Barracoon: The Story of the Last Slave
Author:
Genres: History, Politics & Social Sciences
Book Type: Hardcover
Author:
Genres: History, Politics & Social Sciences
Book Type: Hardcover
Leo T. reviewed on + 1775 more book reviews
I have not yet seen this book but there is a review by Casey N. Cep, "Survivor Bias," The New Yorker, 14 May 2018, pp. 84-89. Also see Harpers Monthly, 'Family History', June 2018, that includes a fair amount of her text directly from the mouth of the man she interviewed. (For this she was condemned as was Joel Chandler Harris, but in my opinion, we didn't speak so much alike until TV became widespread in the 1950s).
Obtained the book in July from the library and still feel the above essays are well worth reading first.
The book is approachable for junior and senior high students as well as for very interested upper elementary students. There is considerable information on his life in Dahomey and his life after 1865 (he had a tort against a RR but his lawyer never paid him the settlement). They planned on returning to Africa at that time but gave it up when they could not earn enough money for the passage. Regarding passages, there is a good chapter on the middle passage when they were outbound to America. Certain chapters are readily usable as collateral reading in US History classes.
I was surprised that the number of slaves shipped was approaching 4,000,000 during the 19th C. The prices given for purchase from the King and knowing how high the price was in 1860 demonstrates the profit potential. The crew mutinied twice, being Yankees.
I have seen the text of letters written by those serving on the USN ships enforcing the 1808 ban on the slave trade and disagree with the criticism of their efforts.
Don't miss the forward by Ms. Alice Walker!
Ms. Hurston does a good job of eliciting the story and of not putting words in the old man's mouth.
I did read a reprint book of her work for the WPA in Florida a few months ago and found it interesting.
Foreword, intro, notes, and bibliography but no index or maps so I knocked one star off my evaluation.
Obtained the book in July from the library and still feel the above essays are well worth reading first.
The book is approachable for junior and senior high students as well as for very interested upper elementary students. There is considerable information on his life in Dahomey and his life after 1865 (he had a tort against a RR but his lawyer never paid him the settlement). They planned on returning to Africa at that time but gave it up when they could not earn enough money for the passage. Regarding passages, there is a good chapter on the middle passage when they were outbound to America. Certain chapters are readily usable as collateral reading in US History classes.
I was surprised that the number of slaves shipped was approaching 4,000,000 during the 19th C. The prices given for purchase from the King and knowing how high the price was in 1860 demonstrates the profit potential. The crew mutinied twice, being Yankees.
I have seen the text of letters written by those serving on the USN ships enforcing the 1808 ban on the slave trade and disagree with the criticism of their efforts.
Don't miss the forward by Ms. Alice Walker!
Ms. Hurston does a good job of eliciting the story and of not putting words in the old man's mouth.
I did read a reprint book of her work for the WPA in Florida a few months ago and found it interesting.
Foreword, intro, notes, and bibliography but no index or maps so I knocked one star off my evaluation.
