Nobody's Slave

by Tim Vicary

Two boys meet on a voyage which transforms their lives.

Madu, a young African, is captured by the Elizabethan slave-trader, Sir John Hawkins. Tom Oakley is a young sailor in charge of the slaves. At first the two boys hate each other. But as the story develops their roles are reversed, and each comes to depend on the other more than either would have once thought possible.

This is a fast-moving adventure story based around real historical events. History as you never learned it in school!

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Young Adult, Ebooks, Drama, Adventure

260 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2012

About the author

Tim Vicary is an author and a recently retired university teacher from the university of York, England. His legal thrillers about a tough British barrister, Sarah Newby, have been compared to the works of John Grisham and Scott Turow. The second book in the series, A Fatal Verdict, was awarded a B.R.A.G Medallion for an outstanding independent novel, and the third book, Bold Counsel, was awarded the Awesome Indies Seal of Excellence. He is currently writing a fourth book in the series, entitled Broken Alibi.

His four historical novels have also won praise. Nobody's Slave, a novel about the Elizabethan slave trade, won first prize in the young adult category of the Kindle Book awards 2014. His three other historical novels, Cat & Mouse, The Blood Upon the Rose, and The Monmouth Summer, are all available individually or as a boxed set of three, entitled Women of Courage.

Tim has also written about twenty much shorter books, graded readers for foreign learners of English, published by Oxford University Press. In 2010 and 2011 two of these - Titanic and The Everest Story - were each the winners in their category for the Language Learner Literature Award for the Extensive Reading Foundation.

Tim lives in the English countryside, near York. When he's not writing he likes horse-riding, cycling, and swimming.

Reviews

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nobody’s Slave by Tim Vicary is a book that has been on my Kindle for way too long. I knew nothing about this booking going into it, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.

Young boys Madu and Tom are very different from each other and come from two completely different worlds. When they first meet, they hate each other, but as their journey continues, instead of wanting to kill each other, they start to realise they need each other. Together, they will both learn life lessons that become invaluable. An interesting read. With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my digital copy to read and review.

[Trose13 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nobody's Slave was about two very different boys from two completely different worlds that meet in a sad way. Throughout the book they both learn very valuable lessons that will shade away their ignorance and probably affected them for the rest of their lives. This book based off of a true story may spark your interest or it may not.

This book is a excellent read for a class but personally I would not read it for pleasure by myself, the book was quite long and hard to get into. At the beginning the book was very interesting and quite a page turner then it ended up to be boring and hard to turn and finish the book. The reason i say this is a good book to read as a class or in a book club/group. It can be interesting to some and easier to read the book with a others to keep you motivated and to have conversation about the book.

[Emma · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is about a African boy and a sailor white boy becoming friends. They hate each other so much that they try to kill each other multiple times. The main character is Madu who was captured by European sailors, such as the other main character Tom. They don't like each other then soon realize they need each other more than they think.

When I received this book I was really excited to start reading. When I started reading it started interesting and then soon became boring. I did not like this book because it was more factual for the history major and less fictional for the student. Yes I know that it is a historical novel but it wasn't an exciting read. Overall, I would recommend this for adults and not for student's.

[Phyllis Runyan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of a slave ship, an African village and two boys becoming men, one English and one African. Their journey to the new world and what happens to them both when they arrive. It is based on actual events and people. Well written by Tim Vicary.

[chris smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable read

An enjoyable and interesting read following the main characters personal development and changing fortunes. A microscopic look at a bigger story.

[Tile.Aldo43 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book Nobody’s Slave, by Tim Vicary, was an interesting book and it shows what the slaves had to face on the ships and their struggles when on the ships. The book portrayed many themes but the two that it portrayed most were the themes evil and loyalty.
To begin with, the book Nobody’s Slave shows that slave trading in our history was evil and he showed this by the struggles that the slaves had to go through. For example, the slaves struggled when they transported them from one place to another with ships and the slaves struggled through this process because they were treated like animals by chaining them, forcing them to live in their waste, and many of them got sick and died. One quote that was said in the book shows that the slaves struggled on the ship. It was “He COULD have been hung, or keel-hauled, dragged underneath the keel of the ship…, but Madu did not know that”. This quote shows the punishment slaves had if they did something wrong. Another quote shows that the slaves would rather have died rather than live like how they lived on the ships and this quote was “It is better to die in the fight than to live like this, caged like animals in your own filth”. This quote is saying that the slaves would have rather had died when they were fighting the whites and the other tribe, semba, than to be captured and forced to live on the ships.
The book Nobody’s Slave also shows that slave trading in our history was full of loyalty and the book showed this from the relationship with Madu and Tom. The loyalty between Madu and Tom and their friendship was throughout the middle and end of the book. Their loyalty towards each other helped each other escape from slavery and I think if they didn't have this, they would have still been in slavery or maybe even dead. For example, Madu helped Tom when he was captured by the spaniards by telling them that he knows him so he would get a higher position in slavery like working in the Master’s house and they would later escape together and become free again. One quote that shows their loyalty with each other “ I will help you escape, like I say. And I run with you, from here.” This quote shows how loyal their friendship was with each other. Another quote that shows their loyalty towards each other is “They picked their way past the carts of Farmers bringing in food for the market, and slipped quietly off the road into the forest a mile inland. This quote shows how they escaped from slavery and how they used each other to do so.
In conclusion, Nobody’s slave, by Tim Vicary, was a very interesting book that teaches the readers the perspective of the slaves and what they had to go through and their struggles. Also, It also teaches us that having a loyal friendship can help both sides just like it helped Madu and Tom escape from slavery and become free once again. I recommend you read this book if you are learning about the slave trade because it gives good explanation of what the slaves thought of the whites and also, what the slaves had to go through on the ships.

[Jenny Twist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Madu and his friend, Temba, have gone into the jungle to catch a leopard. Madu has a plan which will let him catch the beast without sacrificing his goat. Right now it is the most important thing in his life.
Tom Oakley, a nephew of Francis Drake, is on his first voyage. The ship is bound for Africa to pick up slaves.
Soon these two will meet and both their lives will be changed forever.

This is a very exciting and moving tale about the early slave trade. The story is fiction but the history is real. These are brutal times and human life is cheap. The action moves from Africa to South America where a twist of fortune turns the tables on the boys, making Madu the leader.

Tim Vicary’s clear and fluent style is, as always, a delight to read and his research is impeccable. The world he presents is utterly believable, his characters live and breathe.
An emotional roller-coaster of a book.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the Transatlantic Slave Trade. This story is mostly for young adults and older. This book was really interesting because I got to learn a lot about the Slave Trade and its process. For example, I learned that the process is really rough for the slaves, and I also learned the process the slaves go through from Africa to America. It was really interesting because almost every other chapter is alternated between the red faced perspectives and the slaves perspective, which gives you an interesting view on the book due to the fact of seeing both the good and bad guys view on all of the situations. Overall I think that this book is really good because it gives you knowledge that you never really thought about, and also gives you ways to think about information in new ways.

[Andrew Barash · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about an african slave named Madu and a European boy named Tom. At first Tom hated all African but later on in the book, his views changed. Towards the middle of the book, Tom and Madu cross paths and at first there was a lot of hatred. Towards the end of the book, through collaboration, Madu and Tom like each other. This book tells readers about the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and the mistreatment of slaves.

From the beginning to the end I loved the book. I thought there was a lot of action and interesting events. It also taught me a lot about the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. It showed me how mistreated the slaves were and how misunderstood they were in this time period. Nobody's Slave is defiantly a good book to read.

[Nathan Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

The novel Nobody’s Slave dwells into the tale of an African child being abducted and taken away from his homeland in Africa to experience the horrors of being apart of the slave trade. Tim Vicary used his novel to highlight the perspective of becoming a slave and the struggles and hardships that come with it. The slave trade occurred between the 15th and 19th century, spreading to mainly North America, South America, and Europe. Through his characters, readers begin to understand what it is like to be a slave crammed up in the lower deck of the ship and being in the shoes of Madu and what he had to go through, whether the information they hear is accurate or not, and this often leads to discrimination. Tim Vicary explores this through the characters of Madu and Tom Oakley, who are both misjudged by their community, though for different reasons. There is one man, Admiral Hawkins, Who . As he says to his daughter, “You are nobodys slave”(196), reminding readers, too, that harming the innocent is never acceptable. In Nobodys Slave, Tim Vicary does a great job of bringing Madu and Tom together by telling the story and the perspective of the two.

[Cindy Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good

This is a close historically accurate account of an English expedition in mid 16th century to Africa to procure slaves. The two main characters, a young English sailor and young African tribesman, have their stories told from each of their vantage points. It is one of the better books written of this tragic and trade-off era.

The author made a substantial effort to 'be real' in describing the thoughts and actions of the characters involved in this story. Using historical records and diaries of the times, he has woven a plot that is interesting and educational while giving great insight to emotion. No one is spared tragedy and the greed of monarchies is exposed on all fronts.

The two youth involved change their thinking over a course of many month's time in land and sea.

I would highly recommend this emotionally charged book to readers of historical fiction.

[Dana Burgess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not usually a fan of books about slavery. I find them either too violent to enjoy or too whitewashed to enjoy. Nobody's Slave hits a great medium and would be perfect for the middle schooler, learning about the slave trade, as well as the adult that wants to continue to learn and grow in this area. Not that it reads like a textbook. It is a story full of adventure, danger and historical figures and events. The author focuses on events in the slave trade from Africa to Spain which gave me new perspective and sparked some serious introspection. It is eye opening and, can I say, refreshing to read about slave history from somewhere other than the USA. Not whitewashed, not too violent and a great story to boot.

[Andrea David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent historical fiction!

I had my high school World History class read this to get a better understanding of the complexities of this time period. I found it to be a well-written story that puts human faces and feelings on the horrors of slavery. Ultimately though, it is a story about friendship and understanding between two young men coming of age in a turbulent time in history.

[Catherine M Severi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eye opener of the American slave trade

The story was a eye opener of the capture and treatment of the African slave.The African was considered a commodity eager than a human being.There is a twist on the story once one young slave helps his captuor. I recommend all ethnic groups to read and discover the cruel effects of slavery. No one in my family owned a slave or as servants. We are all born free and working to better ourselves.

[William Carmichael · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Remarkably Good Read!

Nobody’s Slave captured my attention and kept me yearning to find out what happened next. The events were described with such authenticity that I felt the story to be true. The author did a wonderful job of creating the characters which for me is essential for a book to matter for me. Honestly, I highly recommend this book for a true insight into the business of slave trading.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

True friendship between enemies

Excellent tale of 16th century slave trade with many elements of the story borrowed from historical accounts. Who is "nobody" that enslaves you? Maybe you can enslave yourself. Lots of action and the characters are interesting and well developed. I love this story of how people can mature and change their opinions and feelings about other people.

[Donna Hartog · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book very interesting. I had never read anything like this before, and it opened my mind to things I had never thought about, along with different cultures. For people that do usually read this type of story, I would recommend it. It was well written and truly held my interest. I do admit though that I will now go back to reading my usual type.

[Kary · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good story of slave vs free vs slave vs slave vs friend and freedom. It seemed to jump storylines at times where I had to go and reread to understand. Overall a different viewpoint of stories of slavery I have read. Would have lied if more concentrated on a few plots than so many different characters

[Nora Peevy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story focuses mainly on the sea voyage of slave traders and the Cinnamarons fighting the Spanish slave traders. It is a part of slave history not focused on as much and is quite interesting to read. Madu is a sympathetic character and his friendship with Tom, an English sailor, takes an unexpected turn in the latter half of the book.

[David Sprague · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall this was a good read. It was a shame 2 of the 4 boys died early. The ship life was horrible at times but always fascinating. The cohesiveness of the plot began to get a bit too loose at the end of the voyage. The character development was too sketchy in the last part of the book. There was enough factual basis to make the work worthwhile.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is based on real events & people

It is a good introduction to the slave trade for younger pupils (from 12+) as it is not as violent as most stories.

Overall Madu was very likeable and he educated his white friend on what it means to be taken from your home in a brutal way & forced to become a slave.

I did wish it was a little bit longer though.

[Rosie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good!

[Michael Blodgett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read...

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book

I got this as a free kindle book. I enjoyed it and will look for more of the author’s books.

[Ken Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

The flow was just right and the story line easy to follow.
The historical aspects O found quite interesting.
Great read.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sad, interesting, thoughts provoking story.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

I was hooked before finishing first chapter. A true page turner. Very interesting characters. I wish my history lessons had been this interesting in school.

[Nicholas Quarrier · Rating 3 out of 5]

First half good, last third dragged.

[NELL C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heart wrenching

This is a very well written book with an historically interesting plot. The characters are so well drawn you feel as if you know them.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really well written, fast paced adventure story! Brilliant! I will definitely look for more by this author & do strongly recommend!