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The Zorg: A Tale of Greed, Murder and the Abolition of Slavery
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite History & Biography (2025)In 1781, the Zorg set off from The Netherlands to West Africa and from there onto the Caribbean. The fateful voyage would alter the course of history forever.
By the time its journey ends, the Zorg would become the first undeniable argument against slavery.
When a series of unpredictable weather events and navigational errors led to slave ship Zorg sailing off course and running low on supplies, the ship's captain threw more than a hundred slaves overboard in order to save the crew and the most valuable slaves. They then claimed the loss on insurance.
In his riveting new book, bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize finalist Siddharth Kara brings history to life, showcasing how the Zorg’s fateful voyage exposed the harsh reality of the slave trade.
For the first time, concepts such as human rights and morality entered the discourse on slavery in a courtroom case that boiled down to a simple yet profound question: Were the Africans on board people or cargo?
The case catapulted the emerging anti-slavery movement to one of the most consequential moral campaigns that changed the course of history.
The Zorg is the astonishing yet little-known true story of one of the most consequential ships that ever crossed the Atlantic.
By the time its journey ends, the Zorg would become the first undeniable argument against slavery.
When a series of unpredictable weather events and navigational errors led to slave ship Zorg sailing off course and running low on supplies, the ship's captain threw more than a hundred slaves overboard in order to save the crew and the most valuable slaves. They then claimed the loss on insurance.
In his riveting new book, bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize finalist Siddharth Kara brings history to life, showcasing how the Zorg’s fateful voyage exposed the harsh reality of the slave trade.
For the first time, concepts such as human rights and morality entered the discourse on slavery in a courtroom case that boiled down to a simple yet profound question: Were the Africans on board people or cargo?
The case catapulted the emerging anti-slavery movement to one of the most consequential moral campaigns that changed the course of history.
The Zorg is the astonishing yet little-known true story of one of the most consequential ships that ever crossed the Atlantic.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 14, 2025
622 people are currently reading
30674 people want to read
About the author
Siddharth Kara
7 books502 followersSiddharth Kara is an author, researcher, and activist on modern slavery. Kara has written several books and reports on slavery and child labor, including the New York Times bestseller and Pulitzer Prize finalist, Cobalt Red. Kara also won the Frederick Douglass Book Prize. He has lectured at Harvard University and held a professorship at the University of Nottingham. He divides his time between Los Angeles and London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 352 reviews
August 31, 2025
The story revealed in this book was not well known. The Zorg was a slave trader ship, practicing the triangular trade routes in the 18th century. It would sail from Liverpool, England loaded with trade goods to trade for slaves along the "Guinea" coast of Africa. It would then transport the abducted men, women and children to Jamaica to be sold at an auction. The proceeds would be used to buy sugar, rum, molasses to take back to Liverpool.
In 1781, the ship took longer than usual to get to the Caribbean. When it did get there, it missed Jamaica due to incompetence. The then Captain, Robert Stubbs, realizing that the didn't have enough water to feed everyone, ordered 150 slaves to be thrown overboard.
The ship's owners, with William Gregson acting for all of them, demanded that the insurers reimburse him for the lost slaves at 30 pounds each. The first trial went in his favor. But then more information was discovered and there was a second trial, which he lost.
The author did a prodigious amount of research to piece together all of the relevant events and people involved. He goes on to explain that these trials started a movement which led first to forbidding the slave trade and then slavery in most of the
British colonies.
One quote: "William Gregson died on December 26,1800, at the age of seventy-nine. Across his five decade career, Gregson helped finance 152 slave voyages that loaded 58,201 Africans and deposited 49,053 survivors (15.7 percent mortality rate) on islands in his Caribbean."
One thing that astounded me: The judge in both trials emphasized several times that the issue was a "property loss" and not murder. I strongly recommend this book to history fans and rate it 5 stars.
Thank you St. Martin's Press for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.
#TheZorg #NetGalley
In 1781, the ship took longer than usual to get to the Caribbean. When it did get there, it missed Jamaica due to incompetence. The then Captain, Robert Stubbs, realizing that the didn't have enough water to feed everyone, ordered 150 slaves to be thrown overboard.
The ship's owners, with William Gregson acting for all of them, demanded that the insurers reimburse him for the lost slaves at 30 pounds each. The first trial went in his favor. But then more information was discovered and there was a second trial, which he lost.
The author did a prodigious amount of research to piece together all of the relevant events and people involved. He goes on to explain that these trials started a movement which led first to forbidding the slave trade and then slavery in most of the
British colonies.
One quote: "William Gregson died on December 26,1800, at the age of seventy-nine. Across his five decade career, Gregson helped finance 152 slave voyages that loaded 58,201 Africans and deposited 49,053 survivors (15.7 percent mortality rate) on islands in his Caribbean."
One thing that astounded me: The judge in both trials emphasized several times that the issue was a "property loss" and not murder. I strongly recommend this book to history fans and rate it 5 stars.
Thank you St. Martin's Press for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.
#TheZorg #NetGalley
August 22, 2025
The Zorg is a narrative nonfiction account of an episode during the slave trade that so upset the general population, it is viewed as the first stroke leading to the abolition of first the slave trade and then slavery itself in the British Empire. Of course, it still took decades, but it brought it to the attention of folks outside the trade.
The Zorg was a Dutch ship. In 1780, it was captured by an English privateer and came under British command. It was loaded with 482 slaves and set sail for Jamaica. But it veered so far off course (thanks to incompetence) and provisions ran so low, that 132 slaves were thrown overboard, mostly women and children. In a case of irony, it only became well known because the owners of the slaves filed an insurance claim for the loss of their property that the insurance company refused to pay. This led to a legal trial which propelled the anti-slavery movement in both England and the US.
Kara provides a well researched, detailed account. At times, I felt the background got a little too detailed. But overall, I appreciated learning exactly how the global slave trade worked. Or didn’t. For example, I had no clue what an impact the American Revolution had on the slave trade.
This is not an easy read. Kara doesn’t give way to emotions, but the subject matter and some of the descriptions are exceedingly gruesome. But again, it’s an important read. In a time when the US government is trying to hide historical facts that might make white folks uncomfortable, it’s also a timely publication.
My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.
The Zorg was a Dutch ship. In 1780, it was captured by an English privateer and came under British command. It was loaded with 482 slaves and set sail for Jamaica. But it veered so far off course (thanks to incompetence) and provisions ran so low, that 132 slaves were thrown overboard, mostly women and children. In a case of irony, it only became well known because the owners of the slaves filed an insurance claim for the loss of their property that the insurance company refused to pay. This led to a legal trial which propelled the anti-slavery movement in both England and the US.
Kara provides a well researched, detailed account. At times, I felt the background got a little too detailed. But overall, I appreciated learning exactly how the global slave trade worked. Or didn’t. For example, I had no clue what an impact the American Revolution had on the slave trade.
This is not an easy read. Kara doesn’t give way to emotions, but the subject matter and some of the descriptions are exceedingly gruesome. But again, it’s an important read. In a time when the US government is trying to hide historical facts that might make white folks uncomfortable, it’s also a timely publication.
My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.
September 19, 2025
People. We are talking about people.
Siddharth Kara's The Zorg is so affecting because he does the opposite of what you expect. He tells the story of the infamous slave ship using an ingenious style — understatement. (Note: Yes I used an em dash. No, I am not AI.) For the vast majority of the book, I found myself consistently reading what seemed like a rather straightforward business explanation only to pull back and remind myself that we are talking about humans. I suspect it is what Kara was going for. The "leaders" (and I mean that in the most insulting way it can be taken) of the Zorg thought of the people jammed into their holds only as cargo to be sold at the next slave port. Kara uses this lens to make it so that the reader can be even more disgusted by what is happening in the pages because the villains (which is a much better descriptor) are so blase about the pain and death of their fellow humans.
I am intentionally obfuscating what happens on the Zorg. I remembered the main points of the story before I started the book, and I truly think it is best to go in without foreknowledge if possible. To be clear, none of it is good. Along the way, you will meet slaves, one of the worst co-workers of all time, and a stupid doctor. The story of the Zorg would light the match that became the flame of abolition in England, but a price would need to be paid first. Along the way, there are so many coincidences and near misses which would seem beyond belief if they weren't all exquisitely documented.
Kara tells this story economically. It is slim in comparison to what this book could have been. This is an observation, not a criticism. I can easily hand this book to anyone, even non-history nerds, and tell them it is an easy read from a prose perspective. From a subject matter perspective, however....damn. For those who brave the heartbreaking and soul-crushing aspects of the book, you are rewarded at the end with what can be considered a triumphant ending. It is certainly one of my books of the year.
(This book was provided as an advance reader copy by NetGalley and St. Martin's Press.)
Siddharth Kara's The Zorg is so affecting because he does the opposite of what you expect. He tells the story of the infamous slave ship using an ingenious style — understatement. (Note: Yes I used an em dash. No, I am not AI.) For the vast majority of the book, I found myself consistently reading what seemed like a rather straightforward business explanation only to pull back and remind myself that we are talking about humans. I suspect it is what Kara was going for. The "leaders" (and I mean that in the most insulting way it can be taken) of the Zorg thought of the people jammed into their holds only as cargo to be sold at the next slave port. Kara uses this lens to make it so that the reader can be even more disgusted by what is happening in the pages because the villains (which is a much better descriptor) are so blase about the pain and death of their fellow humans.
I am intentionally obfuscating what happens on the Zorg. I remembered the main points of the story before I started the book, and I truly think it is best to go in without foreknowledge if possible. To be clear, none of it is good. Along the way, you will meet slaves, one of the worst co-workers of all time, and a stupid doctor. The story of the Zorg would light the match that became the flame of abolition in England, but a price would need to be paid first. Along the way, there are so many coincidences and near misses which would seem beyond belief if they weren't all exquisitely documented.
Kara tells this story economically. It is slim in comparison to what this book could have been. This is an observation, not a criticism. I can easily hand this book to anyone, even non-history nerds, and tell them it is an easy read from a prose perspective. From a subject matter perspective, however....damn. For those who brave the heartbreaking and soul-crushing aspects of the book, you are rewarded at the end with what can be considered a triumphant ending. It is certainly one of my books of the year.
(This book was provided as an advance reader copy by NetGalley and St. Martin's Press.)
October 20, 2025
The Zorg was an overloaded slave ship under the control of an inexperienced captain. After a series of mishaps, the ship was running out of supplies, particularly water. The decision was made to toss some of their human cargo overboard to conserve water. The owner of the ship decided to sue their insurance company for compensation. The terms of the policy provided for compensation only if the slaves were tossed overboard for one of a few specified reasons. Running out of water due to incompetence was not one of the specified reasons.
The trial and appeal did not turn out the way the slave traders hoped. The carnage aboard the Zorg was exposed and the revelations of the horrific conditions on the slave ships generally spurred on the abolitionist moved. Eventually, the slave trade was abolished, and finally slavery was outlawed entirely. (Of course the slaveholders were given reparations for the loss of their property. The “property” got nothing).
This book was short, but very detailed. It covered the economic underpinnings of the slave trade, the actual voyage and the trial. It was fascinating. And Dion Graham did his usual excellent job of narrating the audiobook
The trial and appeal did not turn out the way the slave traders hoped. The carnage aboard the Zorg was exposed and the revelations of the horrific conditions on the slave ships generally spurred on the abolitionist moved. Eventually, the slave trade was abolished, and finally slavery was outlawed entirely. (Of course the slaveholders were given reparations for the loss of their property. The “property” got nothing).
This book was short, but very detailed. It covered the economic underpinnings of the slave trade, the actual voyage and the trial. It was fascinating. And Dion Graham did his usual excellent job of narrating the audiobook
July 14, 2025
This book is an interesting history of the Atlantic slave trade with particular in-depth focus on the infamous British (originally Dutch) slave ship Zorg (a.k.a Zong). The ship was the site of the mass killing of 132 enslaved Africans by the crew in November of 1781. The stated reason for the killing was to conserve water.
The slave trade is a grim subject and the Zorg story particularly painful, but remembering the history is one way to honor its victims. The Zorg massacre would have not been recorded in history except for the fact that the ship owners made an insurance claim to cover the loss of the slaves. The insurers refused to pay and the resulting 1783 court case (Greyson v Gilbert) found in favor to the slavers.
The case may have died at that point and disappeared from history except for the fact that somebody who attended the trial wrote an anonymous letter about the case that was published in the newspaper. There again that article may not have caught anybody's attention except that Olaudah Equiano read the article and brought it to the attention of Granville Sharp who worked to have the crew prosecuted for murder.
The murder charge was not allowed, but the insurers did appeal the ruling of the first trial. This book devotes two chapters to that hearing. The arguments quoted in the book were eloquent and pointed, but in the end it was the fact that some of the killings had taken place after a substantial rain, and the fact that that information had not been introduced in the first trial caused the judge to rule for a retrial. The slavers apparently gave up on the case at that point since there’s no record of a retrial, so the slavers didn’t get the payment they sought.
The book follows how the legacy of the case of the Zorg subsequently led to a series of actions on the part of abolitionist such that after many years the slave trade was outlawed by Britain. Then there was the American Civil War and eventually most countries outlawed the practice of slavery.
Of particular interest in this book is the Epilog in which the author does some detective sleuthing and determines the identity of the person who wrote the anonymous letter. I was impressed with the amount of detail that could be retrieved from happenings so long ago, but the combination of financial records and trial transcripts make for good historical research.
I had access to a prepublication ebook edition of this book using the NetGalley Reader.
P.S.
Note "message 2" below where I describe some more from this book.
The slave trade is a grim subject and the Zorg story particularly painful, but remembering the history is one way to honor its victims. The Zorg massacre would have not been recorded in history except for the fact that the ship owners made an insurance claim to cover the loss of the slaves. The insurers refused to pay and the resulting 1783 court case (Greyson v Gilbert) found in favor to the slavers.
The case may have died at that point and disappeared from history except for the fact that somebody who attended the trial wrote an anonymous letter about the case that was published in the newspaper. There again that article may not have caught anybody's attention except that Olaudah Equiano read the article and brought it to the attention of Granville Sharp who worked to have the crew prosecuted for murder.
The murder charge was not allowed, but the insurers did appeal the ruling of the first trial. This book devotes two chapters to that hearing. The arguments quoted in the book were eloquent and pointed, but in the end it was the fact that some of the killings had taken place after a substantial rain, and the fact that that information had not been introduced in the first trial caused the judge to rule for a retrial. The slavers apparently gave up on the case at that point since there’s no record of a retrial, so the slavers didn’t get the payment they sought.
The book follows how the legacy of the case of the Zorg subsequently led to a series of actions on the part of abolitionist such that after many years the slave trade was outlawed by Britain. Then there was the American Civil War and eventually most countries outlawed the practice of slavery.
Of particular interest in this book is the Epilog in which the author does some detective sleuthing and determines the identity of the person who wrote the anonymous letter. I was impressed with the amount of detail that could be retrieved from happenings so long ago, but the combination of financial records and trial transcripts make for good historical research.
I had access to a prepublication ebook edition of this book using the NetGalley Reader.
P.S.
Note "message 2" below where I describe some more from this book.
September 28, 2025
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
My God...
Pre-Read Notes:
Honestly, I thought this was about a different subject when I requested it. It was a fault of memory. When I read the description I was surprised, but still interested. A difficult read so far, but worthwhile.
Final Review
(thoughts & recs) The subject matter is dark, but this is one of those books all people would benefit from reading. If you're interested in the history of slavery in the West, you could hardly go wrong here.
My Favorite Things:
✔️ I admire accountings of white nations' more terrible characteristics, like the evils of transporting and selling other humans. This book describes horrible things, but it achieves its goal of accounting this dark topic.
✔️ I just finished The Deep by Rivers Solomon, which is based in part on what happened to the babies and pregnant slaves who were murdered on the Zorg by being overboarded. In their book, Solomon depicts a species of mermaids who are descendant from these women and babies. Reading this moving afrofuturism that is The Deep ahead of the brutal European history that inspired it in The Zorg created a profound reading experience.
✔️ The back matter added so much to this narrative: the epilogue, acknowledgements, and bibliography.
Notes: slavery, violence against Black people, Violence against women and children, murder, drowning, wild animal attack, torture, boats, the ocean,
Thank you to Siddharth Kara, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an accessible digital arc of THE ZORG. All views are mine.
My God...
Pre-Read Notes:
Honestly, I thought this was about a different subject when I requested it. It was a fault of memory. When I read the description I was surprised, but still interested. A difficult read so far, but worthwhile.
Final Review
(thoughts & recs) The subject matter is dark, but this is one of those books all people would benefit from reading. If you're interested in the history of slavery in the West, you could hardly go wrong here.
My Favorite Things:
✔️ I admire accountings of white nations' more terrible characteristics, like the evils of transporting and selling other humans. This book describes horrible things, but it achieves its goal of accounting this dark topic.
✔️ I just finished The Deep by Rivers Solomon, which is based in part on what happened to the babies and pregnant slaves who were murdered on the Zorg by being overboarded. In their book, Solomon depicts a species of mermaids who are descendant from these women and babies. Reading this moving afrofuturism that is The Deep ahead of the brutal European history that inspired it in The Zorg created a profound reading experience.
✔️ The back matter added so much to this narrative: the epilogue, acknowledgements, and bibliography.
Notes: slavery, violence against Black people, Violence against women and children, murder, drowning, wild animal attack, torture, boats, the ocean,
Thank you to Siddharth Kara, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an accessible digital arc of THE ZORG. All views are mine.
November 1, 2025
This was a very difficult read for me. The story delves deep into the case of the ship The Zorg, a British slave ship. The conditions these people were subjected to was horrendous, all for the money hungry few that became the super rich of the times!
This case was the catalyst to the abolishment of slavery in Great Britain. 1781, The Zorg was sailing from Africa to Jamaica with over 400 souls packed like sardines below deck. Because of inexperienced leadership what should have been a 6 week journey took 18 weeks. Supplies and water were running out, many were sick or dying, and poor navigation sent them off course. The decision was made to throw 140 slaves overboard to drown.
A case was filed for compensation by their insurance company. What followed was a dedicated campaign by abolitionists and the public to change the law!
The in depth research and transcripts of court hearings as well as letters is fascinating and horrifying! So many dedicated their lives to eradicating slavery and it’s good to know that they will not be forgotten.
Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review
This case was the catalyst to the abolishment of slavery in Great Britain. 1781, The Zorg was sailing from Africa to Jamaica with over 400 souls packed like sardines below deck. Because of inexperienced leadership what should have been a 6 week journey took 18 weeks. Supplies and water were running out, many were sick or dying, and poor navigation sent them off course. The decision was made to throw 140 slaves overboard to drown.
A case was filed for compensation by their insurance company. What followed was a dedicated campaign by abolitionists and the public to change the law!
The in depth research and transcripts of court hearings as well as letters is fascinating and horrifying! So many dedicated their lives to eradicating slavery and it’s good to know that they will not be forgotten.
Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review
November 24, 2025
4.5 stars
It feels almost flippant to say this book starts out a little dry, but I genuinely believe that’s intentional — and far more purposeful than the snooze-fest pacing of something like The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder. Kara is laying down the names, the records, the maritime context, and the political terrain we need to understand before he can confront us with the horrors to come. And because this isn’t just the story of a slave ship, but of the unthinkable atrocity that defines its place in history, that restraint at the beginning feels like a deliberate steadying of the reader.
One of the most fascinating revelations here is that the ship long known in historical accounts as the Zong was, in fact, the Zorg. Because of an untraceable clerical error, the wrong name has dominated the historical record for centuries. Kara’s meticulous archival work not only recovers the ship’s true name but also uncovers the real nature of its crew, its owners, and the conditions surrounding its fateful voyage. It’s rare to feel history being corrected in real time, but that’s part of the power of this book.
The narrative follows the ship as it changes hands, becomes overcrowded with 442 enslaved Africans, and is pushed disastrously off course through a blend of navigational mistakes and unpredictable weather. When supplies run low, the crew decides to “save” themselves and protect the financial value of their “cargo” by throwing 140 people — mostly women and children — overboard. Kara handles this with clarity and moral gravity, never sensationalizing, and never letting the reader forget the humanity of those who were murdered.
The legal case that followed in England’s highest court becomes the unexpected heart of the book. For the first time, the question of whether enslaved Africans were people or cargo was argued in a way that brought it to the public's attention. That debate helped propel the early abolitionist movement from a fringe concern into a national moral reckoning. Kara moves through the courtroom portion of the story with a steady hand, giving it enough momentum to follow without losing sight of the very real lives at the center of it. The case of the Zorg really does feel like a pivotal moment — the place where questions of personhood and profit were forced into the open.
This is a difficult book to read — and it should be — but it’s also deeply researched and thoughtfully put together. Kara is meticulous without leaning too far into textbook, and he’s willing to sit with the uncertainty and gaps in the historical record rather than paper over them. It’s an essential corrective to a long-misnamed, long-misunderstood event, and one that will stick with me. I’ll definitely keep returning to his work; he’s one of the few treasured nonfiction writers who can pull off this blend of investigative depth and narrative clarity.
It feels almost flippant to say this book starts out a little dry, but I genuinely believe that’s intentional — and far more purposeful than the snooze-fest pacing of something like The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder. Kara is laying down the names, the records, the maritime context, and the political terrain we need to understand before he can confront us with the horrors to come. And because this isn’t just the story of a slave ship, but of the unthinkable atrocity that defines its place in history, that restraint at the beginning feels like a deliberate steadying of the reader.
One of the most fascinating revelations here is that the ship long known in historical accounts as the Zong was, in fact, the Zorg. Because of an untraceable clerical error, the wrong name has dominated the historical record for centuries. Kara’s meticulous archival work not only recovers the ship’s true name but also uncovers the real nature of its crew, its owners, and the conditions surrounding its fateful voyage. It’s rare to feel history being corrected in real time, but that’s part of the power of this book.
The narrative follows the ship as it changes hands, becomes overcrowded with 442 enslaved Africans, and is pushed disastrously off course through a blend of navigational mistakes and unpredictable weather. When supplies run low, the crew decides to “save” themselves and protect the financial value of their “cargo” by throwing 140 people — mostly women and children — overboard. Kara handles this with clarity and moral gravity, never sensationalizing, and never letting the reader forget the humanity of those who were murdered.
The legal case that followed in England’s highest court becomes the unexpected heart of the book. For the first time, the question of whether enslaved Africans were people or cargo was argued in a way that brought it to the public's attention. That debate helped propel the early abolitionist movement from a fringe concern into a national moral reckoning. Kara moves through the courtroom portion of the story with a steady hand, giving it enough momentum to follow without losing sight of the very real lives at the center of it. The case of the Zorg really does feel like a pivotal moment — the place where questions of personhood and profit were forced into the open.
This is a difficult book to read — and it should be — but it’s also deeply researched and thoughtfully put together. Kara is meticulous without leaning too far into textbook, and he’s willing to sit with the uncertainty and gaps in the historical record rather than paper over them. It’s an essential corrective to a long-misnamed, long-misunderstood event, and one that will stick with me. I’ll definitely keep returning to his work; he’s one of the few treasured nonfiction writers who can pull off this blend of investigative depth and narrative clarity.
November 24, 2025
When a slave ship made navigational errors on its way to Jamaica in 1781, water began to run low on board the Zorg. The Captain’s solution was to have 132 slaves thrown off the ship, shackled and without a chance at survival. Liverpool merchants would demand compensation and a trial would commence. This trial would bring attention to this horrific mass murder and abhorrent industry. It would be the first crack in the slave trade, kicking off the abolitionist movement in England that would ultimately lead to the end of slavery for the British.
Siddharth Kara did a stellar job bringing this story to light with an incredibly researched and written account. An absolute recommendation!
Siddharth Kara did a stellar job bringing this story to light with an incredibly researched and written account. An absolute recommendation!
October 23, 2025
As the current administration guts the Department of Education, coerces universities to adhere to what they think should be taught in classes, and pressures public schools to rewrite their curriculum to reflect its view of history it is important to examine books that tell the truth about history as opposed to a fantasy that makes certain elements in our society feel better. Banning books, censorship, and curtailing funding is no way to examine our past – something from which we should learn! Just because someone write or says something that is critical of American history does not mean it did not happen or is a threat in our current environment. Remembering our past is a precursor to the present and is a necessity and must be carefully examined as we should learn not to repeat previous errors. It is in this context that Siddharth Kara’s latest book, THE ZORG: A TALE OF GREED AND MURDER THAT INSPIRED THE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY must be explored.
Kara’s narrative history portrays his subject with compassion, and accuracy based on exceptional research depicting the harsh realities of the 18th century slave trade involving Africa, the Caribbean, and the American colonies providing lessons we should never ignore. This may come across to some as “wok,” but history is something that should never be dismissed or degraded.
The narrative that Kara presents reads as a work of fiction, but it is not. It is a work that is based on fact and presents an accurate picture of the events he describes. Each chapter ends with a hint of what is to come next. Each important observation is related to what will take place in the future and how it will affect his storyline. Kara provides a very detailed history of the Zorg and its ill-fated voyage, describing in mesmerizing detail the story’s evolution as it embarked on a violent Atlantic crossing. A British privateer captured the Zorg during the Anglo-Dutch War in early 1781, and the ship would sail from the Gold Coast of Africa to Kingston, Jamaica, with its ‘etween deck’ loaded with 442 slaves, including women and children, and a small crew which was not sufficient to care for them. Even the Captain was problematical, a former slave ship surgeon, who had little navigational experience, hired by a rich Liverpool slave merchant.
There are a number of important characters that garner the author’s attention. First, Luke Collingwood, Captain of the Zorg and a former slave ship physician who must have been considered competent since his mortality rate for the crew and slaves was considered below average, however he was not trained in navigation and would become a disastrous choice. William Gregson, underwrote the cost of the Zorg and was considered one of Liverpool’s most prominent slave merchants. James Kelsall, was second in command to Collingwood on the Zorg, and was the only knowledgeable navigator apart from the captain. Robert Stubbs, one of the British governors for the Company of Merchants Trading for Africa (CMTA) was a scoundrel who sold slaves, pocketed the profit, and made decisions out of avarice that would end up in disaster. He was eventually fired but wound up on the Zorg as it made its way to Jamaica. William Llewellin, the captain of the British privateer, Alert, who captured the Zorg, which at the time had 120 slaves. He would capture the Dutch slaving ship, Eendracht, and would add its 124 slaves to the Zorg. Richard Hanley, one of the leading slave captains in Liverpool. John Roberts, another CMTA governor who clashed with Stubbs. Amoonay Coomah, the Ashante King who sold his people into slavery. Olaudah Equiano, captured by slave traders at age eleven, he survived the two Middle Passages having been shipped to shipped to Virginia, served as an officer’s slave on British battle ships. In 1766 he would buy his freedom and later would play an important role in trying to free slaves. Lastly, Granville Sharp who early in career witnessed a scene were a black teenager was beaten, sold, and kidnapped and was outraged. Sharp would work to gain the teenager’s freedom and spend his remaining career as an abolitionist developing arguments against slavery. In addition, Kara introduces a series of English abolitionists who assiduously to end the slave trade in the late 18th and early 19th century.
Kara provides excellent background for the reader to gain a true understanding of what life was like on a slave ship. He points to the difficulties in staffing a ship’s crew. It was a daunting task since men new that Guinea voyages had high mortality rates, offered poor wages, required to complete unpleasant tasks, including guarding and feeding hundreds of captive slaves. Many of the crew hired were impressed or had to work off debts acquired while they were drunk. Most crews that were hired were not experienced enough for a successful voyage.
Kara offers a useful description of the British slave infrastructure in Africa, i.e., forts, factories, supply networks, the dungeons slaves were kept in, and the personalities or governors who were in charge. It is eye opening because the of the horrors the Africans faced even before they were forced to board the slave ships. He makes a series of insightful observations. One of the most important is that once Africans were forced into a dungeon or on to a slave ship they had no concept of what was about to happen to them. The dungeon the British built was indicative of the horrors that awaited the Africans. It was built below the Cape Coast Castle designed to house over 1,000 Africans at a time. Kara introduces Ottobah Cugoano who has written a biographical account of his experience in the dungeon, and his Atlantic crossing on a slave ship. Years later, after obtaining his freedom he would become an important voice in England’s abolitionist movement.
The chapter entitled “Coffles” is an important one as it describes the process by which Africans were either seized by Europeans or sold by Ashante tribal leaders into the slave trade from the interior of the Gold Coast. The inhuman treatment was abhorrent as they marched over 150 miles to the coast with little food and water. Once again they did not know where they were going and what awaited them. To highlight this experience Kara develops the name, Kojo to replicate what an African experienced. Kojo would march for six months as part of this process. Later, he would be forced onto the Zorg and along with the other 442 slaves who would be branded to show ownership.
As Kara writes, “it is impossible to know what emotions the Africans experienced as they passed through the ‘door of no return.’ Was it anxiety, dread, anger, bitterness, hopelessness…perhaps even relief to be out of the dungeon? Most Africans from the inland regions had never seen the ocean before. What impact might first sight of the infinite blue have had on them? Many surely feared they were heading for their doom.
Once Collingswood, Stubbs, and Kelsall overstuffed the Zorg with 442 slaves it was a disaster waiting to happen because the ship’s capacity was around 250. The expected two month “Middle Passage” with a crew of 17 was clearly insufficient to care for their cargo. In addition, supplies would not cover their needs. Once the ship departed for Jamaica on September 7, 1781, a nightmare of dysentery would permeate the ‘etween deck’, the crew would also suffer from scurvy, measles, typhus, measles, and malaria in steerage, as did the captain in his cabin. Kara places the blame clearly; poor planning, a lack of organization and administration led to a shortage of supplies, particularly water, and to exacerbate the situation those in charge of the voyage made numerous navigational errors. The key event occurred when Collingwood became so ill he could not continue in command. He appointed his friend Stubbs, who had experience navigating slave ships, but had not done so in sixteen years, instead of the first mate Mr. Kelsall, who probably would have made better decisions and saved a significant number of lives.
Desperation set in as scurvy became rampant. Kara describes the step by step physical and mental deterioration of the crew and cargo on a ship commanded by Stubbs, who was considered a passenger, in addition to the myriad of poor decisions which would result in disaster. To solve the problem of disease and overcrowding a consensus was reached to throw away large numbers of slaves overboard. By November 29, 1781, 122 individuals were tossed off the ship. Mostly women and children providing sharks with a culinary treat as they were shoved out of a window in the captain’s cabin. Kara is correct that this action was a result of hoping to save enough slaves to recoup as much of a profit as possible once they reached Jamaica, Another possibility was to collect insurance payments for the lost freight! When the Zorg arrived in Jamaica on December 22, 1781, only 208 slaves remained, after roughly 224 slaves were thrown overboard. A year later William Gregsonn would file an insurance claim of 30 pounds per head lost, arguing an ominous situation left the crew with no choice but to throw Africans overboard.
Kara describes the legal battle once the insurers refused to pay as Gregson sued the insurance company in February 1783. The court found for the ship owner resulting in an appeal with England’s Chief Justice believing that the deaths were caused by the crews incompetence, Gregson would withdraw the suit. Finally, Granville Sharpe would publicize the case as a means of forcing the government to abolish the slave trade.
The Zorg reflects a remarkable work of history despite the lack of sources. The author does his best poring over what is available at the Royal African Company’s materials and has reproduced some key documents that highlight his narrative. The most historically important one is an anonymous letter sent to the Morning Chronicle and London Advertiser which Kara reprints in full which would light a fire under abolitionist efforts in England that would not be extinguished until all slaves were free. The author should also be commended for integrating the 1783 court transcripts into the narrative which went along way to present the true facts pertaining to the events on the Zorg. Kara’s contribution to the historical record concerning anti-slave movement cannot be denied as he has written a sophisticated account reflecting his moral compass.
Kara’s narrative history portrays his subject with compassion, and accuracy based on exceptional research depicting the harsh realities of the 18th century slave trade involving Africa, the Caribbean, and the American colonies providing lessons we should never ignore. This may come across to some as “wok,” but history is something that should never be dismissed or degraded.
The narrative that Kara presents reads as a work of fiction, but it is not. It is a work that is based on fact and presents an accurate picture of the events he describes. Each chapter ends with a hint of what is to come next. Each important observation is related to what will take place in the future and how it will affect his storyline. Kara provides a very detailed history of the Zorg and its ill-fated voyage, describing in mesmerizing detail the story’s evolution as it embarked on a violent Atlantic crossing. A British privateer captured the Zorg during the Anglo-Dutch War in early 1781, and the ship would sail from the Gold Coast of Africa to Kingston, Jamaica, with its ‘etween deck’ loaded with 442 slaves, including women and children, and a small crew which was not sufficient to care for them. Even the Captain was problematical, a former slave ship surgeon, who had little navigational experience, hired by a rich Liverpool slave merchant.
There are a number of important characters that garner the author’s attention. First, Luke Collingwood, Captain of the Zorg and a former slave ship physician who must have been considered competent since his mortality rate for the crew and slaves was considered below average, however he was not trained in navigation and would become a disastrous choice. William Gregson, underwrote the cost of the Zorg and was considered one of Liverpool’s most prominent slave merchants. James Kelsall, was second in command to Collingwood on the Zorg, and was the only knowledgeable navigator apart from the captain. Robert Stubbs, one of the British governors for the Company of Merchants Trading for Africa (CMTA) was a scoundrel who sold slaves, pocketed the profit, and made decisions out of avarice that would end up in disaster. He was eventually fired but wound up on the Zorg as it made its way to Jamaica. William Llewellin, the captain of the British privateer, Alert, who captured the Zorg, which at the time had 120 slaves. He would capture the Dutch slaving ship, Eendracht, and would add its 124 slaves to the Zorg. Richard Hanley, one of the leading slave captains in Liverpool. John Roberts, another CMTA governor who clashed with Stubbs. Amoonay Coomah, the Ashante King who sold his people into slavery. Olaudah Equiano, captured by slave traders at age eleven, he survived the two Middle Passages having been shipped to shipped to Virginia, served as an officer’s slave on British battle ships. In 1766 he would buy his freedom and later would play an important role in trying to free slaves. Lastly, Granville Sharp who early in career witnessed a scene were a black teenager was beaten, sold, and kidnapped and was outraged. Sharp would work to gain the teenager’s freedom and spend his remaining career as an abolitionist developing arguments against slavery. In addition, Kara introduces a series of English abolitionists who assiduously to end the slave trade in the late 18th and early 19th century.
Kara provides excellent background for the reader to gain a true understanding of what life was like on a slave ship. He points to the difficulties in staffing a ship’s crew. It was a daunting task since men new that Guinea voyages had high mortality rates, offered poor wages, required to complete unpleasant tasks, including guarding and feeding hundreds of captive slaves. Many of the crew hired were impressed or had to work off debts acquired while they were drunk. Most crews that were hired were not experienced enough for a successful voyage.
Kara offers a useful description of the British slave infrastructure in Africa, i.e., forts, factories, supply networks, the dungeons slaves were kept in, and the personalities or governors who were in charge. It is eye opening because the of the horrors the Africans faced even before they were forced to board the slave ships. He makes a series of insightful observations. One of the most important is that once Africans were forced into a dungeon or on to a slave ship they had no concept of what was about to happen to them. The dungeon the British built was indicative of the horrors that awaited the Africans. It was built below the Cape Coast Castle designed to house over 1,000 Africans at a time. Kara introduces Ottobah Cugoano who has written a biographical account of his experience in the dungeon, and his Atlantic crossing on a slave ship. Years later, after obtaining his freedom he would become an important voice in England’s abolitionist movement.
The chapter entitled “Coffles” is an important one as it describes the process by which Africans were either seized by Europeans or sold by Ashante tribal leaders into the slave trade from the interior of the Gold Coast. The inhuman treatment was abhorrent as they marched over 150 miles to the coast with little food and water. Once again they did not know where they were going and what awaited them. To highlight this experience Kara develops the name, Kojo to replicate what an African experienced. Kojo would march for six months as part of this process. Later, he would be forced onto the Zorg and along with the other 442 slaves who would be branded to show ownership.
As Kara writes, “it is impossible to know what emotions the Africans experienced as they passed through the ‘door of no return.’ Was it anxiety, dread, anger, bitterness, hopelessness…perhaps even relief to be out of the dungeon? Most Africans from the inland regions had never seen the ocean before. What impact might first sight of the infinite blue have had on them? Many surely feared they were heading for their doom.
Once Collingswood, Stubbs, and Kelsall overstuffed the Zorg with 442 slaves it was a disaster waiting to happen because the ship’s capacity was around 250. The expected two month “Middle Passage” with a crew of 17 was clearly insufficient to care for their cargo. In addition, supplies would not cover their needs. Once the ship departed for Jamaica on September 7, 1781, a nightmare of dysentery would permeate the ‘etween deck’, the crew would also suffer from scurvy, measles, typhus, measles, and malaria in steerage, as did the captain in his cabin. Kara places the blame clearly; poor planning, a lack of organization and administration led to a shortage of supplies, particularly water, and to exacerbate the situation those in charge of the voyage made numerous navigational errors. The key event occurred when Collingwood became so ill he could not continue in command. He appointed his friend Stubbs, who had experience navigating slave ships, but had not done so in sixteen years, instead of the first mate Mr. Kelsall, who probably would have made better decisions and saved a significant number of lives.
Desperation set in as scurvy became rampant. Kara describes the step by step physical and mental deterioration of the crew and cargo on a ship commanded by Stubbs, who was considered a passenger, in addition to the myriad of poor decisions which would result in disaster. To solve the problem of disease and overcrowding a consensus was reached to throw away large numbers of slaves overboard. By November 29, 1781, 122 individuals were tossed off the ship. Mostly women and children providing sharks with a culinary treat as they were shoved out of a window in the captain’s cabin. Kara is correct that this action was a result of hoping to save enough slaves to recoup as much of a profit as possible once they reached Jamaica, Another possibility was to collect insurance payments for the lost freight! When the Zorg arrived in Jamaica on December 22, 1781, only 208 slaves remained, after roughly 224 slaves were thrown overboard. A year later William Gregsonn would file an insurance claim of 30 pounds per head lost, arguing an ominous situation left the crew with no choice but to throw Africans overboard.
Kara describes the legal battle once the insurers refused to pay as Gregson sued the insurance company in February 1783. The court found for the ship owner resulting in an appeal with England’s Chief Justice believing that the deaths were caused by the crews incompetence, Gregson would withdraw the suit. Finally, Granville Sharpe would publicize the case as a means of forcing the government to abolish the slave trade.
The Zorg reflects a remarkable work of history despite the lack of sources. The author does his best poring over what is available at the Royal African Company’s materials and has reproduced some key documents that highlight his narrative. The most historically important one is an anonymous letter sent to the Morning Chronicle and London Advertiser which Kara reprints in full which would light a fire under abolitionist efforts in England that would not be extinguished until all slaves were free. The author should also be commended for integrating the 1783 court transcripts into the narrative which went along way to present the true facts pertaining to the events on the Zorg. Kara’s contribution to the historical record concerning anti-slave movement cannot be denied as he has written a sophisticated account reflecting his moral compass.
October 31, 2025
After having read Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives, I was very pleased to see that Siddharth Kara’s new book was available for request at NetGalley. And I was doubly pleased to receive an ARC. As Kara states in his Acknowledgment section, after having researched on the ground, around the globe, for three consecutive books over several years on the subject of modern forms of slavery, the story of the Zorg offered him the opportunity for research in quieter library and museum settings throughout Britain and The Netherlands. He used the same meticulous methods I observed him using in Cobalt Red in this historical investigation.
The subtitle of this book tells the thesis, the story of Kara’s book. The Zorg is “a tale of greed and murder that inspired the abolition of slavery.” Of course, it’s not quite as simple as that but neither is it much more complex. The horrific tale of a slave ship by the name of The Zorg did, ultimately, influence the abolition of slavery in Britain.
As Kara does exceptionally well, he starts at the beginning, setting up the basic history of the Atlantic slave trade and all the parties to it. Then he develops the history of the various European nations involved, their colonies and those locations, setting up a background of markets and demand. Then he begins to populate this history with historical figures who manned ships from Liverpool to the British ports of Africa. And the stage is almost set. In the background, we learn of a nascent abolition movement in England. At this time (1770s) there is no overwhelming support beyond largely religious groups.
In a detailed recreation, Kara uses various types of sources to provide a history of the Middle Passage of one slave ship, the Zorg, mastered with incompetence, probable ill will and deadly result to more than 100 of the African men and women who had been taken to be sold as slaves. This story became the basis of court cases discussing issues of personhood vs livestock, ownership of human beings, etc. These issues would work their way through the English legal system and public opinion. The details are fascinating and should be of interest to many today.
Highly recommended.
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an eARC of this book.
The subtitle of this book tells the thesis, the story of Kara’s book. The Zorg is “a tale of greed and murder that inspired the abolition of slavery.” Of course, it’s not quite as simple as that but neither is it much more complex. The horrific tale of a slave ship by the name of The Zorg did, ultimately, influence the abolition of slavery in Britain.
As Kara does exceptionally well, he starts at the beginning, setting up the basic history of the Atlantic slave trade and all the parties to it. Then he develops the history of the various European nations involved, their colonies and those locations, setting up a background of markets and demand. Then he begins to populate this history with historical figures who manned ships from Liverpool to the British ports of Africa. And the stage is almost set. In the background, we learn of a nascent abolition movement in England. At this time (1770s) there is no overwhelming support beyond largely religious groups.
In a detailed recreation, Kara uses various types of sources to provide a history of the Middle Passage of one slave ship, the Zorg, mastered with incompetence, probable ill will and deadly result to more than 100 of the African men and women who had been taken to be sold as slaves. This story became the basis of court cases discussing issues of personhood vs livestock, ownership of human beings, etc. These issues would work their way through the English legal system and public opinion. The details are fascinating and should be of interest to many today.
Highly recommended.
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an eARC of this book.
June 15, 2025
A well thought out book that examines how Europeans began to wake up from their greed to see their heinous crimes. A side effect of the research also explores how easily the records of the events can change and shift drastically by small means. There were so many eye opening parts to the story I was not aware of. I found the book to be both informative and engaging. I plan to fold it into my lesson plan.
I was given a free book from NetGalley.com in exchange for a honest review.
I was given a free book from NetGalley.com in exchange for a honest review.
August 29, 2025
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The setting: October 1780. The Zorg, a slave ship, sets sail from the Netherlands, bound for Africa's Windward and Gold coasts. "After reaching Africa, the Zorg was captured by a privateer and came under British command. With a new captain and crew, the ship was crammed with 442 slaves and departed in 1781 for Jamaica. But a series of unpredictable weather events and mistakes in navigation left the ship drastically off course and running out of water. So a proposition was put forth: Save the crew and the most valuable of the slaves—by throwing dozens of people, starting with women and children, overboard."
"What followed was a fascinating legal drama in England’s highest court that turned the brutal calculus of slavery into front-page news. The case of the Zorg catapulted the nascent anti-slavery movement from a minor evangelical cause to one of the most consequential moral campaigns in history—sparking the abolitionist movement in both England and the young United States."
Doesn't this sound fascinating?!
Meticulously researched, and for me, beyond tedious. So horrific -- details of the slave hold, routine, heartlessness, callousness, etc. And so flat and incredibly boring. The only "life" was the "voice" [not really--imagined of a the slave [Sia] and the story of Olaudah Equiano/Gustavaus Vassa [his slave name]--who plays an interesting part in the trail at the end of the book.
No real story line [for me], just endless details of sailing and the deplorable conditions on the ship. The trial held my interest a bit more BUT too little, too late.
Would have greatly benefitted from some illustrations IMHO--maps? the ships? Even--if available--drawings of the principals?
Kudos to the extensive research but this book just didn't do it for me. AND, nonfiction doesn;t have to be boring {currently reading a very interesting nonfiction book--similar time frame but the polar opposite -- it is engaging!
IN THE DISTINCT MINORITY!! 1.5, but only rounding up because of the scholarship--archives consulted and the information provided in the many, many notes--which would have benefitted from being displayed at the bottom of the page as was difficult to navigate [and go back and forth into the text] in the ebook/format.
The setting: October 1780. The Zorg, a slave ship, sets sail from the Netherlands, bound for Africa's Windward and Gold coasts. "After reaching Africa, the Zorg was captured by a privateer and came under British command. With a new captain and crew, the ship was crammed with 442 slaves and departed in 1781 for Jamaica. But a series of unpredictable weather events and mistakes in navigation left the ship drastically off course and running out of water. So a proposition was put forth: Save the crew and the most valuable of the slaves—by throwing dozens of people, starting with women and children, overboard."
"What followed was a fascinating legal drama in England’s highest court that turned the brutal calculus of slavery into front-page news. The case of the Zorg catapulted the nascent anti-slavery movement from a minor evangelical cause to one of the most consequential moral campaigns in history—sparking the abolitionist movement in both England and the young United States."
Doesn't this sound fascinating?!
Meticulously researched, and for me, beyond tedious. So horrific -- details of the slave hold, routine, heartlessness, callousness, etc. And so flat and incredibly boring. The only "life" was the "voice" [not really--imagined of a the slave [Sia] and the story of Olaudah Equiano/Gustavaus Vassa [his slave name]--who plays an interesting part in the trail at the end of the book.
No real story line [for me], just endless details of sailing and the deplorable conditions on the ship. The trial held my interest a bit more BUT too little, too late.
Would have greatly benefitted from some illustrations IMHO--maps? the ships? Even--if available--drawings of the principals?
Kudos to the extensive research but this book just didn't do it for me. AND, nonfiction doesn;t have to be boring {currently reading a very interesting nonfiction book--similar time frame but the polar opposite -- it is engaging!
IN THE DISTINCT MINORITY!! 1.5, but only rounding up because of the scholarship--archives consulted and the information provided in the many, many notes--which would have benefitted from being displayed at the bottom of the page as was difficult to navigate [and go back and forth into the text] in the ebook/format.
November 23, 2025
The story of The Zorg (mistakenly referred to as the Zong in the history books) is not well known. Still, this book provides much detail behind the events that led to the murder of enslaved people (children, women and men) aboard the eighteenth-century ship involved in the European slave trade.
This is a harrowing tale, an example of how attaining profits, a key aspect of the Atlantic slave trade, engendered a complete disregard for life. The perpetrators of this crime were never prosecuted, but the news circulated about this event and what led to it had an impact on bringing the British slave trade and then the slave system itself to an end.
Well worth reading.
This is a harrowing tale, an example of how attaining profits, a key aspect of the Atlantic slave trade, engendered a complete disregard for life. The perpetrators of this crime were never prosecuted, but the news circulated about this event and what led to it had an impact on bringing the British slave trade and then the slave system itself to an end.
Well worth reading.
October 7, 2025
Ah, The Zorg. A book that somehow manages to make one of the most horrifying and world-changing maritime tragedies… feel like reading a very long, very detailed Excel spreadsheet.
Don’t get me wrong—Siddharth Kara clearly did his homework. Every page screams, “Look at all this research!” The problem? Sometimes it feels like you’re reading the footnotes to the footnotes of a PhD dissertation. There are so many renamed places, forgotten ports, and historical figures that I started wishing the book came with an interactive map, a glossary, a PowerPoint presentation, and maybe a pop quiz at the end just to check if I was still conscious.
And don’t even get me started on the facts and figures. I learned a lot—I just can’t remember any of it because my brain short-circuited halfway through trying to keep the people, ships, and court cases straight. A few visuals—maps, charts, graphs, doodles, something—might have made all that history a little less of a marathon through molasses.
That said, Kara’s storytelling shines through in the glimpses of humanity amid the horror. When he focuses on the people—the enslaved, the crew, the abolitionists—you remember why this story matters. It’s just buried under a mountain of data so dense it could sink The Zorg all over again.
So, yes—it’s important, it’s well-researched, and it’ll absolutely make you appreciate the moral turning points of history. But if you pick this one up, maybe also grab a globe, a notebook, and a shot of espresso. You’re going to need all three.
Don’t get me wrong—Siddharth Kara clearly did his homework. Every page screams, “Look at all this research!” The problem? Sometimes it feels like you’re reading the footnotes to the footnotes of a PhD dissertation. There are so many renamed places, forgotten ports, and historical figures that I started wishing the book came with an interactive map, a glossary, a PowerPoint presentation, and maybe a pop quiz at the end just to check if I was still conscious.
And don’t even get me started on the facts and figures. I learned a lot—I just can’t remember any of it because my brain short-circuited halfway through trying to keep the people, ships, and court cases straight. A few visuals—maps, charts, graphs, doodles, something—might have made all that history a little less of a marathon through molasses.
That said, Kara’s storytelling shines through in the glimpses of humanity amid the horror. When he focuses on the people—the enslaved, the crew, the abolitionists—you remember why this story matters. It’s just buried under a mountain of data so dense it could sink The Zorg all over again.
So, yes—it’s important, it’s well-researched, and it’ll absolutely make you appreciate the moral turning points of history. But if you pick this one up, maybe also grab a globe, a notebook, and a shot of espresso. You’re going to need all three.
August 4, 2025
A very detailed history of British slavery and the events on the British slave ship Zorg that led to the abolition of slavery in England.
June 10, 2025
As good a telling as anticipated.
So much to absorb and to appreciate in the narration and history. Potent in its directness and in connecting the lost and missing dots of some devastating history. Great balance in direct telling and in working through tragic realities. Definitely one to add to your shelves. And spend a leisurely, immersive time taking in. Not a light one-- and should not be taken as so. A must-read for us all.
Really glad to have had the opportunity to have read this ARC from St. Martin's Press and Siddharth Kara. Thank you for the opportunity and, more importantly, the work to pull this together for us all to absorb.
So much to absorb and to appreciate in the narration and history. Potent in its directness and in connecting the lost and missing dots of some devastating history. Great balance in direct telling and in working through tragic realities. Definitely one to add to your shelves. And spend a leisurely, immersive time taking in. Not a light one-- and should not be taken as so. A must-read for us all.
Really glad to have had the opportunity to have read this ARC from St. Martin's Press and Siddharth Kara. Thank you for the opportunity and, more importantly, the work to pull this together for us all to absorb.
July 14, 2025
3.75 stars
The title says it all... greed, murder and a history of slavery. I was impressed by the depth of research that went into this book. There were several layers of focus that included the economic competition and wars between some of the European nations that led to and perpetuated slavery, the ins and outs of the slave trade business, the story of The Zorg itself and the events leading to the abolition of slavery in England.
The historical details were impressive and provided an in-depth picture of what was going on at this time in history. I did find the level of detail a bit too much at times, which stalled the narrative. My favorite parts were The Zorg and learning about the slave trading business and the awful conditions the African people were exposed to once captured.
I absolutely recommend to readers who enjoy nonfiction. However, if you're more interested in naval history, just know that the Zorg is only about a third of the story.
Thank you Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The title says it all... greed, murder and a history of slavery. I was impressed by the depth of research that went into this book. There were several layers of focus that included the economic competition and wars between some of the European nations that led to and perpetuated slavery, the ins and outs of the slave trade business, the story of The Zorg itself and the events leading to the abolition of slavery in England.
The historical details were impressive and provided an in-depth picture of what was going on at this time in history. I did find the level of detail a bit too much at times, which stalled the narrative. My favorite parts were The Zorg and learning about the slave trading business and the awful conditions the African people were exposed to once captured.
I absolutely recommend to readers who enjoy nonfiction. However, if you're more interested in naval history, just know that the Zorg is only about a third of the story.
Thank you Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 15, 2025
The Zorg; the tale of greed and murder that sparked the abolition of slavery by Siddharth Kara, many different hands went into the pot that contained the profit for selling slaves from the investors to the crew on board and with one good delivery wealth could be restored and with a bad one it could be taken away. that was definitely the case for this ill faded slave ship and the unlucky souls that were on board. after many different happens stances and mistakes due to ignorance and inexperience in a whole lot of ego, what happened on The Zorg could’ve been avoided. it’s also a story we probably wouldn’t have heard of had a man named Gilbert wouldn’t have banked everything on the return of this ship and then sued the insurance company trying to recoop his investment and then some despite the people who were lost were lost due to murder and not illness or disaster. as far as non-fiction books go this book flows between compelling to dry depending on what the chapter is about I did fine the details of all they bought and sold slaves or traded them for other items interesting but the whole thing about the ship and some parts about the court case I found to be dry reading but totally worth getting through to learn what happened next. I can’t imagine grabbing a man and throwing him overboard or a woman but especially a child and I know it’s not because I wasn’t born in those times because I have read diaries of people who told about the heartbreak they experienced, due to how slaves were treated so that whole claim that it’s the error they lived in is BS because those who value life value it irregardless. Also this is a very sad book with a pretty good outcome and a definite recommend. This isn’t my first book by the author and it definitely won’t be my last I find he tells stories that represent those who stories wouldn’t have been told otherwise and it’s very good at the topic he picks and this is a really compelling example. #NetGalley, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview, #SyddharthKara, #TheZorg,
November 9, 2025
The Zorg was an impressively researched story about a slave ship that would endure unimaginable horror, resulting in murder that subsequently inspired the abolition of slavery. This was my 2nd book by author Siddharth Kara. It was a riveting story that made you feel all the emotions. I appreciate Siddhartha taking on a huge task of investigative research to write this book that would finally reveal the truth of what happened on that ship nearly two and a half centuries ago.
I received an advanced physical and digital from publisher St. Martin’s Press. Thank you for the opportunity to preview this book. All opinions are my own.
I received an advanced physical and digital from publisher St. Martin’s Press. Thank you for the opportunity to preview this book. All opinions are my own.
October 23, 2025
really compelling and eye-opening read. The book dives into the history of what we often knew as the Zong slave ship, but with a twist on the historical record, exploring how these events have been misnamed or misunderstood over time. It really highlights the horrific inhumanity and the sheer greed that fueled the slave trade—reminding us that behind every historical act of enslavement, there was this chilling view of human lives as just dollar signs. It’s a devastating but important read, and it definitely gave me a lot to reflect on. Highly recommend it if you’re interested in the deeper, lesser-known angles of history.
November 23, 2025
3.75 stars
A tough but important topic to read about. I enjoyed the second part of the book more, cause for me the first part dragged a bit with too many maritime details and too many names. The writing style felt a little too....not sure, distanced? Would definitely recommend though.
Topic 9
Execution 7
Writing Style 7
Pace 7
Setup 6
Enjoyment/Engrossment 7
A tough but important topic to read about. I enjoyed the second part of the book more, cause for me the first part dragged a bit with too many maritime details and too many names. The writing style felt a little too....not sure, distanced? Would definitely recommend though.
Topic 9
Execution 7
Writing Style 7
Pace 7
Setup 6
Enjoyment/Engrossment 7
October 3, 2025
The true story of a slave ship’s disastrous voyage that ignited the abolitionist movement in England. The author takes his time building a picture of the state of the world at that time, with Liverpool investing in deep water docks to better serve the ships that carried slaves from Africa to work the mills in the West Indies to then carry sugar etc to England.
He profiles the officers of the ship, describes how the crew were “hired” and the appalling way the Africans were “housed” and treated.
This is a telling that builds up to inhuman acts and examines the possible reasons. In the end, there are no good reasons for what happened on the Zorg. The court cases that happened put the crew’s actions on public display and caused an uproar, leading England to eventually ban slavery (well before America got around to it). The English slaveholders who were affected by the ban were well-compensated by the government! There’s no clearer evidence that countries should pay reparations to the descendants of former slaves as well.
The story is slow at times because of the level of detail in this well-researched history. This is not an easy or fast read, but the audiobook is very well narrated. 4.5 rounded up.
My thanks to the author, publisher, @MacmillanAudio, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook of #TheZorg for review purposes. Publication date: 14 October 2025.
He profiles the officers of the ship, describes how the crew were “hired” and the appalling way the Africans were “housed” and treated.
This is a telling that builds up to inhuman acts and examines the possible reasons. In the end, there are no good reasons for what happened on the Zorg. The court cases that happened put the crew’s actions on public display and caused an uproar, leading England to eventually ban slavery (well before America got around to it). The English slaveholders who were affected by the ban were well-compensated by the government! There’s no clearer evidence that countries should pay reparations to the descendants of former slaves as well.
The story is slow at times because of the level of detail in this well-researched history. This is not an easy or fast read, but the audiobook is very well narrated. 4.5 rounded up.
My thanks to the author, publisher, @MacmillanAudio, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook of #TheZorg for review purposes. Publication date: 14 October 2025.
December 20, 2025
This is a good book. A horrific mass murder occurs on a ship during the horrendous stain-against-humanity atrocity that is the Atlantic slave trade. It was engrossing, and I finished it in a single night.
Yet. Kara’s writing style is profoundly frustrating to read. It comes down to two main points:
- First, his constant and aggressive usage of allusion and signposting. A ‘They had no idea what was coming’ or ‘This decision would have untold consequences’ is fine if used sparingly, but Siddharth not only sprinkles them in virtually every chapter, but even several times throughout a single one. There’s only so much I can take before it begins to feel like I’m reading a script for a detective show, with a cliffhanger before every advert break.
- Second, far too much conjecture. The decision to give names to Sia and Kojo was an inspired one, worthy of praise in bringing people who were so often relegated from history to life. However, and I’m sure this stems from a good place in not wanting to say something that didn’t happen, he qualifies so many actions with coulds and maybes that it started to feel like he had no sources. This is not true, as I read the bibliography and it holds up, so stylistically it was just frustrating.
My other gripes are less relevant. I would have loved more history about the slave trade than what was offered, but it’s entirely reasonable to keep the story more confined. The fact is Kara is an extremely talented author (I have already picked up another one of his books), and the narrative is good in most cases. But there were too many writing choices that made this ultimately a good read that I most likely will never revisit. 3.7/5, rounded down to better reflect my frustration.
Yet. Kara’s writing style is profoundly frustrating to read. It comes down to two main points:
- First, his constant and aggressive usage of allusion and signposting. A ‘They had no idea what was coming’ or ‘This decision would have untold consequences’ is fine if used sparingly, but Siddharth not only sprinkles them in virtually every chapter, but even several times throughout a single one. There’s only so much I can take before it begins to feel like I’m reading a script for a detective show, with a cliffhanger before every advert break.
- Second, far too much conjecture. The decision to give names to Sia and Kojo was an inspired one, worthy of praise in bringing people who were so often relegated from history to life. However, and I’m sure this stems from a good place in not wanting to say something that didn’t happen, he qualifies so many actions with coulds and maybes that it started to feel like he had no sources. This is not true, as I read the bibliography and it holds up, so stylistically it was just frustrating.
My other gripes are less relevant. I would have loved more history about the slave trade than what was offered, but it’s entirely reasonable to keep the story more confined. The fact is Kara is an extremely talented author (I have already picked up another one of his books), and the narrative is good in most cases. But there were too many writing choices that made this ultimately a good read that I most likely will never revisit. 3.7/5, rounded down to better reflect my frustration.
June 24, 2025
“The slave trade was a nest of serpents, which would never have endured so long, but for the darkness in which they lay hid”
This book is an account of the slave ship, Zorg, and the role it had on exposing that darkness and depravity of the slave trade. The book works in two parts (1) the account of the Zorg, from it’s capture by the British, its repurposing to transport slaves from Africa to Jamaica, and the mass murder that occurred on that voyage, to (2) the legal aftermath and role it played in contributing to the abolition of the slave trade and slavery in England after those horrors were brought to the public.
The author presents a well researched account of the Zorg’s voyage and the murder of 132 slaves that occurred on board, while then documenting how this event served to expose the atrocities of the slave trade to the public at large. The book highlights the tireless work of abolitionists, including a former slave, who each deserve to be remembered for their contributions to justice. As you will learn from reading this book, it would take another 36 years of continued and tireless lobbying against slavery, after the Zorg reached the public conscience to the time that Britian finally outlawed slavery. However, the events that occurred on the Zorg were no doubt important to moving along the cause for freedom, because they were such a shocking exposure of the brutality of the slave trade.
I very much appreciate authors like this who can provide easy to read and engaging historical accounts of lesser celebrated figures and events. Those abolitionists highlighted in this book deserve to be remembered, and these are stories that we should not forget. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this book, I highly recommend it to all.
This book is an account of the slave ship, Zorg, and the role it had on exposing that darkness and depravity of the slave trade. The book works in two parts (1) the account of the Zorg, from it’s capture by the British, its repurposing to transport slaves from Africa to Jamaica, and the mass murder that occurred on that voyage, to (2) the legal aftermath and role it played in contributing to the abolition of the slave trade and slavery in England after those horrors were brought to the public.
The author presents a well researched account of the Zorg’s voyage and the murder of 132 slaves that occurred on board, while then documenting how this event served to expose the atrocities of the slave trade to the public at large. The book highlights the tireless work of abolitionists, including a former slave, who each deserve to be remembered for their contributions to justice. As you will learn from reading this book, it would take another 36 years of continued and tireless lobbying against slavery, after the Zorg reached the public conscience to the time that Britian finally outlawed slavery. However, the events that occurred on the Zorg were no doubt important to moving along the cause for freedom, because they were such a shocking exposure of the brutality of the slave trade.
I very much appreciate authors like this who can provide easy to read and engaging historical accounts of lesser celebrated figures and events. Those abolitionists highlighted in this book deserve to be remembered, and these are stories that we should not forget. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this book, I highly recommend it to all.
December 15, 2025
Well written, tough subject but worth reading. It shows the brutality of the Atlantic slave trade, the specifics of all that went wrong with this particular voyage, and how the slavers’ own greed caused those events to come to light and shock the public. I took off a star because, though the author clearly did a ton of research, a lot of the historical record (like the ship’s log, a record of the first trial, etc) has been lost to time and so there was a fair amount of imagining what the people involved must have been thinking or doing at certain times.
Notes below for my own memory, but if you plan to read the book I’d say skip and go in with no spoilers:
- The mass murder of slaves on a ship near Jamaica was the shocking act that played a big role in the anti-slavery movement in England, but the public would never have heard about it had the ship’s owner not pursued the insurance underwriters for payment afterwards. Basically it was attempted insurance fraud via mass murder, and the subsequent trial brought the murder to the public’s attention.
- The captain and crew made so many errors (overloaded ship, navigation errors, not checking inventory of water along the way) that they ended up ~10 days from land without enough water for everyone, and with many of the slaves onboard very sick and weak. It seems most likely that they then decided they could get more money from an insurance claim than from selling the weak slaves, so they threw the weak ones overboard to die and went on to sell the rest. The underwriters refused to pay and the ship’s owner took them to trial. Underwriters at the time had paid for slaves lost due to sickness, or storms, but had never had a claim made on slaves that the crew intentionally threw overboard.
- There are only 3 slaves from the ship who we know anything about. One, a man who had learned some English along the way and begged them to stop the murder, saying they’d go without food and water until land. They threw him overboard anyway. Two and three, a mother and her baby who she had given birth to on the ship earlier in the journey. She likely had to bite the umbilical cord off with her teeth, with no sharp objects allowed in the slave hold. They threw them both overboard.
- The key moment in the trial came when it was revealed that they threw the final 26 slaves overboard even after it had rained… when a lack of water was their stated reason for having to throw the slaves overboard
- Pro-slavery factions largely lied to the public to keep it legal as long as they could. They said Africa was overcrowded; the slaves would be murdered in Africa if they weren’t sold to the slave traders; they lived a happy life as slaves and danced at night; they were well treated on board the ships
- Anti-slavery advocates snuck onboard slave ships in the harbor to document the real conditions; got versions of the torture devices used to show in court and in Parliament; etc
- When the English Parliament finally outlawed slavery in 1833, slave owners were paid 20 million pounds ($4 billion today) for their lost “property.” And slaves still had to work as unpaid “apprentices” until 1838
Notes below for my own memory, but if you plan to read the book I’d say skip and go in with no spoilers:
- The mass murder of slaves on a ship near Jamaica was the shocking act that played a big role in the anti-slavery movement in England, but the public would never have heard about it had the ship’s owner not pursued the insurance underwriters for payment afterwards. Basically it was attempted insurance fraud via mass murder, and the subsequent trial brought the murder to the public’s attention.
- The captain and crew made so many errors (overloaded ship, navigation errors, not checking inventory of water along the way) that they ended up ~10 days from land without enough water for everyone, and with many of the slaves onboard very sick and weak. It seems most likely that they then decided they could get more money from an insurance claim than from selling the weak slaves, so they threw the weak ones overboard to die and went on to sell the rest. The underwriters refused to pay and the ship’s owner took them to trial. Underwriters at the time had paid for slaves lost due to sickness, or storms, but had never had a claim made on slaves that the crew intentionally threw overboard.
- There are only 3 slaves from the ship who we know anything about. One, a man who had learned some English along the way and begged them to stop the murder, saying they’d go without food and water until land. They threw him overboard anyway. Two and three, a mother and her baby who she had given birth to on the ship earlier in the journey. She likely had to bite the umbilical cord off with her teeth, with no sharp objects allowed in the slave hold. They threw them both overboard.
- The key moment in the trial came when it was revealed that they threw the final 26 slaves overboard even after it had rained… when a lack of water was their stated reason for having to throw the slaves overboard
- Pro-slavery factions largely lied to the public to keep it legal as long as they could. They said Africa was overcrowded; the slaves would be murdered in Africa if they weren’t sold to the slave traders; they lived a happy life as slaves and danced at night; they were well treated on board the ships
- Anti-slavery advocates snuck onboard slave ships in the harbor to document the real conditions; got versions of the torture devices used to show in court and in Parliament; etc
- When the English Parliament finally outlawed slavery in 1833, slave owners were paid 20 million pounds ($4 billion today) for their lost “property.” And slaves still had to work as unpaid “apprentices” until 1838
October 18, 2025
It would really suck to be on the wrong side of history in this story.
And now for a bit of Atlantic Slave Trade 101 (if anyone needs a refresher):
Way back in the olden days of the 1700s, thousands of European ships were used for a triangular, clockwise course supporting the profitable slave trade. Men, women, and children were abducted (by many sorts of people for many sorts of reasons) from inner Africa and marched to the Gold Coast, a British settlement on the western coast of Africa. The Europeans would purchase the abducted Africans using goods such as gunpowder (I am not joking), cram them bound together into an area of the ship that wasn’t large enough for them and had poor ventilation and poor waste drainage of the poops and the pees, and sail to the new world. The abducted Africans who didn’t succumb to dysentery, measles, typhus, scurvy, mental collapse, starvation, dehydration, rape trauma, pregnancy complications, or other horrific issues were sold on some island in the Caribbean not currently at war with an enemy. God knows that last part changed often. The money from sales was used to purchase goods such as sugar, lumber, and rum, then the ships sailed back across the Atlantic to Europe where those goods were auctioned off and all the clever white slave merchants and their crews got their big money. Where the ship never returned home due to insurrection or shipwreck, a claim would be filed with the insurance company.
Now, on to the book.
The Dutch ship “Zorg” was one such ship making these voyages. On this particular trip, the ship was crammed “like books on a shelf” with 442 abducted Africans, along with only 17 crew (mostly inexperienced) and 1 passenger. When the ship was late getting to Jamaica due to incompetence, people were dying from diseases and suicide, and fresh water was almost out. The remaining leaders of the crew decided on murder in order to save water, save themselves and ensure the voyage remained as profitable as possible. Approximately 130 Africans, starting with the women and children, were thrown overboard into the sea to drown. When the Zorg finally docked in Jamaica and negotiated with buyers, the price settled for was enough to make the journey profitable, but barely, once the Zorg reached Europe again.
Still, the ship’s owner wasn’t happy about the loss of 50% of the Africans that made him so wealthy. (I am really simplifying many things, but still.) He decided to file a claim with insurance, something never done before regarding loss of human cargo outside of an insurrection or shipwreck. What followed was a court battle or two between the ship owner and the insurance company ultimately deciding that the insurance company had no obligation to pay. The issue at the trials was always the loss of property. The issue was never the loss of life or murder. The publicity during the trials regarding what was obviously mass murder, however, upset the public to the point that the trials are now seen as the first real catalysts toward ending the slave trade altogether.
Thanks to Macmillan Audio, Siddharth Kara (author), and Libro.fm for providing a free audiobook of The Zorg: A Tale of Greed and Murder That Inspired the Abolition of Slavery narrated by the always amazing Dion Graham. Getting free stuff does not influence my reviews in any way.
5 stars from me! One of the best nonfiction audiobooks I’ve heard in quite a while.
And now for a bit of Atlantic Slave Trade 101 (if anyone needs a refresher):
Way back in the olden days of the 1700s, thousands of European ships were used for a triangular, clockwise course supporting the profitable slave trade. Men, women, and children were abducted (by many sorts of people for many sorts of reasons) from inner Africa and marched to the Gold Coast, a British settlement on the western coast of Africa. The Europeans would purchase the abducted Africans using goods such as gunpowder (I am not joking), cram them bound together into an area of the ship that wasn’t large enough for them and had poor ventilation and poor waste drainage of the poops and the pees, and sail to the new world. The abducted Africans who didn’t succumb to dysentery, measles, typhus, scurvy, mental collapse, starvation, dehydration, rape trauma, pregnancy complications, or other horrific issues were sold on some island in the Caribbean not currently at war with an enemy. God knows that last part changed often. The money from sales was used to purchase goods such as sugar, lumber, and rum, then the ships sailed back across the Atlantic to Europe where those goods were auctioned off and all the clever white slave merchants and their crews got their big money. Where the ship never returned home due to insurrection or shipwreck, a claim would be filed with the insurance company.
Now, on to the book.
The Dutch ship “Zorg” was one such ship making these voyages. On this particular trip, the ship was crammed “like books on a shelf” with 442 abducted Africans, along with only 17 crew (mostly inexperienced) and 1 passenger. When the ship was late getting to Jamaica due to incompetence, people were dying from diseases and suicide, and fresh water was almost out. The remaining leaders of the crew decided on murder in order to save water, save themselves and ensure the voyage remained as profitable as possible. Approximately 130 Africans, starting with the women and children, were thrown overboard into the sea to drown. When the Zorg finally docked in Jamaica and negotiated with buyers, the price settled for was enough to make the journey profitable, but barely, once the Zorg reached Europe again.
Still, the ship’s owner wasn’t happy about the loss of 50% of the Africans that made him so wealthy. (I am really simplifying many things, but still.) He decided to file a claim with insurance, something never done before regarding loss of human cargo outside of an insurrection or shipwreck. What followed was a court battle or two between the ship owner and the insurance company ultimately deciding that the insurance company had no obligation to pay. The issue at the trials was always the loss of property. The issue was never the loss of life or murder. The publicity during the trials regarding what was obviously mass murder, however, upset the public to the point that the trials are now seen as the first real catalysts toward ending the slave trade altogether.
Thanks to Macmillan Audio, Siddharth Kara (author), and Libro.fm for providing a free audiobook of The Zorg: A Tale of Greed and Murder That Inspired the Abolition of Slavery narrated by the always amazing Dion Graham. Getting free stuff does not influence my reviews in any way.
5 stars from me! One of the best nonfiction audiobooks I’ve heard in quite a while.
November 8, 2025
Siddharth Kara writes here about historic slavery as compellingly as he did in "Cobalt Red" about modern day slavery. Unsurprisingly, a book about hundreds of slaves being brutally murdered at sea is not fun to read. This gruesome event occurred in the context of the transatlantic slave trade, which was already unfathomably violent- honestly I can't even think of words that adequate describing the horrors and evil of British/American slavery and imperialism in this era and beyond. The first 75% or so of this book is about the happenings aboard the slave ship The Zong and, while informative, at times it's hard to read. The last 25% details an insurance claim filed for the costs of the murdered slaves being debated in court, and events spurred by its outcome- including, eventually, the abolishment of slavery in Britain. This part of the book was really great and I wish it was longer and more detailed. So many tangential social/cultural happenings were alluded to but not really fleshed out, and I would have appreciated a broader scope. For example- I learned in this section of the book that there was a movement among Victorian women who refused to cook with sugar (which came from sugar plantations operated with slave labor), and a whole government campaign in response about the health dangers of not eating enough processed sugar. I get it, though: this book is about the history and legacy of the Zong. Overall, I think it's important to understand the transatlantic slave trade and this is a good book for learning more about it, exemplified through one particular situation that had a series of interesting and impactful outcomes.
October 31, 2025
Incredible read. The history and context of the slave trade in the first third is impressively and expertly concise. The course of the Zorg, its characters, and its particular case of complete inhumanity in the middle third are rendered with horrifying clarity both by stark numbers/statistics and description that is always well-evidenced, never gratuitous. The final third on the aftermath of legal proceedings and the chain of events that lead to the abolition of slavery in England is propulsive, and the new evidence for the author of the instigating anonymous letter in the epilogue seems revelatory.
The writing is in parts very beautiful; the research itself feels personal and impassioned. I’d like to read all books by Siddharth Kara.
The writing is in parts very beautiful; the research itself feels personal and impassioned. I’d like to read all books by Siddharth Kara.
October 11, 2025
I hope this book receives every bit of acclaim it deserves, it's truly a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the intersections of slavery, greed, and the abolitionist movement. The events the author shares are simply astounding, requiring an immense amount of tireless and stunning research to document.
The book tells a harrowing story of absolute evil and unchecked greed. Yet, powerfully reminded me that the possibility of radical change is always present and worth fighting for. This is a timely, vital, and ultimately transformative read.
Thank you to NetGalley for the early copy.
The book tells a harrowing story of absolute evil and unchecked greed. Yet, powerfully reminded me that the possibility of radical change is always present and worth fighting for. This is a timely, vital, and ultimately transformative read.
Thank you to NetGalley for the early copy.
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