My name is not Friday

Samuel and his mischievous younger brother Joshua are free blacks living in an orphanage run by Father Mosely. Samuel is obedient and good-hearted and is a firm believer in the religious lessons taught at the orphanage.

I have really strong mixed feelings about this book. There are parts that I find problematic (I think he lets the slave owners off way too easy), parts I love (how complicated the morality is), parts I am intrigued by (Samuel's religious fervor compared to everyone else's viewpoints), and parts I found just plain odd (the entire last section of the plot after the plantation - did he not know what direction to go?

Thirteen-year-old Samuel and his younger brother, Joshua are free colored orphans who live in an orphanage run by a priest during the Civil War. Though times are difficult, at least the boys get meals, clothing, and the opportunity to learn to read and write.