The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party

Title: The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party
Author: M.T. Anderson
ISBN: 0763624020

Plot Summary: Octavian, a young African-American, grows up in a Colonial-era community of scientists and philosophers. Both he and his mother are subject to degrading pseudo-scientific experiments in the name of learning more about their racial characteristics, and how they differ from those of white people. As a child, Octavian accepts his way of life, as he and his mother live in relative comfort: however, after he befriends Bono, a black servant, and starts to question why things in their community work as they do, he realizes the extent to which he and his mother are being exploited. This, combined with the financial hardships and change in leadership the community experiences as a result of the American Revolution, finally convinces Octavian to run away.