Scott O'Dell (1898-1989), one of the most respected authors of historical fiction, received the Newbery Medal, three Newbery Honor Medals, and the Hans Christian Andersen Author Medal, the highest international recognition for a body of work by an author of books for young readers. Some of his many books include The Island of the Blue Dolphins, The Road to Damietta, Sing Down the Moon, and The Black Pearl.

In this historical novel set in the Virgin Islands of 1733, Raisha escapes from her Dutch "e;owners"e; in time to witness the mass suicide of her fellow slaves, who prefer death to recapture.