The Story of the Amistad

by Emma Gelders Sterne

This gripping, fast-paced book tells the dramatic story of the epic 1839 voyage of the schooner Amistad and her cargo of Africans bound for slavery in the New World. Under the leadership of Cinque, a young African farmer, the Africans revolt and seize the ship. They start for home, but instead of reaching Africa, they wind up in New England. The story of these events and the resulting trial of the captured Africans was front-page news at the time. Were they rebellious slaves and mutineers — "property" that must rightfully be returned to its owners — or honest men and women trying to regain their freedom?
James W. Ivy, editor of the NAACP's official publication, The Crisis , commented at the time of the book's release, "Sterne has written a terse tale of great power. She presents her scenes with force and color and scrupulous sense of character." The subject of a critically acclaimed motion picture, Amistad (1997), the story of the Amistad is retold here — by a well-known author of books and plays for young people — in an exciting, readable style that will thrill young readers with its "you-are-there" flavor, authentic recreation of the facts, and accurate, and dignified portrayal of the central characters.

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

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1953

About the author

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

Reviews

[Quirkyreader]

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

[Emma Filbrun]

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

[Havebooks Willread]

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

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

[Tatyana Ross]

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

[Kristin Mitchell]

Excellent children’s historical read about the Amistad story of 1839-1841. My 10 & 11 yo daughters loved this story. It’s obviously challenging to read as it describes some of the brutality and injustice of slavery. However, the story is redemptive in the end. It fostered so much good discussion.

[Braxton Stewart]

3.5 it had its low and high parts

[Katy Lovejoy]

As if I needed a reminder on how awful slavery was

[Molly K]

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

[Melissa]

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

[Paige Young]

Beautiful true story! My 10yo daughter enjoyed it as well.

[Katielin317]

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

[Charles]

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

[Jessica]

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

[Abigail]

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

[Charles]

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

[Kristen]

Children's books are great for learning.