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A review by nancyadelman
Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" by Zora Neale Hurston
4.0
"Barracoon" is derived from the word 'barracks' and a Spanish word, meaning 'hut.' A Barracoon in the 19th century was a place to keep Africans while they waited for a slave ship. It could be anything from a hut, a lean-t0, or a fortress or castle, any sort of structure designed to keep people hostage would suffice as a Barracoon.
The last slave ship was the Clotilda which arrived with 130 Africans in Alabama around 1860. Among them, Kossula, or Cudjo Lewis who was taken and ultimately became the last survivor of the last slave ship. He was taken and forced to become a slave for about five and a half years. After his release, he married an African woman and they raised five children on land given to them. Author Zora Neale Hurston spent several months visiting Cudjo, interviewing him, and sharing stories. Cudjo tells his story in his own words; Hurston really only transcribed his words.
Cudjo's story is an interesting one and one that I would have gladly read more of, had it existed. The story is transcribed in his dialect, which some readers may find annoying. I rather liked it, and wished I could have spent some time with him myself. For Hurston and Cudjo, I would have given this book five stars. Unfortunately I felt shortchanged by this book because Cudjo's story only takes up 77 pages, not even half of this book. The majority of this book is occupied by introductions written by other authors, forewords and prefaces and notes in the appendix. And it is for this reason that I can only give this book four stars. I loved Cudjo and found his story compelling reading, the other authors' commentary not so much.
The last slave ship was the Clotilda which arrived with 130 Africans in Alabama around 1860. Among them, Kossula, or Cudjo Lewis who was taken and ultimately became the last survivor of the last slave ship. He was taken and forced to become a slave for about five and a half years. After his release, he married an African woman and they raised five children on land given to them. Author Zora Neale Hurston spent several months visiting Cudjo, interviewing him, and sharing stories. Cudjo tells his story in his own words; Hurston really only transcribed his words.
Cudjo's story is an interesting one and one that I would have gladly read more of, had it existed. The story is transcribed in his dialect, which some readers may find annoying. I rather liked it, and wished I could have spent some time with him myself. For Hurston and Cudjo, I would have given this book five stars. Unfortunately I felt shortchanged by this book because Cudjo's story only takes up 77 pages, not even half of this book. The majority of this book is occupied by introductions written by other authors, forewords and prefaces and notes in the appendix. And it is for this reason that I can only give this book four stars. I loved Cudjo and found his story compelling reading, the other authors' commentary not so much.