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26 reviews for:
Slaves for Peanuts: A Story of Conquest, Liberation, and a Crop That Changed History
Jori Lewis
3.72 AVERAGE
26 reviews for:
Slaves for Peanuts: A Story of Conquest, Liberation, and a Crop That Changed History
Jori Lewis
3.72 AVERAGE
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I've been enthralled with Senegal since doing a project in eighth grade. Peanuts continually came up in my research. It was interesting to have an opportunity to read new research after all this time. I still want to visit.
informative
medium-paced
This is one of the first non fiction books that I have read without an outside force pushing me to do so. In the beginning I was intrigued, but ultimately was a little boring by the end of the novel. The chronology was slow and muddled by the same stories of people selling peanuts and people. Perhaps it’s because I don’t know the history (or contemporary) view of Senegal, maybe it’s because I didn’t learn Frances imperialistic conquests in Africa to a strong depth, maybe because it simply wasent centered around America. Either way it was unfamiliar-and it was struggling to keep my attention for 300 pages.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Xenophobia
Moderate: Trafficking, Murder, War
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Slaves for Peanuts takes readers to 19th century Senegal, a period when the French were meddling heavily in West Africa as supposedly benevolent civilizers and other forms of imperialist bullshit. The book follows the work of a Black, French Protestant Reverend from Sierra Leone who evangelized in Saint Louis, a port under French control. Rev. Walter Taylor not only worked tirelessly towards converting pagans of many types but also took on great works of compassion in protecting and sponsoring runaway slaves to help them gain freedom. At the time, slavery was officially outlawed on French soil (which included colonized areas), but it was inconsistently enforced and manumission was made difficult to obtain through a 90-day waiting period, during which enslaved people seeking freedom might be recaptured. The book explains the regional politics surrounding how slavery was permitted to continue by French authorities as well as Taylor's work to assist runaways and set them up for success in a French colonial system. The book also covers, as the title suggests, the economic factors that resulted in a boom in peanut production in West Africa and the consequences of the rush to produce increasing amounts for export.
This is an informative read, and I appreciate how the author identifies where evidence is available and where there are only educated guesses to be had. She comments on the types of sources and the voices that have been silenced in the historical record. I learned a lot about regional history, and it was a good opportunity to examine the impact of colonization on a local, focused scale.
The only thing that dampened my experience was the heavy focus on missionary work. To be clear, the author is thoughtful in her discussion of how missionaries furthered colonization attempts and ponders how Rev. Taylor's position as a Black African evangelist creates an interesting intersection and possible internal conflict. So there is nothing in the message or reflection that I found problematic. However, as someone who is generally wary of religious institutions, I was caught unawares by the degree of attention it receives in the narrative. So be on the lookout if that's a pro/con for you as an area of study. I will say that though it's not my favorite topic, this presents an interesting case, and the volume of sources in Taylor's own writing is beneficial and meaningful to the discussion. Thanks to New Press for my copy to read and review!
This is an informative read, and I appreciate how the author identifies where evidence is available and where there are only educated guesses to be had. She comments on the types of sources and the voices that have been silenced in the historical record. I learned a lot about regional history, and it was a good opportunity to examine the impact of colonization on a local, focused scale.
The only thing that dampened my experience was the heavy focus on missionary work. To be clear, the author is thoughtful in her discussion of how missionaries furthered colonization attempts and ponders how Rev. Taylor's position as a Black African evangelist creates an interesting intersection and possible internal conflict. So there is nothing in the message or reflection that I found problematic. However, as someone who is generally wary of religious institutions, I was caught unawares by the degree of attention it receives in the narrative. So be on the lookout if that's a pro/con for you as an area of study. I will say that though it's not my favorite topic, this presents an interesting case, and the volume of sources in Taylor's own writing is beneficial and meaningful to the discussion. Thanks to New Press for my copy to read and review!
informative
reflective
medium-paced
A fascinating look at the link between industrialized Europe, the demand for peanut oil, increased land in peanuts, and the increased use of slaves as labor. Plus France’s outlawing of slavery in its territories but also trying to keep the damels satisfied. Plus Protestant missionaries and Walter Taylor (a native of Sierra Leone educated by missionaries), a railroad, Lat Joor and Kajoor/Cayor, global economics, and yellow fever. It is truly fascinating and a great example of the wealth of sources in archives.