The Slave Ship

by Emma Gelders Sterne

A fictional account of the 1839 revolt of Africans aboard the slave ship Amistad and the subsequent Amistad Case argued by John Quincy Adams before the United States Supreme Court.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grade, American History, Childrens

10 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1953

About the author

Also known as:
-Emily Broun
-Josephine James (works written in collaboration with daughter Barbara Lindsay)

Reviews

[Quirkyreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a vivid telling of the munity on Amistad geared towards young adult readers.

[Emma Filbrun · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book took me by surprise. The cover made me wonder if it would be very interesting, but when I started reading the book aloud, I was surprised by how it sucked all of us in. I thought I knew the story, but quickly discovered that I didn’t know much of it, and when we reached Chapter 4, I stopped in the middle, deciding that I needed to preview the rest of the book before continuing. My daughters were relieved when I decided that I could finish reading the book to them—especially since we didn’t know what the outcome would be until the last few pages! This is a wonderful story of some very courageous people.
CONTENT WARNING: Several people are killed in Chapter 4; one is whipped in Chapter 3.

[Havebooks Willread · Rating 5 out of 5]

While it's never enjoyable to read about people enslaving other people, I especially appreciated the way this book demonstrated that the people who were enslaved were strong, caring, capable, leaders, farmers, tradesman, etc.

I pre-read this for our upcoming school year and think it will provide nice opportunities for discussion, both about the people who were enslaved in the 1800s and the misconception that it made their lives better, as well as the people who believed it was wrong to enslave fellow humans and actually did something about it. Well worth reading.

[Tatyana Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book. It was easy to read and digest. Prior to reading it I did not know the story however it was eye opening to parts of history that are often hidden because of the events that took place. I wish I had read it when I was younger(middle school) but I’ll definitely reread it over and over again.

[Braxton Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 it had its low and high parts

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As if I needed a reminder on how awful slavery was

[Molly K · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little book is packed with history and customs. It will be a perfect book for my middle-schoolers to read after studying the Declaration of Independence and before studying the Civil War.

[Melissa]

Read with Katie for American History. Surprising that they skipped over most of the trial information!

[Katielin317 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a pre-read that I read for my son's curriculum and now I think everyone should read this or any book on thw Amistad. Such an incredible story. There infuriating parts of the story for sure, and there were such inspiring parts that showed the true goodness of people as well.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book about the slave trade and a group of slaves who revolted aboard ship. It was extremely compelling when I was a kid reading it. It brought home to me very strongly the horrors of slavery and how humans are all humans under the skin.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid children's book telling the story of the 19th century mutiny of the Amistad, a Cuban ship illegally carrying slaves. Loaned to me by a student. Probably designed for grades 5-6, but a good synopsis of the historical event for students up to grade 8 or even beyond.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a fast read and very interesting to read. It was an eye-opening account of the lives of those typically excluded from history. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the slavery debate during the 1830s-1840s.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as a kid under the title "The Long Black Schooner" and I thought it was a tremendous book. It was both horrifying and uplifting. A true ode to the human spirit.

[Kristen]

Children's books are great for learning.