“If we lead with empathy, we are always capable of making the world kinder to us as people, as members of a community, and as citizens of this country.”
So says Kyandreia Jones ’19 as we sit on her bed, looking out onto Minor Field and talking about the release of her new book,
Choose Your Own Adventure Spies: James Armistead Lafayette
. This ability to prioritize empathy is exactly what Jones wants her readers to take from her newest work, as well as a new appreciation for James Armistead Lafayette — an enslaved African-American who became an American spy and integral figure in the American Revolution.
“Choose Your Own Adventure Books” were first trademarked in 2006 by Chooseco Publishing with the release of its first book
Choose Your Own Adventure: The Abominable Snowman
. Each book takes on the same interactive format in which, at different moments during the plot, readers are given the choice between two options and directed to specific page numbers based on the storyline they would like to follow.
Choose Your Own Adventure Spies: James Armistead Lafayette
has 19 different possible conclusions. While Jones’s book is targeted towards middle-grade readers, she believes that many people outside of this demographic — including any fans of the “Choose Your Own Adventure” series as a whole — will also appreciate and learn something from the story.
One of the main reasons Jones was inspired to write about Lafayette was the lack of knowledge surrounding his accomplishments and contributions to the Revolutionary War. Born into slavery in 1748, Lafayette lived under his master William Armistead until prominent war general Marquis de Lafayette approached him in 1781. This Lafayette offered the other the opportunity to live as a free man in exchange for working as a double agent for the Patriot army. Lafayette was to infiltrate a large British army base by pretending to be a runaway slave looking for refuge in exchange for his services as a British spy. Lafayette accepted the offer.
As a double agent, he travelled back and forth between British and American camps. Lafayette was literate and able to document all of his work in his writing to hand back to his Patriot generals. During the Battle of Yorktown, Lafayette informed George Washington about approaching British reinforcements, giving the Patriots enough time to create a blockade prohibiting aid.
Choose Your Own Adventure Spies: James Armistead Lafayette
explores Lafayette’s life and achievements in a way that is palatable for young readers. While writing, Jones constantly asked herself, “How do you bring a historical figure to children, especially thinking about slavery and how America in its inception was [extremely] violent?” and “How do you do that in a way that’s tasteful and respectful, yet honest?”
It was important to Jones that her retelling of Lafayette’s story conveyed the harsh realities of slavery and war in away that would still work as an introductory piece of literature for young readers given that her book’s demographic was nine-to-twelve year olds. To achieve this goal, Jones says she spent a lot of time working with her editor to make sure that the piece was written with grace without “shying away from how gross and difficult history can be.”
Jones hopes that the “fun, educational, and ridiculous” essence of her book inspires kids to want to read more. The interactive nature of the “Choose Your Own Adventure” series has captivated millions of readers worldwide, and it is easy to predict that
Choose Your Own Adventure Spies: James Armistead Lafayette
will fit into this series well.
As shown through Jones’s novel, James Armistead Lafayette was an important and essential historical figure during the American Revolution. However, his accomplishments have continued to be overlooked in modern day history classes. Through her book, Jones wants to change that by not only helping readers learn his story, but helping them learn from his story.
