I Survived the American Revolution, 1776

From the beginning of the book, the narrative demonstrates that Nate’s only living blood relative does not treat him like family. Instead, Nate finds far more meaningful connections by bonding with “found family” members amongst different groups of people. The first found family that Nate forms is on the ship with his Papa. Although this period of Nate’s life takes place before the novel begins, he and his father are loved and welcomed by the others on the ship, and Paul, one of the teenagers aboard, becomes an older brother figure to Nate. When Papa dies and Nate is forced to leave the ship, Paul “promise[s] to stay in touch” and declares to Nate, “We’re blood, you and me” (9). Although the boys are separated for two years, Nate learns that Paul did everything possible to keep his promise and was thwarted by Storch, who prevented the two from reuniting. When Nate and Paul reconnect in New York, their bond is restored and they look after one another as brothers again, demonstrating the true strength of found family despite a long separation.

Nate has another found family in Eliza and her young son Theo—two enslaved people at Storch’s home in Connecticut. While Storch, Nate’s blood relative, is nothing but abusive, Nate finds comfort in his bond with Eliza and Theo. When Nate suffers from nightmares in the months following Papa’s death, “he’d wake up and find Eliza sitting by his bed. She’d be gripping his hand tight, like she’d just pulled him out of the churning sea. She was Nate’s family now” (10). At the end of the book, as soon as Nate learns of Storch’s death, he is determined to return to Connecticut to buy their freedom and to help Eliza look for her husband, demonstrating his ongoing commitment to his chosen family members.

In the Connecticut 5th, Nate finds family with the men who are fighting alongside Paul. James, the youngest of the group, is “always leaving little gifts in Nate’s tent” (63), while Samuel, the oldest of the group, teaches Nate how to shoot properly. This skill arguably saves Nate’s life later in the book. Martin, a formerly enslaved man, also takes care of Nate, “clean[ing] and bandag[ing] Nate’s blistered hands and patch[ing] up the holes in the bottom of his boots” (63). With a group of men making sure that Nate is taken care of, he soon feels at home in the Connecticut 5th. These vital connections give Nate the strength he needs to get through the Battle of Brooklyn, even when his family members are not physically with him. When Nate is frightened and alone, he finds the courage to move forward when he “close[s] his eyes and picture[s] Papa’s face” and then “imagine[s] Eliza’s hand gripping his” (44). The memory of his family therefore keeps Nate going even when he is frightened.