I should have known that the next subject to be dealt with in this revision of U.S. history would be slavery, and yet, it caught me a bit off guard. The lead in to this book especially seems out of place, it's as if Card wanted us to remember Taleswapper as a character, without having him appear in the main narrative, so he begins this book as a story within a story, and yet it doesn't stand alone or wrap up but leads directly into the main narrative. I'm not sure about this choice, since as a reader, I merely found it confusing, but this book does not fail to deliver. There were literally tears in my eyes after reading the first chapter. I definitely found parallels between other narratives depicting slavery and the way Card treats it and yet his telling of it takes on a new life that I found very compelling. It will be very interesting to see where we are taken next following Alvin on his journey.