeletons for information about health and diet and ultimately create busts showing how some of these people could have looked.

Reading about the processes for removing the delicate bones of the babies and children interred here, the way the researchers pieced together DNA that delineated the heritage of these slaves as well as how and why certain examinations are preformed make up the bulk of this short book. While the excavation is the main thrust of the book, there are many illustrations that help place this cemetery within the larger culture of northern slaves and their owners. In addition, there are several explanations of life as a northern slave. The author finishes her examination by comparing this find with two other cemeteries for slaves that are found in the North.

This book is an excellent look at the archaeology and preservation of the history of the United States. This book was an eye-opening look into the life of northern slaves and how their lives differed from those in the South. Highly recommended.

Julie K. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.

( )

This book uses a narrative story arch to tell the story of the discovery of a slave graveyard in Albany, New York. From the moment of discovery, the author traces the many forensic archaeologists who worked at the site. After excavation, the story moves on the the labs where the skeletons were examined, and the scientists tried to draw conclusions about the people who were buried in the cemetery. The number of conclusion about the people, including ages and sex were remarkable, but also information about the people themselves, such as that one was an avid pipe-smoker. There were many pictures of the process, including recreations of what the dead may have looked like in life. From a curricular perspective, this book might be interesting in a science class that studies the anatomy or, in a high school, a forensics class. I could also see this text being used as a mentor text for students in writing class, based on the organization of the material.