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A review by author_d_r_oestreicher
The Empire of Necessity: Slavery, Freedom, and Deception in the New World by Greg Grandin
4.0
About 210 years ago, there was a slave revolt aboard the Tryal off the coast of Chile. The novella Benito Cereno by Herman Melville is based on this incident. Now over 150 years after Melville published, The Empire of Necessity by Greg Grandin is an historical accounting of the circumstances around that slave revolt.
This history draws on both the historical record and Melville's novella. Throughout the book, reference is made to Melville. I found the book reminiscent of Moby-Dick in structure. Rather than a straight narrative, the author includes digressions on life at sea.
In this history, seal hunting takes the place of whaling in Moby Dick. Various digressions expound on the life and technology of seal hunters. Like Melville, Grandin demonstrates broad interests in all aspects of the world surrounding the core story.
This is an excellent book for those interested in what the world was like beyond the often told story of slavery, but not ignoring slavery either.
For more see: http://1book42day.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-empire-of-necessityu-by-grag-grandin.html
This history draws on both the historical record and Melville's novella. Throughout the book, reference is made to Melville. I found the book reminiscent of Moby-Dick in structure. Rather than a straight narrative, the author includes digressions on life at sea.
In this history, seal hunting takes the place of whaling in Moby Dick. Various digressions expound on the life and technology of seal hunters. Like Melville, Grandin demonstrates broad interests in all aspects of the world surrounding the core story.
This is an excellent book for those interested in what the world was like beyond the often told story of slavery, but not ignoring slavery either.
For more see: http://1book42day.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-empire-of-necessityu-by-grag-grandin.html