The Coming

by Daniel Black

Daniel Black is at the top of his literary game with The Coming, a novel that National Book Award-winning author Charles
Johnson (Middle Passage) calls "powerful and beautiful" and "a work to be proud of."

Lyrical, poetic, and hypnotizing, The Coming tells the story of a people's capture and sojourn from their homeland across the Middle Passage--a traumatic trip that exposed the strength and
resolve of the African spirit. Extreme conditions produce extraordinary insight, and only after being stripped of everything do they discover the unspeakable
beauty they once took for granted. This powerful, haunting novel will shake readers to their very souls.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, African American, Audiobook, Historical, Africa, Adult Fiction

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 6, 2015

About the author

Daniel Black is a native of Kansas City, Kansas, yet spent the majority of his childhood years in Blackwell, Arkansas. He is an associate professor at his alma mater, Clark Atlanta University, where he now aims to provide an example to young Americans of the importance of self-knowledge and communal commitment. He is the author of "They Tell Me of a Home" and "The Sacred Place".

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read a lot of books on the Middle Passage, and none moved me as much as this one has. From the first word to the last. How can writing about something so horrible also elicit so much admiration and inspiration from me? The work is parts lyrical, parts horror, parts educational, and equal parts sorrowful and beautiful.

Warning: the parts that are horrible are explicit. However, this is balanced by knowing that the slaves who survive the Middle Passage, the slaves who survive the auctions, the slaves who survive the slave owners are today Black citizens who are still surviving, proud, and pivotal to the modern world. Knowing their future helps to swallow the bile back while reading the torture they are subjected to in order to get to today.

BUT it should never have happened, and I think anyone who doesn't know that or doesn't want to know that or tries to justify history cannot be someone who can be friends with me. It is impossible to read this book and walk away thinking there is ever a reason to insist slavery was "necessary."

Even though this book is a retrospective (vs a call to action, for example), it is as powerful an antiracist book as is anything written by Ibram X Kendi or Ta-Nehisi Coates. It should be required reading for all middle school students onward.

[James Payne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. As an African American I feel such a deep connection to this book. Each turn of the page was another spiritual step in my own journey to claim my personal inheritance. This book should be required reading for any person old enough to understand the seriousness its contents. 6/5 Stars Ashay Dr. Black Ashay.

[Emma B]

Raw and gut wrenching, this short novel (117 pages) is mesmerizing. If a reader has never read/experienced Author Daniel Black, perhaps a reading of one of his other books would prepare you for this one. I can usually read about slavery objectively, but this drew me in in a disturbing manner. As I read I felt the suffering of the slaves, having been stolen from their homeland, bound and chained, in the belly of the ship on the voyage, to an unknown world. Told through the eyes of one of the slaves this is a fictionalized, detailed account of what our ancestors went through, including being brought into Charleston, South Carolina and held in slave pens, waiting to be taken to the auction block, and if not sold that day, being brought back to the pen; of bonds formed while shackled together, only to be broken when one is sold off, never to see one another again. I've had the privilege of experiencing Mr. Black's reading from his work, so I was eagerly waiting to read his new offering. Writers of American History textbooks who are trying to change the institution of slavery to "an event" for today's students should be required to read this book. I put this book in the category with Tony Morrison's Beloved.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really wanted this one to be more affecting and better. It feels a little bit like a thought experiment. Black is imagining what it would have felt like to have been kidnapped and brought to the United States as a slave. A huge undertaking with the different mix of tribes, gender, intelligence and body types. A common language would have been a comfort but many of the slave could not even speak to each other. Add to the mix different belief systems and the knowledge that many of their kinsman likely betrayed them. A fascinating concept. In my view, the execution was not as interesting as the idea.

I had two major issues with the storytelling (and quite a few smaller issues as well). First is with the narrator. The narrator was not one of the people. There is no main character. The narrator speaks for all the "slaves" but is not one of them. He (I am assuming the narrator is a he) speaks of "we" quite frequently but isn't among them. The narrator is an observer with the ability to see into the minds of these kidnapped people. Ethereal. It really made less and less sense as the book went on. He talked of what was going on in the mind of one slave and tells the reader that the slave is the only one awake, then goes on using "we" to describe collectively how this group thought. The last paragraphs talk of the last "slave" who was not the narrator. How is it a "we" when the narrator is disembodied and basically doesn't exist at all and endured none of these hardships? How does that add up to "we"? It was just a really big point of view gap. I'm think the narrator was supposed to be the amalgamation of all the hopes and dreams and fears of these doomed people. For me, it just didn't work.

My second issue is that the author seems to have a hard time separating his faith from that of the characters in the story. He doesn't ever mention God by name, but oh how the pages are peppered with the author's theology.

We believed basically the same things! That there was one God.

One doesn't necessarily have to know the history of West Africa to discern that different tribes had different beliefs and that some of the tribes were not monotheist in their beliefs. Some time later in the story the author refers to proverbs.

We mumbled regret for having ignored so many proverbs.

While not directly biblical, the use of the word summons Christian sensibilities. Words that could have been used instead of proverbs: lessons, signs, warnings, fables, wisdoms, adage, precepts ect. Also, later in the book, the author discusses marriage. His described concept of marriage within the tribes was very familiar and strangely similar to modern Christian concepts. Throughout the book, the author keeps going back and forth between the concept of many gods and one God. But it is quite apparent Black wants the general spirit of these "noble, worthy" people, even though they had no way of knowing the bible; to have known and worshiped the one true God. For me, a bridge too far. I think the author's faith hindered his ability to completely immerse into this thought experiment and churn out a realistic and cohesive story.

Towards the end the book for me got to be a bit tedious and repetitive...and this is a short book. The overall concept is brilliant. This is a very difficult concept and a hugely daunting undertaking. From this novel, I begin to see some of the unspeakable horrors that these people endured. I just wish the idea had fallen into more skilled hands.

3 Stars

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was somehow both exactly what I expected and not at all what I expected.

I expected this to be brutal and horrifying and cruel and soul-crushing.
I did not expect it to also be beautiful and uplifting and powerful and resilient.

This was narrated in a nameless, or rather anonymous, first-person limited omniscient style, with the narrator as a part of the group of African people taken from their homelands to be enslaved, but also as a sort of intermediary who is able to provide a slightly larger contextualized view. It's got a sort of poetic and rhythmic quality, as well as a certain repetitiveness that serves to show all of the cruelties and horrors that were part of the process of being stolen and beaten and broken down and enslaved. But I don't think it's verse or poetry (though I could be wrong - I listened to the audio). It's just a quality of the writing, the style of the telling, the nature of the losses and brutality of the situation that lends it that feeling.

And man, was this brutal. All the more so because of the reality of this having happened, the nonfiction that is our history.

I hated that aspect. I hated knowing that this had happened. And happened repeatedly for far too long. That this was the industry and prosperity that built us up from before there was an "us" or a "U.S.". I don't say that in a general "slavery is bad" way, though of course it is, but I mean this book literally made me viscerally understand the sheer depravity and maliciousness and cruelty and indifference and greed at the heart of the slave trade in a way that nothing before really had. You can know things academically and disagree with them vehemently, but this book brought me as close to the actual experience as much as anything could except actually experiencing it, and it made me feel real hatred toward those who perpetrated this, and those who supported and enabled and benefited and profited from it. The description of the conditions, the smells, the taste, the feel, the sounds, the confinement, and stifling closeness that is only relieved as your fellow people die and are casually tossed overboard... I can't even imagine - and yet I can't STOP imagining it now. And that's just the situation of being the cargo being transported. It doesn't even really get into the cruel treatment or activities that were perpetrated, or the horror of being so powerless in such a terrible situation.

But, despite all of this, there was a current of identity and strength and resilience that uplifted. The songs and chants and rituals of home, the faith in one's gods and ancestors to, if not help in surviving the ordeal, help to end it and enter into the next life/realm, etc. That so many of these cultural roots and family and tribal histories and traditions were lost in the passage is heartbreaking in itself.

I recommend it, but it's not an easy read, or listen.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Then came disaster. With open arms, we embraced those who looked nothing like us, assuming all life honors life. We were wrong."

This book follows a group of Africans from the moment they are captured in their villages to the moment they are sold in America. In this emotionally draining undertaking, Black depicts the characters' trek to the ship, journey across the Atlantic, and complete loss of self. The latter was critical to the story as Black emphasizes the importance of names from cover to cover; whenever a character is named, the meaning of the name follows. The name of an individual became a predictor of their reaction to a situation. When a name was unknown, one was assigned based on how that individual behaved.

"For the first time in our lives, we questioned our worth. We'd never questioned this back home."

We come to understand that while "home," everyone knows their purpose. Nothing about one's being is accidental, coincidental. I sat with this notion for a moment because today's culture - or maybe it's American culture - teaches that Z was caused by X or Y. In "The Coming," you are who you are because that's who you were suppose to be. Nothing caused one to be a certain way. And "we" were all things, all personality types; captivity did not turn one into something they were not.

"Only the strong would survive. And children are never that strong."

The environment of the ship's holding quarters is beyond anything I can describe. Many of the captives were young and had not yet completed their passages into adulthood. They had so much more to learn. They did not know how to summon their gods. They did not know how to heal their illnesses. They did not know how to cope. They tried to live up to their names, but they were out of their element. Even though they spoke different languages, they were able to communicate well enough to plan a revolt; it's needless to say how that turned out. And the actions the captors took ensure there would not be another revolt attempt was just horrific.

As the reader is taking the journey with the characters, it's difficult stop reading without knowing the fate of each of them. Though death and enslavement are the only two outcomes, there is significant variation in how each character comes to that end.

There are many references to African land, teachings, rituals, and names. I presume a substantial amount of research was conducted since Black is American. The book has great momentum in the beginning but does seem to get stuck and become repetitive just over half way through. It's an almost-but-not-quite type of read. But it's worth the read regardless. I give it 3.5 stars.

[Lulu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m emotionally exhausted. This story is beautifully written, but THE STORY is raw and brutally honest. Brace yourself.

[Raymond · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Coming is a historical fiction novel that tells the story of how Africans were brought over to the Western hemisphere. It begins not with the capture but by identifying who these people were, their tribes, occupations, hopes, and regrets. This is one of many ways that Daniel Black humanizes the Africans who are about to embark on a dehumanizing journey.

The book uses the Royal We to describe the collective thoughts of the Africans. This technique also gives off Biblical vibes specifically in the book of Genesis when God says, "let us". This Biblical language is also used when Black demarcates each day by writing "the evening and morning were the first day" mirroring language used in the first chapter of Genesis. Black is essentially writing his own Creation story or myth, not about the creation of the Earth or Cosmos but of the creation of a people, the Black people who would make up America and the Caribbean.

Along the journey, Black showcases the violent/brutal actions done to the enslaved Africans as well as what they did to themselves in order to escape bondage. These scenes are very graphic. But this is not just a story of tragedy, it is also a story of resilience and Black showcases the many ways of resistance by highlighting a few characters by name.

Black does a great job in such a small book to cover the entire length of the Middle Passage. The reader can see through the eyes of the enslaved what this horrific journey was like and effectively humanizes the people along the way.

[Kaya W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written.

[Andre(Read-A-Lot) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an important novel. A historical novel. A work of art. It is a fictionalized telling of Africans journey from the motherland to what eventually becomes Charleston, USA. The story is told from the perspective of "we" and is delivered in story form. It's a haunting telling of what "we" experienced from a typical trans-Atlantic trip from Africa to the shores of America. It's just one trip that is used to describe what is supposed to be representative of all such journeys. He tells what "we" went through in the holds of these evil vessels. He tells the story over the course of crossing the Atlantic and then arriving on these shores and being held in stalls awaiting a buyer.

The way the book is arranged works very well. The prose is mostly poetic and is most necessary to deliver this tale of woe and devilment. If you ever asked the question, what did the enslavement process look like, feel like? What were "we" thinking? Daniel Black attempts to answer these questions. And although this is a work of fiction, many of the transgressions against the body and soul of Africans have been well documented. The book forces you to wonder what choices would you have made if you were stuffed like a sardine in the hold of a ship? How would you have handled being placed on an auction block, completely naked for all to see and being examined like an animal?

"But if we all died, wouldn’t they be undisputed victors? How would we redeem ourselves if everyone went with Death? Our options were few and inglorious. We wrestled, on land and sea, with Life and Death, wanting neither completely but needing both inherently. We decided silently, in the stillness of the stall, that both choices carried honor. Both held the integrity of our people. The job of the living was to resurrect the dead; the job of the dead was to invigorate the living. They were complimentary existences. What elders had taught was true—Life and Death are twins of the same mother. Now we understood."

There are nuggets of information related to African culture and there are an abundance of pearls of wisdom, African proverbs. Daniel Black is trying to paint a picture of the impact the enslaving process had on an individual. What must they have been thinking? One day you're Ashanti or Yoruba and 90 days later, "We were no longer simply the Fon, the Ibo, the Hausa, the Yoruba, the Ewe. We were something other than the Ashanti, the Fante, The Fulani, the Serere, and the Mende. Something new, some combination of them all, some blending of culture and spirit our elders wouldn’t have recognized. We were a different people now, with roots in every place we had trod. We were one tree, with branches reaching in every possible direction and leaves sprouting abundantly. We were one river, flowing together, yet having started as brooks and streams unnamed. In the midst of incomprehensible trauma, our specific identities had merged into a larger collective Self, and thus we survived what should’ve been our demise."

A story to be shared with all those who ever imagined the unimaginable.

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lyrical and moving

[Hyacinth · Rating 5 out of 5]

The powerful, almost musical writing of Daniel Black reduced me to tears in The Coming. This book was probably the most difficult to read because of the subject matter. Such a vivid portrayal of the plight of the once free African's voyage to the New World. I could almost feel the pain, the sights, the smells. There were times while reading that I was literally breathless. I had to put the book down at times and sit with the words. I dealt with conflict and a range of emotions while reading. This book is not for the faint of heart. I am most definitely a Daniel Black fan for life. He definitely has a gift.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful passages throughout the book. Great imagery. Loved it.

[Tammy Washington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness, this novel poetically paints a painful but powerful picture of the sufferings of our ancestors; their culture, their heritage and how it was all stripped from them. Yes we hear stories and see depicted visuals all the time but this story takes you throughout the land of Africa. Their rituals, foods, songs, dances, healings....
I occasionally found the urge to read certain passages aloud to others. Not just for validation, but I definitely wanted them to feel what I felt from the details of their pain. I wanted them to receive the knowledge I gained from the angle Daniel Black presented it. Maybe even carry the burden of having that knowledge with me. The captives wanted so much to be together and it was hard for them to watch their brother or sister be hurt, killed, suffer and sold. They wanted to carry the cross together versus watching another suffer alone.
Also, our ancestors knew their value. Their names carried meaning that exemplified their individual strength. They were confident. "We were wonderful, but we're not flawless. We knew excellence because we knew failure."
This novel takes us through their Hope & Hopelessness, Joy & Sadness, Strength & Frailties, Life & Death.
One of the many statements that stood out to me was, "They had captured us because we had been divided. That was our lesson." This speaks volumes because we have this same problem today. There is strength is unity. So much to be said, but I will save the rest for the readers.

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daniel Black's, The Coming, is one the most difficult books to read that I’ve ever read. It stands as a pivotal and unflinching look at The Middle Passage in a way that no other book, to my knowledge, ever has. Tom Feelings' book, The Middle Passage. comes close in pictorial depiction, but marry it to the narrative text of The Coming, and you have the unique and unsculpted horror that prefaced America's institution of slavery.

All that I already know about the horror of The Middle Passage was amplified exponentially within its pages. There are no words to describe the kidnap, degradation, assault and perversion that occurred on slave ships bound for America, all the while bearing the unluckiest of names--The Hope, The Good Ship Jesus...and so many others. Irony is a bitch and nowhere is it on stage more than in the good Christian names borne by many slave ships.

Kidnapped, assaulted, nearly starved, abused, and raped, Africans were loaded onto ships and chained to overcrowded capacity because after all, between, disease, suicide, murder, and madness, perhaps only a third of them would survive the journey across the Atlantic.

Ripped from their homes and all they knew, both men, women and children were captured, raped, and subjected to dehumanization on a scale that is all but immeasurable and unequaled by any human atrocity since. On a whim, ship's crews could torture and kill. Most did not endure. But those who did we thank and honor because it is they who survived to live, grow and give birth to the African Americans who call America home today.

So many ships, so many dead and half-dead, tossed overboard. The migration patterns of the Great White Shark changed in the wake of them following slave ships. This is history. The historical record is rich with the narratives, maps, and texts detailing The Middle Passage.

Few want to discuss it. Fewer still want to know its particulars. Too bad. Daniel Black's book should be required reading for everyone. Too many African Americans hold a secret place of shame inside themselves for the events that brought their ancestors to American shores. There is no shame here. We did not do this to ourselves. We survived somehow and that is miracle in and of itself.

There remains a deep divide and a disconnect between ourselves and Africa. There are families, lineages, cousins, and relatives we can never know. For those who remained uncaptured in Africa, there were 'the disappeared', families and relatives who just disappeared off the face of the continent. They never knew what happened to brothers, sisters, wives, husbands, mothers, fathers and others.

African Americans are the only American who did not come through Ellis Island. And no, Ben Carson, we weren't immigrants. As African Americans, it is imperative to remember, to know, to be guided by the survival song that mourned countless Africans across the Atlantic, and to the West Indies and Americas. This history needs to be enriched and recalled because their spirit is in us and in honoring them, we uncover the racial history of America that seeks to imprison to this day. So many young people do not know their history. I look at them and wonder, "Would you walk around the way you do, if you knew?"

If what was known was the story of heartbreak, suffering and survival that endured, would so many be punishing themselves psychically, emotionally, rabidly for terrorism they did not cause or seek and yet remains still as Dr. Joy states, as "post traumatic slavery syndrome" somewhere under the soul?

Each June I commemorate The Middle Passage in a day-long tribute to the Ancestors. The occasion is marked by drumming and poetry, song, dance and speeches. And as sunset comes on, all who are gathered trek to the oceans edge and deliver flowers and garlands to commemorate and honor the suffering of those who did not make it as much as those who did. To all we owe a tremendous debt.

This is a difficult book to read. With each new horror, I had to stop, pause, put the book down, and walk away. Yet each time I picked it up again, its importance rose up in my throat. It is not our choice to look away. Read it, and ‘know’!

[Mona Grant-Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Coming tells of the voyage of Africans crossing the Atlantic and their arrival in a new world. Black tells of their journey and experiences with eloquence and language rich in emotion, depth, and passionate prose. This is Daniel Black at his finest, this is the coming.

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Might be the same story but it was told in such a way, you could imagine the trauma of the journey from Africa to this unknown land. Its a horrific tale anyway you tell it.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book
very well written

[Books Amongst Friends · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook: 4/5

[J Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most beautiful and heartbreaking story of the journey from Africa into the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Powerful, encouraging, enraging, inspiring…. Absolutely amazing

[Latisha Beckett · Rating 4 out of 5]

2021 Book 34: The Coming by Daniel Black
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This was quite easily one of the most difficult books I’ve ever read, solely based on the detailed and descriptive writing of the subject matter.  It's a historical fiction slave narrative telling the story of their capture and their experience as they were brought across the sea. The Middle Passage, or….the coming.  Daniel Black shared that he had to envision himself on the ship and almost have an outer body experience in order to write this book and share in such painful and descriptive detail some of the experiences our ancestors endured during the Middle Passage, stacked on top of one another, malnourished, humiliated, infected, violated, and killed.  This book also shared some of the stories that are rarely discussed or documented, but we know to be true. We know that many of the women were sexually violated, but it is not often discussed what happened to the men.
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**Some of this content was very hard to read, and may be triggering to some readers.**
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However, it is the story told through the eyes of one of the captured souls.  He shares what he witnessed and tells the story of what was stolen from our ancestors and also, what would never be relinquished. We are reminded that these were not slaves.  They were human beings.  Storytellers, warriors, healers, teachers, men and women of faith, people with honor and privilege, who loved their body and their bold and wide features so much that they adorned their lips and noses with jewelry to accentuate their beauty. The book speaks of the tribes from whence they came, and languages that were not always understood but their experience and shared pain and loss became the translator that they could all understand. In this telling, the book was as beautiful as it was heartbreaking. This is a short book, but one that should be read.  It is not easy but it should be known.
 
#TheComing #DanielBlack #historicalfiction #thisbrownegirlreads  #bookstagram #bookloversofinstagram #bibliophile  #bookworm #bookstagrammer #readersofinstagram #ilikebigbooksandicannotlie #myweekendisbooked #goodreadschallenge2021 #readstagram #thecraftycuratorreads2021 #readingisfundamental

[Nyasha Tarlia · Rating 4 out of 5]

When reading please acknowledge my grammar is not the best as I am dyslexic.

This book is written so amazingly beautiful (well considering the nature of the story), but why am I surprised? Daniel Black is just pure and raw talent, he is also the author of my favourite book ever “Perfect Peace”. But back to this book…. It is written is such a unique way you just get so lost in the story. I love how he always tells us the meanings of names, how he tells us some peoples past and some peoples fate, it’s just all written so beautifully.

There are parts of it thay are hard to read because of how graphic is it, and parts that are slightly traumatising, this is due to the nature of the book. But overall the book is a demonstration of amazing talent and creativity.

[R L'Heureux · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful and powerful novel that moved me emotionally and spiritually. Black takes on the near impossible task of writing about the maafa (middle passage) and leaves the reader with a sense of deep understanding and hope. This is a small book and poetically written, but I warn you it's not an "easy" read. You'll turn pages and, if you're like me, in some moments be unable to continue without reflecting. Thankful this book exists and can't wait to share it with my students, mentees, and friends.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is harrowing, but I highly recommend it. It imagines in graphic detail the experiences of Africans who survived the Middle Passage to be sold into American slavery. The "original sin" of slavery continues to haunt our country. We must face it, and bear witness to it, if we are to atone for this sin.

[Yasmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written. Black did a yeomen's job of telling what it was like to be some of the first Africans to be captured and taken to America to be slaves. I've read about the Middle Passage often; but never like it was told in The Coming. The subject matter is very graphic, explicit and horrific. Definitely not for the weak/faint at heart.

[RenishaRenewed · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm marking this as done because I don't really even want to finish it later. It had potential but, not enough.

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

damn it!

I hate that I enjoyed this book. I will never be the same person. The Coming.
I am grateful for all of my ancestors. Thank you for sending me

[Tonya Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Daniel Black can do no wrong in my eyes!!! I've enjoyed every book I've read from him.

[Danispiker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Devastating. Necessary. Powerful. This book was written phenomenally. Black illustrated the middle passage in such a raw and emotional way. It was difficult to read, but I find that our capacity to learn is far greater when we are uncomfortable. I recommend this book, not just for Black History Month, but for any time. It describes this dark time in history in richer detail than any history course can, not just because it’s fiction, but because you can tell Black put so much research and thought into this.


“After those days, nature sent restoration. We woke to a pair of yellow, black, and white butterflies Altering easily. They rested on a splintered plank jutting from the wall. We watched them, all of us, as a sign descended from the gods. They did not fear us. Their wings swayed gently, back and forth, like creatures on display. We admired their beauty, their quiet majesty, their stalwart dignity. They reminded us that pale men did not own everything. Not every single thing. Not the birds nor the grass nor the moon or the stars. Not the seasons nor the rain nor the thunder nor the field's grain. They wielded power over our lives, but they could not own us. They could not purchase our breath. Our love. Our beauty. God gives those freely. To every living thing. Had we captured the butterflies and held them in our hands, they would be no less wondrous. Their color would still astonish. Their easy way would still confound the wise. Their wings would still carry power to lift them. We saw that. But if bound, would they know it? Would their faith in their beauty remain if others did not see it? Would they surrender the will to fly if their space was limited? We wondered. Soon, they began to perform a halfhearted dance. One pounced upon the other, the other moved away. One was clearly the aggressor although the other seemed not to mind. They could've been siblings, we thought. Or lovers. Either way, they were together, a pair, living in harmony. They were a moment of magnificence in the midst of immeasurable misery. They were a glimmer of hope in a bastion of suffering. They were a band of believers in the company of skeptics. For a while, a brief, solitary while, we lost ourselves in their splendor. Their grandeur absorbed our consciousness. They played with out concern for the surrounding devastation. We loved them. We loved their freedom. We loved their assumed beauty. We loved their indisputable loveliness. Each flutter celebrated clarity of purpose and pride in themselves.
Against a dismal backdrop of dull gray, black, and brown, their yellow and white dazzled. Subconsciously, we huddled beneath them, staring at what we used to be. They must've felt our admiration. They hopped about in a small circle, but did not fly away. Up closer, we studied the specificities of their makeup. White spots decorated the edges of their wings. Streaks of black lay between large slabs of bright, shining yellow. Even their tiny bodies were black with white spots. Hairlike antennae extended from their heads, moving about whenever they moved. We wondered how a worm had evolved into this.
What happened in that cocoon to produce something so breathtaking? Of course, no one knew. But maybe, one day, someone would ask the same of us. Perhaps future generations, the beautiful ones unborn, would wonder how we survived it all. What would we say? Or, more probably, what would history say for us? It would not speak truth. Not whole truth. It could not. What we endured would never be believed. The average head refuses to comprehend traumatizing testimony of the heart. So, as the butterflies took flight and floated away, we sighed, lamenting, once again, our bygone days of glory.
This was not the end. There would be another day.”

[Michael Warren Jr. · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's actually 216 pages. This book isn't for those with a weak stomach. It describes a people with their own unique cultures in their homeland. Who were captured and put on slave ships. Who were treated like property instead of human beings. Many Africans die before they reach land and endure many disturbing things. It describes vile things that happen to these people. Their individual and collective experiences are told. It goes on to tell how they're sold in England as slaves and how those who weren't sold there went on to America to be sold. Daniel Black does a good job bringing this story to life. I had to read this one for one of my college classes.