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vyria's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
An important suppliment after reading Zora Neale Hurston's Barracoon.
nanikeeva's review against another edition
4.0
a bit of history i had often wondered about, regarding the diasporic nature of the consequences of the slave trade. good bit of investigative journalism when it came to calling out layer after layer of legal, environmental, social etc disregard/abuse suffered by Africatown from its white neighbors, starting with literal slavery and ending - well, really, continuing - with industrial toxins. good amount of calling out for the family of the slave trafficker as well. definitely learned something new about Benin/that even among West Africans on the continent there were collaborators and victims.
chumchucka's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Slavery
heathssm's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
louismunozjr's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars, rounded up from 3.5. A truly interesting and well-researched story, and great to see these "hidden figures" be brought to light. The author doesn't always quite shine in his presentation of these incredible people and their place in history, but he does keep their relevance and history front and center, and I would recommend the book to a wide variety of readers.
Many thanks to #NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Many thanks to #NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
jg12389's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
A really masterful telling of an important and brutal part of our history that the world tried to forget. I cried hearing about Cudjoe's life. It is very heavy at some points and extremely disturbing and violent. But I think the author handled this entire story and the aftermath of the ship being uncovered beautifully. This should be required reading!
mistajay's review
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery and Violence
teriboop's review against another edition
5.0
The Last Slave Ship is written by Ben Raines, the man who searched tirelessly for the last ship known to transport 110 enslaved Africans to America illegally. The Clotilda has a long legacy as a Civil War-era schooner captained by William Foster that made a voyage on a bet and a dare by millionaire Tim Meaher of Mobile, Alabama, to the slave coast of Africa to bring back enslaved Africans long after the end of the transatlantic slave trade. Foster faced bad weather, ship repairs, mutinies, and near capture during his long journey. Still, he brought back 110 enslaved humans that were smuggled into Mobile Bay and hidden in the canebreaks on the coast until they were parceled out to Foster, Meaher, and Meaher's brothers. The Clotilda was rumored to have been taken up the coast, where it was set on fire and submerged to avoid being found, removing all evidence of the agreement between Meaher and Foster. Five years later, the Africans were emancipated and found themselves stuck in the Mobile area, unable to return to their African homes. After some negotiations, the Clotilda survivors purchased some land from Tim Meaher, where they established their own Africa on American soil and named their town Africatown.
The stories of the Clotilda were recounted by both the slavers and the enslaved and repeated generation after generation. Some 150+ years later, Raines, a newspaper journalist and diving enthusiast, picked up on the story and began investigating. Africatown today still stands in a limited fashion. Descendants of the Clotilda survivors still live in the area and suffer from extreme racism and health issues due to the horrible conditions the town has endured from industrialization brought in by the Meaher family. Still, the ship remained a rumor, unsubstantiated by unfounded evidence of its existence, until May 22, 2019, when Ben Raines and a host of researchers found the ship off Twelve Mile Island in the Mobile Bay.
In this book, Raines tells the story of the Meaher and Foster families, the bet between Tim and Captain Foster, and that famous voyage. The author introduces the reader to the survivors of the Clotilda and the establishment of Africatown, detailing the long history and abuse suffered by the residents at the hands of generations of Meaher descendants. This story intertwines with the search for the Clotilda and the reconciliation that has begun to heal the community.
This is a fascinating read, and I'm interested in continuing to follow this story and the community of Africatown. There is a Netflix documentary titled "Descendants" about this story and the search for the ship, along with documenting the activism of the Africatown residents to bring awareness to their history. It's a great follow-up to reading this book.
The stories of the Clotilda were recounted by both the slavers and the enslaved and repeated generation after generation. Some 150+ years later, Raines, a newspaper journalist and diving enthusiast, picked up on the story and began investigating. Africatown today still stands in a limited fashion. Descendants of the Clotilda survivors still live in the area and suffer from extreme racism and health issues due to the horrible conditions the town has endured from industrialization brought in by the Meaher family. Still, the ship remained a rumor, unsubstantiated by unfounded evidence of its existence, until May 22, 2019, when Ben Raines and a host of researchers found the ship off Twelve Mile Island in the Mobile Bay.
In this book, Raines tells the story of the Meaher and Foster families, the bet between Tim and Captain Foster, and that famous voyage. The author introduces the reader to the survivors of the Clotilda and the establishment of Africatown, detailing the long history and abuse suffered by the residents at the hands of generations of Meaher descendants. This story intertwines with the search for the Clotilda and the reconciliation that has begun to heal the community.
This is a fascinating read, and I'm interested in continuing to follow this story and the community of Africatown. There is a Netflix documentary titled "Descendants" about this story and the search for the ship, along with documenting the activism of the Africatown residents to bring awareness to their history. It's a great follow-up to reading this book.