Reviews with content warning for Kidnapping - Barracoon: The Story of the Last Slave

Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Barracoon: The Story of the Last Slave by Zora Neale Hurston

10 reviews

relf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

The story of one of the last enslaved people to arrive in the U.S. from Africa, on the Clotilda, in 1859, told mostly in his own words as transcribed by Zora Neale Hurston. Kossulo (American name Cudjo Lewis) was born about 1841 in what is now Benin, captured by the king of Dahomey, sold to a (by then illegal) slave trader, and smuggled to Mobile, Alabama. He was enslaved for 5+ years, until the end of the Civil War, and became a founder of Mobile's Africaville. His story is horrifying and moving, and shocked me with its immediacy--I have a great-grandfather who was born about the same time as Kossulo. And his life after slavery indicates how little has changed: his life as a "free" man included, among other tragedies, the shooting of one of his sons by a sheriff and a white lawyer who defrauded him. This was one of Zora Hurston's first works, but, because she would not permit publishers to change Kossulo's dialect (as she had heard and transcribed it) into standard English, it was not published until 2018. It's a short book, and I recommend the audiobook, beautifully and movingly narrated by Robin Miles.

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greatexpectations77's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative slow-paced

4.0

I thought the introduction was really interesting, but I'm not sure why I had a hard time getting into the story. It's very possible that I would like this more at a more focused time in the future.

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tinyflame4's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

3.0

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mcfarleyems's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative fast-paced

5.0

How do you give a rating to a book as important as this one?

This book broke my heart and took me on an important and informative journey. I learned so much about Kossula’s life, of course, but I also learned to sit in the discomfort of reading the book. I became aware of my own blind spots in history, which contributed to my own biases. Being able to read this book is a gift.

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pinkalpaca's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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crazytourists_books's review

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dark informative sad medium-paced

3.0

Is it the content I expected? No.
Is this an extremely important book for the African-American history? Yes.
Did I struggle to read it? Yes.
Did my heart ache for this man (and the thousands of others, men, women, children, like him)? Of course.
Did I like it? Unfortunately not.
Would I recommend it? Yes, it's historical, and/or laographical value is huge.

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nytephoenyx's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective slow-paced

4.25

Barracoon relates the story of Kossula – one of the last Black men to be sold into slavery from Africa to the United States. This biography is an interestingly formatted one, more a collection of afternoon conversations than a traditional biography. For the content of this biography, I think that style is perfect.

Kossula’s story is woven with his history, day-to-day, and stories. Some day, Hurston would barely converse with him at all which other days, Kossula easily shared his memories from Africa. His story includes pieces of his father’s and grandfather’s stories, building a brief generational record rather than one just of emotional experience.

Historical biographies can be complicated to record because it’s very easy for the recorder to insert themselves in the narrative. It can be challenging not to set these stories in the framework of our own personal belief and/or socially accepted fact. Hurston’s ability to separate herself from Kossula’s story, especially when his narrative differed from what she understood, is admirable. It also gives greater power to Kossula’s story itself.

Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” is short as for as biographies go. You won’t get the whole story from birth to the moment of telling. In fact, you’ll only get a few snapshots of his remarkable life. What stands out the most is the emotions he shares – grief, pain, love, and loneliness. The use of his original dialect and interjections add to this. According to the (extensive) foreword, Hurston fought to keep the dialect in and as a result this manuscript was not published until recently, posthumously. While it’s unfortunate it took this long for Kossula’s story to be heard in long-form, I agree with her push to capture his authentic voice.

Albeit short, Barracoon is a unique piece of historical significance, seeking to share the voice of a freed slave in a dialogue dominated by white men. It’s well worth a read to get a glimpse of the preserved culture and to better round your understanding of American slavery.

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ivassavi's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

(2021 Book#1)
4⭐️
⏳24 hours read

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autistic_dragon's review against another edition

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dark informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.25

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muchadoaboutliz's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative medium-paced

4.0

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