A review by keishabk
Island on Fire: The Revolt That Ended Slavery in the British Empire by Tom Zoellner

4.0

I grew up in Jamaica during the 70s and half of the eighties, and due to the colonialism hangover that was/is neocolonialism, my knowledge of Jamaican history is paltry at best, bookended by Columbus and the Arawaks (Taino more accurately) and the National Heroes and Independence. This book chronicles a labour strike orchestrated by Samuel Sharpe, one of the seven Heroes, in December of 1831, that led to a fiery uprising amongst enslaved people which precipitated the abolition of slavery in the British Empire in 1834. The author provides a detailed analysis of Jamaica's early history within the Empire and the political and economic forces that made slavery the scaffolding which held up the wealth of England and her monarchy. (Looking at you Lilibet ;))

This work decenters the white saviour narrative and restores agency to the enslaved Blacks who fought relentlessly for their freedom. My one irritation with this book is the interchangeable use of the words 'slaves' and 'enslaved' to describe Black forced labourers. I've been reading about 'slaves' and Europeans going to Africa to 'get slaves' my entire life, and I welcome the modern turn to humanizing my kidnapped and trafficked ancestors who were not ripe bananas on trees for white people to pluck and force them to work for free. Otherwise, a great read!