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The Survivors of the Clotilda: The Lost Stories of the Last Captives of the American Slave Trade
Joining the ranks of Rebecca Skloot’s The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and Zora Neale Hurston’s rediscovered classic Barracoon, an immersive and revelatory history of the Clotilda, the last slave ship to land on US soil, told through the stories of its survivors—the last documented survivors of any slave ship—whose lives diverged and intersected in profound ways.
The Clotilda, the last slave ship to land on American soil, docked in Mobile Bay, Alabama, in July 1860—more than half a century after the passage of a federal law banning the importation of captive Africans, and nine months before the beginning of the Civil War. The last of its survivors lived well into the twentieth century. They were the last witnesses to the final act of a terrible and significant period in world history.
In this epic work, Dr. Hannah Durkin tells the stories of the Clotilda’s 110 captives, drawing on her intensive archival, historical, and sociological research. The Survivors of the Clotilda follows their lives from their kidnappings in what is modern-day Nigeria through a terrifying 45-day journey across the Middle Passage; from the subsequent sale of the ship’s 103 surviving children and young people into slavery across Alabama to the dawn of the Civil Rights movement in Selma; from the foundation of an all-Black African Town (later Africatown) in Northern Mobile—an inspiration for writers of the Harlem Renaissance, including Zora Neale Hurston—to the foundation of the quilting community of Gee’s Bend—a Black artistic circle whose cultural influence remains enormous.
An astonishing, deeply compelling tapestry of history, biography, and social commentary, The Survivors of the Clotilda is a tour de force that deepens our knowledge and understanding of the Black experience and of America and its tragic past.
The Survivors of the Clotilda includes 30 artworks and photographs.
The Clotilda, the last slave ship to land on American soil, docked in Mobile Bay, Alabama, in July 1860—more than half a century after the passage of a federal law banning the importation of captive Africans, and nine months before the beginning of the Civil War. The last of its survivors lived well into the twentieth century. They were the last witnesses to the final act of a terrible and significant period in world history.
In this epic work, Dr. Hannah Durkin tells the stories of the Clotilda’s 110 captives, drawing on her intensive archival, historical, and sociological research. The Survivors of the Clotilda follows their lives from their kidnappings in what is modern-day Nigeria through a terrifying 45-day journey across the Middle Passage; from the subsequent sale of the ship’s 103 surviving children and young people into slavery across Alabama to the dawn of the Civil Rights movement in Selma; from the foundation of an all-Black African Town (later Africatown) in Northern Mobile—an inspiration for writers of the Harlem Renaissance, including Zora Neale Hurston—to the foundation of the quilting community of Gee’s Bend—a Black artistic circle whose cultural influence remains enormous.
An astonishing, deeply compelling tapestry of history, biography, and social commentary, The Survivors of the Clotilda is a tour de force that deepens our knowledge and understanding of the Black experience and of America and its tragic past.
The Survivors of the Clotilda includes 30 artworks and photographs.
432 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 30, 2024
147 people are currently reading
2377 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
April 7, 2024
“That effort to police the past was so successful that the Clotilda was still being dismissed as a hoax or ignored by historians until well into the twenty-first century.”
“To deny the story of the Clotilda is also to deny a history that extends far beyond Alabama, and even the United States. The voyage of the Clotilda and its aftermath provide a snapshot of African-born slavery survivors’ experiences. The ship’s journey was one of around thirty-six thousand documented slave ship voyages that were made across the Atlantic from the start of the sixteenth century until perhaps well into the 1870s.”
“Yet archival material relating to the Clotilda and its survivors collectively represents by far the most detailed record of a single slave ship voyage and its legacies. Moreover, it is the only Middle Passage story that can be told comprehensively from the perspective of those enslaved.“
In 1860, the Clotilda was the last slave ship to reach the US. Such smuggling was already illegal, so after the ship landed it was scuttled. I believe that its remains have only recently been recovered. The ship’s cargo was a group of Africans, many of them children, who had been captured in a battle with other Africans and then sold to the white slavers. The conspirators behind this crime denied any wrongdoing and hid the Africans.
This book gives the Africans their rightful backstory, often in their own words. It is meticulously researched and very detailed, but it is not dry. Many of the Africans died during the voyage. The survivors arrived naked, diseased and emaciated. The book describes their lives in Africa and then traces their story (and that of their descendants) from capture, voyage, enslavement, emancipation, reconstruction, and up to the civil rights movement.
The survivors never managed to return to Africa, but they tried very hard to get there and longed for their homes until they died. Some established their own town, some bought their own homesteads, but it was not easy for them. One elderly woman’s train travel was fraught: “…the segregated women’s toilet facilities were rarely cleaned and frequently blocked …. the segregated drinking water was carried in one of the buckets used for mopping the men’s restroom. The penalty for a Black person trespassing or loitering in the wrong section of the segregated station was a day in court and a dollar fine.”
This book was well written and very educational. There are a lot of footnotes and a lengthy bibliography. There are also illustrations, but unfortunately they were not included in my ebook ARC. I also listened to the audiobook. The narration by Tariye Peterside was excellent.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
“To deny the story of the Clotilda is also to deny a history that extends far beyond Alabama, and even the United States. The voyage of the Clotilda and its aftermath provide a snapshot of African-born slavery survivors’ experiences. The ship’s journey was one of around thirty-six thousand documented slave ship voyages that were made across the Atlantic from the start of the sixteenth century until perhaps well into the 1870s.”
“Yet archival material relating to the Clotilda and its survivors collectively represents by far the most detailed record of a single slave ship voyage and its legacies. Moreover, it is the only Middle Passage story that can be told comprehensively from the perspective of those enslaved.“
In 1860, the Clotilda was the last slave ship to reach the US. Such smuggling was already illegal, so after the ship landed it was scuttled. I believe that its remains have only recently been recovered. The ship’s cargo was a group of Africans, many of them children, who had been captured in a battle with other Africans and then sold to the white slavers. The conspirators behind this crime denied any wrongdoing and hid the Africans.
This book gives the Africans their rightful backstory, often in their own words. It is meticulously researched and very detailed, but it is not dry. Many of the Africans died during the voyage. The survivors arrived naked, diseased and emaciated. The book describes their lives in Africa and then traces their story (and that of their descendants) from capture, voyage, enslavement, emancipation, reconstruction, and up to the civil rights movement.
The survivors never managed to return to Africa, but they tried very hard to get there and longed for their homes until they died. Some established their own town, some bought their own homesteads, but it was not easy for them. One elderly woman’s train travel was fraught: “…the segregated women’s toilet facilities were rarely cleaned and frequently blocked …. the segregated drinking water was carried in one of the buckets used for mopping the men’s restroom. The penalty for a Black person trespassing or loitering in the wrong section of the segregated station was a day in court and a dollar fine.”
This book was well written and very educational. There are a lot of footnotes and a lengthy bibliography. There are also illustrations, but unfortunately they were not included in my ebook ARC. I also listened to the audiobook. The narration by Tariye Peterside was excellent.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
July 12, 2025
It's a very sobering experience to read through the list of the 103 individuals whose ship finished its last sail on on the ocean by way of Alabama's Mobile River, landing its non-consenting passengers on 12-Mile Island. Sneaking by Mobile authorities (what few there were) they used a Spanish River to Mobile River route close to swamps and wildlands known to those who often had illegal cargo to stash. These victims of a bet 4 years earlier were hidden away so their kidnappers could keep their own involvement in the investment project of proving their bet: that sending a ship to Africa to illegally buy humans to work their plantations and those of their friends and and families was more than possible. They could and would prove it.
Many of the conspiracists were among the richest and most powerful men in their respective counties and, in some cases, their state. Some held high political office. The participants included brothers, business partners and neighbours. Yet in many ways their identities were starkly different. The illegal voyage united Presbyterians with Catholics, surgeons and lawyers with steamboat builders, members of old US families with foreign-born men, Northerners with Southerners, and, perhaps most strikingly, men who campaigned to keep Alabama in the Union in 1860 with men who led the state’s push to secede and, ultimately, to civil war. What united the group, and what drew them to partake in human trafficking, was a shared determination to perpetuate slavery.
Durkin, Hannah. The Survivors of the Clotilda: The Lost Stories of the Last Captives of the American Slave Trade (p. 22). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.
The story of these people is heartbreaking, but it is past time for voices to shout their truths and ears to hear of these 103, their communities, including AfricaTown. The trauma that started with hostage taking by warring tribes in their homeland of Africa turned into enslavement on another continent by a completely different kind of hostile tribe - plantation owners. It is amazing that despite all they had been through there is much that remains generations removed from the original trauma as evidenced by their descendants' unceasingly tight hold to the pride, honor and veneration of their original African heritage as it was remembered. Evidence that shows up in day-to-day living, celebrations, language, cultural design, arts and crafts found currently throughout the communities where they live.
There have been a number of books on the topic of this unfortunate boat and its last voyage in the last few years. Having read quite a few of them, there is a moan one can just about hear, and The Survivors of the Clotilda: The Lost Stories of the Last Captives of the American Slave Trade also has it -something that is very present in the people of this community, past and present: it's a kind of group melancholy, a yearning for home long disappeared. . .
What is different about Hannah Durkin's book, is the ever present mindfulness about the people on that ship - 103 individuals leaving Africa's shores in bondage. Photographs, maps, charts and illustrations support her presentation of their stories, and those of their abusers.
*A sincere thank you to Hannah Durkin, Amistad, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* #TheSurvivorsoftheClotilda #NetGalley 25|52:32c
Many of the conspiracists were among the richest and most powerful men in their respective counties and, in some cases, their state. Some held high political office. The participants included brothers, business partners and neighbours. Yet in many ways their identities were starkly different. The illegal voyage united Presbyterians with Catholics, surgeons and lawyers with steamboat builders, members of old US families with foreign-born men, Northerners with Southerners, and, perhaps most strikingly, men who campaigned to keep Alabama in the Union in 1860 with men who led the state’s push to secede and, ultimately, to civil war. What united the group, and what drew them to partake in human trafficking, was a shared determination to perpetuate slavery.
Durkin, Hannah. The Survivors of the Clotilda: The Lost Stories of the Last Captives of the American Slave Trade (p. 22). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.
The story of these people is heartbreaking, but it is past time for voices to shout their truths and ears to hear of these 103, their communities, including AfricaTown. The trauma that started with hostage taking by warring tribes in their homeland of Africa turned into enslavement on another continent by a completely different kind of hostile tribe - plantation owners. It is amazing that despite all they had been through there is much that remains generations removed from the original trauma as evidenced by their descendants' unceasingly tight hold to the pride, honor and veneration of their original African heritage as it was remembered. Evidence that shows up in day-to-day living, celebrations, language, cultural design, arts and crafts found currently throughout the communities where they live.
There have been a number of books on the topic of this unfortunate boat and its last voyage in the last few years. Having read quite a few of them, there is a moan one can just about hear, and The Survivors of the Clotilda: The Lost Stories of the Last Captives of the American Slave Trade also has it -something that is very present in the people of this community, past and present: it's a kind of group melancholy, a yearning for home long disappeared. . .
What is different about Hannah Durkin's book, is the ever present mindfulness about the people on that ship - 103 individuals leaving Africa's shores in bondage. Photographs, maps, charts and illustrations support her presentation of their stories, and those of their abusers.
*A sincere thank you to Hannah Durkin, Amistad, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* #TheSurvivorsoftheClotilda #NetGalley 25|52:32c
dnf
February 11, 2024DNFed @ 10%
I’m not DNFing because of the material. The only way to not repeat history is to read about it, and the true horrors of the slave trade are still brushed over to this day. History textbooks and courses doesn’t even begin to touch on the depth of evil. That being said, I don’t think this is well written. There is a lot of jumping around, and no clear timeline. We skip around to different perspectives and different facts that don’t come together in a cohesive narrative. If y’all have any non-fics recommendations, please let me know.
I’m not DNFing because of the material. The only way to not repeat history is to read about it, and the true horrors of the slave trade are still brushed over to this day. History textbooks and courses doesn’t even begin to touch on the depth of evil. That being said, I don’t think this is well written. There is a lot of jumping around, and no clear timeline. We skip around to different perspectives and different facts that don’t come together in a cohesive narrative. If y’all have any non-fics recommendations, please let me know.
November 15, 2024
"...archival material relating to the Clotilda and its survivors collectively represents by far the most detailed record of a single slave ship voyage and its legacies. Moreover, it is the only Middle Passage story that can be told comprehensively from the perspective of those enslaved. The Clotilda shipmates' individual voices and stories therefore serve as a corrective to dominant histories of transatlantic slavery that have framed personal horrors, traumas, griefs, and the battle to adapt and survive in terms of numbers and statistics..."
An excellent 5-star read for me, which I found recently after I both read and listened to the audio recording of Zora Neale Hurston's Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo". Hurston's interview with the last survivor of the slave ship Clotilda is focused on Kossula, or Cudjo Lewis. In this more expansive narrative history, Hannah Durkin takes the time to fill in the gaps and the backstories of the other players in this history, including the other 109 captives that were transported from West Africa to Mobile, Alabama, on the eve of the American Civil War.
As a student and teacher of history, I was already familiar with much of the contextual background that Durkin lays out for the Reconstruction South in which the captive shipmates find themselves stranded for the rest of their lives. What Durkin does so well in this history is relay the history of the rest of the survivors, following the lives of the various groups as they were sold off to about three different major plantations in the Mobile community. In doing so, Durkin uses an non-linear format, tracing the lives of each group of Yoruba slaves from their separation at the slave auction to the emancipation after the end of the Civil War. Although some readers did not take to this non-linear format, I thought it was quite effective in its approach.
I was shocked at the amount of illegal slave trading that was going on during this time period. For some stupid reason, I thought the Clotilda was an anomaly, not something that was much more frequent than I thought. To my dismay, as I perused Durkin's footnotes, I learned that the U.S., both north and south regions, were still deeply embedded in the illegal international slave trade, and many government officials turned a blind eye in the face of greed, corruption, and profit.
Much appreciation to the long hours of scholarship that went into the research for the writing of this book. Hannah Durkin, you have my utmost admiration. Kudos on an excellent book!
An excellent 5-star read for me, which I found recently after I both read and listened to the audio recording of Zora Neale Hurston's Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo". Hurston's interview with the last survivor of the slave ship Clotilda is focused on Kossula, or Cudjo Lewis. In this more expansive narrative history, Hannah Durkin takes the time to fill in the gaps and the backstories of the other players in this history, including the other 109 captives that were transported from West Africa to Mobile, Alabama, on the eve of the American Civil War.
As a student and teacher of history, I was already familiar with much of the contextual background that Durkin lays out for the Reconstruction South in which the captive shipmates find themselves stranded for the rest of their lives. What Durkin does so well in this history is relay the history of the rest of the survivors, following the lives of the various groups as they were sold off to about three different major plantations in the Mobile community. In doing so, Durkin uses an non-linear format, tracing the lives of each group of Yoruba slaves from their separation at the slave auction to the emancipation after the end of the Civil War. Although some readers did not take to this non-linear format, I thought it was quite effective in its approach.
I was shocked at the amount of illegal slave trading that was going on during this time period. For some stupid reason, I thought the Clotilda was an anomaly, not something that was much more frequent than I thought. To my dismay, as I perused Durkin's footnotes, I learned that the U.S., both north and south regions, were still deeply embedded in the illegal international slave trade, and many government officials turned a blind eye in the face of greed, corruption, and profit.
Much appreciation to the long hours of scholarship that went into the research for the writing of this book. Hannah Durkin, you have my utmost admiration. Kudos on an excellent book!
April 23, 2024
Echoing a few other reviews—so, so incredibly important to bear witness to these horrific injustices, but the way this book was written made it very challenging to read. The timeline jumped around in unclear ways, as did who was the focus, so it made it hard to get to know any individual and often felt like it was a spewing of facts that didn’t have time to sink in.
December 6, 2023
"The Survivors of the Clotilda" is a powerful and poignant exploration of a dark chapter in American history that has long been shrouded in obscurity. The author skillfully narrates the lives of those who were forcibly brought to the United States in the last known slave ship, the Clotilda, and provides a compelling narrative that captivates the reader from beginning to end.
The book not only delves into the historical context of the transatlantic slave trade but also sheds light on the specific experiences of the individuals who survived the Clotilda's journey. Through meticulous research and empathetic storytelling, the author brings these forgotten voices to life. Durkin seamlessly weaves together primary sources, personal accounts, and historical records to construct a comprehensive and emotionally resonant portrayal of the survivors' lives. By tracing the generational echoes of trauma, resilience, and cultural preservation, the book provides a nuanced understanding of the ongoing legacy of slavery in America. The exploration of their efforts to reclaim and celebrate their African roots adds a layer of contemporary relevance to the narrative. Highly recommended for anyone interested in American history, social justice, and telling hidden stories.
ARC provided by Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.
The book not only delves into the historical context of the transatlantic slave trade but also sheds light on the specific experiences of the individuals who survived the Clotilda's journey. Through meticulous research and empathetic storytelling, the author brings these forgotten voices to life. Durkin seamlessly weaves together primary sources, personal accounts, and historical records to construct a comprehensive and emotionally resonant portrayal of the survivors' lives. By tracing the generational echoes of trauma, resilience, and cultural preservation, the book provides a nuanced understanding of the ongoing legacy of slavery in America. The exploration of their efforts to reclaim and celebrate their African roots adds a layer of contemporary relevance to the narrative. Highly recommended for anyone interested in American history, social justice, and telling hidden stories.
ARC provided by Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.
February 1, 2024
Some readers may be familiar with the slave ship, Clotilda, and the African captives aboard her last journey due to the fairly recent reprinting of Barracoon by Zora Neale Hurston. In it, she chronicled an admirable attempt to capture the memories and experiences of Cudjo Lewis, an elderly man at the time, who had remained in the area; a respected member of the community. He was notably the longest surviving of the documented 110 captives (notably native Africans) to arrive in Mobile, AL in 1860, illegally smuggled into the United States specifically for sale and use as chattel slaves decades after the slave trade was “officially” abolished in the USA.
This book is a historian’s dream. It opens with place setting during the targeted era – detailing the West African landscape, their leaders, tribal wars, and the affects of European politics and expanding globalization that fueled the unquenchable greed and sustained the slave trade for centuries. It tells of how a bet between slavers birthed the Clotilda’s infamous journey and eventual destruction. It relays the lives of the kidnapped prior to capture – their existence in established villages within wholesome families thriving as healthy and happy people with rich history, culture, customs, spiritual beliefs, and self-governance. It delves into their emotional, psychological, and physical suffering beset by the separation from family (knowing they would never see them again), the horrors of the middle passage, the confusion and frustration caused by language barriers, their dehumanizing experiences, heartless exploitation and the horrific abuse/beatings bestowed upon them during their time in bondage.
In addition to the captives' story; we get insight into the orchestrators, participants, and enablers that made it happen as well as some of the merchants who purchased them. The laws and attitudes of the era are also folded into the book to add context and immerse the reader into the political landscape of the day – although, it is rather clear where Alabama fell on the position of slavery.
Overall, a great addition to the canon – easy to digest and presented in an easily comprehensive, fact-filled format.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Amistad, for the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.
This book is a historian’s dream. It opens with place setting during the targeted era – detailing the West African landscape, their leaders, tribal wars, and the affects of European politics and expanding globalization that fueled the unquenchable greed and sustained the slave trade for centuries. It tells of how a bet between slavers birthed the Clotilda’s infamous journey and eventual destruction. It relays the lives of the kidnapped prior to capture – their existence in established villages within wholesome families thriving as healthy and happy people with rich history, culture, customs, spiritual beliefs, and self-governance. It delves into their emotional, psychological, and physical suffering beset by the separation from family (knowing they would never see them again), the horrors of the middle passage, the confusion and frustration caused by language barriers, their dehumanizing experiences, heartless exploitation and the horrific abuse/beatings bestowed upon them during their time in bondage.
In addition to the captives' story; we get insight into the orchestrators, participants, and enablers that made it happen as well as some of the merchants who purchased them. The laws and attitudes of the era are also folded into the book to add context and immerse the reader into the political landscape of the day – although, it is rather clear where Alabama fell on the position of slavery.
Overall, a great addition to the canon – easy to digest and presented in an easily comprehensive, fact-filled format.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Amistad, for the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.
August 5, 2024
Whenever I read a book about slavery, I feel like I get one of two books- either a watered down version of slavery, ignoring the brutality and gruesomeness of it, or an overly brutal telling that is at times too hard and uncomfortable to read. The Survivors of the Clotida offers a fantastic middle- one that does not ignore the brutality and horror that American slaves went through, but still tells other parts of the story besides abuse. It covers the stories of the passengers of The Clotilda- the last slave ship to touch American story. It is told from the perspective of the people enslaved, and writes the story of not only their life after slavery, but their life before and what they lost. Hearing about what the passengers were forced to leave behind made this novel much more hard hitting. It is a well researched telling of the passengers of the ship and their lives before, during, and after slavery. The epilogue was fantastic, but docking a star because the non-linear timeline was at times confusing. An overall fantastic and important read.
September 16, 2024
“to deny the story of the clotilda is also to deny a history that extends far beyond alabama, and even the united states. the voyage of the clotilda and its aftermath provide a mere snapshot of african-born slavery survivors’ experiences.”
the survivors of the clotilda is a meticulously researched and powerful history of the 110 men, women, and children brought to america on the last known U.S. slave ship. spanning from the 1860s to the 1930s and beyond, and told in the survivors’ own words wherever possible, it is a devastating look at an event that was “dismissed as a hoax or ignored” until very recently.
this was a thorough look at a piece of history i know very little about, and i found it particularly timely given the current push to remove/severely limit the teaching of black history in schools. my only complaint is the way the timeline jumps around with no clear direction, making it difficult to follow along at times.
thank you to netgalley, hannah durkin, and amistad for the eARC!
rating: 4.0/5.0 stars
March 2, 2024
This is A LOT of info. A lot of names, a lot of connecting it to history. Also a very good precursor to the movie Descendant. I thought it would have more overlap of information but it really doesn’t.
May 30, 2025
Provided great background and historical context for not only the story of the Clotilda voyage but for each of the survivors. Followed all of the survivors, not just those in Africantown (as a couple of the other books I've read did). For that reason and deep history, this one is best I've read/listened to so far.
August 20, 2024
A well researched and well written history lesson. As a book, it’s maybe too heavy handed at times. Durkin endlessly “tells” us how horrible the experiences were for the Clotilda survivors instead of using more visceral depictions to do the job for her, as if she doesn’t trust the reader to properly conclude the extent of the tragedy. As one review of Uncle Tom’s Cabin said, “There’s no need to preach against slavery. Depict it - that’s enough.” One could maybe say the same of this book. You don’t need to describe the horrors and then add the footnote that they were “horrible.”
August 11, 2024
Het schip de Clotilda meerde aan op 12 juli 1860 in Amerika en had zo een 110 Afrikaanse slaafgemaakten bij zich. Het is het laatste gekende schip dat slaven vervoerde. Pas in 2019 werd haar scheepswrak teruggevonden. National Geographic maakte een documentaire over de berging en deze is momenteel te streamen op Disney Plus.
Hannah Durkin is een Brits historicus met als specialisatie de Trans-Atlantische slavenhandel. Ze won reeds meerdere academische prijzen en deed diepgaand onderzoek naar de Clotilda. Overlevenden van dit schip hebben tal van eerstehandse getuigenissen nagelaten. Aan de hand van deze en andere overgebleven documenten reconstrueert Hannah in De overlevenden van de Clotilda de geschiedenis van dit laatste slavenschip.
Het begint allemaal bij een dronkemans weddenschap tussen plantagehouder Timothy Meaher en enkele andere slavenhouders. De mannen willen geen gezichtsverlies lijden en al snel begint, wat begon als dronkemanspraat, vorm te krijgen. Een speciaal uitgerust schip wordt gebouwd, een bemanning wordt aangeworven en William Foster wordt aangesteld als kapitein. Sinds 1808, met de invoering van de Act of Prohibiting Importation of Slaves, is het invoeren van nieuwe slaven verboden in Amerika. Alles gebeurt stiekem en de bemanning is niet op de hoogte van hun missie. Zij denken dat men handel zal drijven in goederen met enkele Afrikaanse landen.
Ondertussen worden in Nigeria mannen, kinderen en vrouwen ontvoerd en gevangengezet om als slaafgemaakten naar Amerika gebracht te worden met de Clotilda. Hun tocht over de oceaan blijkt voor velen een traumatische ervaring te zijn. Eenmaal in Amerika worden families uit elkaar gehaald en komen ze terecht op verschillende plantages. Dit maakt bij hen nog diepere wonden. Later raken ze betrokken in de Amerikaanse burgeroorlog en zullen de slaafgemaakten ook aan de basis liggen van de zwarte stad Africatown.
Hannah Durkin heeft met De overlevenden van de Clotilda een indrukwekkend document geschreven. Hier is jarenlang onderzoek aan voorafgegaan en het schrijven van dit werk heeft ook enige tijd in beslag genomen. Elk woord dat ze neerpende heeft ze in een manuscript of in een getuigenverklaring teruggevonden. Het boek staat bol van de bronvermeldingen en noten, één vierde van het boek bestaat hieruit. Dit lijkt ontzettend veel, maar dit verhoogt de waarde van dit historische boek. Alles is naar waarheid neergeschreven! Het is ontzettend knap hoe de auteur dit op een leesbare manier, voor een breder leespubliek, weet over te brengen. Het verveelt geen moment. Vanaf de eerste pagina zat ik gekluisterd aan mijn zetel te lezen. Het is wel een boek waar je je aandacht bij moet houden, waardoor ik het af en toe toch even moest neerleggen om alles te laten bezinken en ook wel om te bekomen van het wrede slavenbestaan dat omschreven wordt. Tussen het lezen door bekeek ik ook de documentaire op Disney Plus Clotilda: last American slave ship, wat een extra aanvulling op het boek leek.
De overlevenden van de Clotilda bevat enkele kaarten, waarvan één met de reisroute van de Clotilda en een ander visualiseert de streek van waar de slaafgemaakten afkomstig waren. Hierdoor kan je je als lezer beter oriënteren binnen de regio’s waarover de auteur schrijft. Een mooi eerbetoon is de lijst van alle slaafgemaakten die op de Clotilda meevoeren. Maar de foto’s van enkele overlevenden raakten mij het meest. De auteur omschrijft hun gruwelen, hun trauma’s, … en om er dan een gezicht bij te zien geeft je kippenvel en is aangrijpend.
Hoewel Hannah Durkin op zeer wetenschappelijke manier het verhaal van de Clotilda brengt, is De overlevenden van de Clotilda een indrukwekkend werk, dat toegankelijk is voor een breder publiek. Het werk zou verplichte lectuur moeten worden in de Amerikaanse scholen, gezien dit toch een belangrijk deel van hun geschiedenis is. 4 sterren!
Hannah Durkin is een Brits historicus met als specialisatie de Trans-Atlantische slavenhandel. Ze won reeds meerdere academische prijzen en deed diepgaand onderzoek naar de Clotilda. Overlevenden van dit schip hebben tal van eerstehandse getuigenissen nagelaten. Aan de hand van deze en andere overgebleven documenten reconstrueert Hannah in De overlevenden van de Clotilda de geschiedenis van dit laatste slavenschip.
Het begint allemaal bij een dronkemans weddenschap tussen plantagehouder Timothy Meaher en enkele andere slavenhouders. De mannen willen geen gezichtsverlies lijden en al snel begint, wat begon als dronkemanspraat, vorm te krijgen. Een speciaal uitgerust schip wordt gebouwd, een bemanning wordt aangeworven en William Foster wordt aangesteld als kapitein. Sinds 1808, met de invoering van de Act of Prohibiting Importation of Slaves, is het invoeren van nieuwe slaven verboden in Amerika. Alles gebeurt stiekem en de bemanning is niet op de hoogte van hun missie. Zij denken dat men handel zal drijven in goederen met enkele Afrikaanse landen.
Ondertussen worden in Nigeria mannen, kinderen en vrouwen ontvoerd en gevangengezet om als slaafgemaakten naar Amerika gebracht te worden met de Clotilda. Hun tocht over de oceaan blijkt voor velen een traumatische ervaring te zijn. Eenmaal in Amerika worden families uit elkaar gehaald en komen ze terecht op verschillende plantages. Dit maakt bij hen nog diepere wonden. Later raken ze betrokken in de Amerikaanse burgeroorlog en zullen de slaafgemaakten ook aan de basis liggen van de zwarte stad Africatown.
Hannah Durkin heeft met De overlevenden van de Clotilda een indrukwekkend document geschreven. Hier is jarenlang onderzoek aan voorafgegaan en het schrijven van dit werk heeft ook enige tijd in beslag genomen. Elk woord dat ze neerpende heeft ze in een manuscript of in een getuigenverklaring teruggevonden. Het boek staat bol van de bronvermeldingen en noten, één vierde van het boek bestaat hieruit. Dit lijkt ontzettend veel, maar dit verhoogt de waarde van dit historische boek. Alles is naar waarheid neergeschreven! Het is ontzettend knap hoe de auteur dit op een leesbare manier, voor een breder leespubliek, weet over te brengen. Het verveelt geen moment. Vanaf de eerste pagina zat ik gekluisterd aan mijn zetel te lezen. Het is wel een boek waar je je aandacht bij moet houden, waardoor ik het af en toe toch even moest neerleggen om alles te laten bezinken en ook wel om te bekomen van het wrede slavenbestaan dat omschreven wordt. Tussen het lezen door bekeek ik ook de documentaire op Disney Plus Clotilda: last American slave ship, wat een extra aanvulling op het boek leek.
De overlevenden van de Clotilda bevat enkele kaarten, waarvan één met de reisroute van de Clotilda en een ander visualiseert de streek van waar de slaafgemaakten afkomstig waren. Hierdoor kan je je als lezer beter oriënteren binnen de regio’s waarover de auteur schrijft. Een mooi eerbetoon is de lijst van alle slaafgemaakten die op de Clotilda meevoeren. Maar de foto’s van enkele overlevenden raakten mij het meest. De auteur omschrijft hun gruwelen, hun trauma’s, … en om er dan een gezicht bij te zien geeft je kippenvel en is aangrijpend.
Hoewel Hannah Durkin op zeer wetenschappelijke manier het verhaal van de Clotilda brengt, is De overlevenden van de Clotilda een indrukwekkend werk, dat toegankelijk is voor een breder publiek. Het werk zou verplichte lectuur moeten worden in de Amerikaanse scholen, gezien dit toch een belangrijk deel van hun geschiedenis is. 4 sterren!
June 18, 2024
A fascinating and painful part of history that is not often taught or focused on. The Clotilda held the final African captives before the international slave trade ended and this book details the lives of these individuals that were stuck in a country that didn't want them, shunned by other free Blacks for their accents and darker skin. An unknown part of American history.
September 28, 2024
This book had lots of fascinating information but it was a bit of a slog. The writing was not engaging, and was often repetitive and awkwardly phrased. Many of the endnotes seemed to be linked to the wrong place in the text, e.g. one end note mentioned a person who was not introduced until the next paragraph, and some end notes appeared at the end of very long paragraphs even when they referenced something from the first sentence of that paragraph.
February 22, 2024
One of the best books about slavery in America written by a Brit. Also read THE LAST SLAVE SHIP (2022).
February 27, 2024
A follow up for me having read Barracoon which I enjoyed. This book does a good job detailing the capture of the passengers, the journey from Africa, and the lives endured during and post slavery. Well researched but I found it a bit less enjoyable to read. Good book for those looking to know about “the last African slaves”.
May 28, 2024
Such a sad story of the people captured and brought to the US as slaves more than 50 years after slave trading was ruled illegal in the US.
February 11, 2024
I have already read one book about the Clotilda and have both Zora Neale Hurston's book "Barracoon" and Ben Raines' book "The Last Slave Ship" on deck to read; it still will probably not be enough to explain all that happened to the people who were snatched and sold from their lands and crammed into a ship and brought here to be treated as less-than-human at the whim of arrogant, privileged, racist white people [and it is these same people's ancestors that still strive to keep the people of Africatown down as those people continue to strive for a place in this world and treatment that is both human AND humane, as the last chapters of the book shows over and over].
I will never NOT be in awe of the spirit and strength and tenacity of ALL of the peoples brought here as slaves; they were [and their ancestors are] integral to the growth and expansion of this country, in the midst of racism, lynching, targeted prison-time and more, and we all need to continue to learn about all they went through and continue to go through in just trying to be "American".
Well-written and deeply researched [I need to buy this book to do the deep dive into all the notes and footnotes etc, even though that will lead me down another rabbit-hole I am sure], this is a MUST read, especially now. We cannot move forward without continuing to look back and learn from the mistakes made and strive to NEVER make them again. People forget this [no matter how they try, they will not be able to erase the parts of history that make them uncomfortable; there will ALWAYS be people who know and speak the truth and we will never be silent] and we are here to remind them until they realize the truth. Hannah Durkin is a truth speaker and I am so glad she wrote this book and spoke more truth that needs to be heard/read.
Thank you to NetGalley, Hannah Durkin, and Amistad for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I will never NOT be in awe of the spirit and strength and tenacity of ALL of the peoples brought here as slaves; they were [and their ancestors are] integral to the growth and expansion of this country, in the midst of racism, lynching, targeted prison-time and more, and we all need to continue to learn about all they went through and continue to go through in just trying to be "American".
Well-written and deeply researched [I need to buy this book to do the deep dive into all the notes and footnotes etc, even though that will lead me down another rabbit-hole I am sure], this is a MUST read, especially now. We cannot move forward without continuing to look back and learn from the mistakes made and strive to NEVER make them again. People forget this [no matter how they try, they will not be able to erase the parts of history that make them uncomfortable; there will ALWAYS be people who know and speak the truth and we will never be silent] and we are here to remind them until they realize the truth. Hannah Durkin is a truth speaker and I am so glad she wrote this book and spoke more truth that needs to be heard/read.
Thank you to NetGalley, Hannah Durkin, and Amistad for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 20, 2024
3.5 stars
I am happy for all the information I learned about the Clotilda and its survivors, but, because the facts jump constantly between timelines and people, I had a very hard time getting to know one single person.
I am happy for all the information I learned about the Clotilda and its survivors, but, because the facts jump constantly between timelines and people, I had a very hard time getting to know one single person.
May 26, 2024
This story deserves better writing.
dnf
September 19, 2024DNF 2/20/24.
January 25, 2024
Expanding on Zora Neale Hurston’s
Barracoon , Hannah Durkin's The Survivors of the Clotilda documents the lives of the 110 individuals brought to America on the eve of the Civil War aboard the 'last' slave ship, the Clotilda. Through their lives we're provided "a mere snapshot of African-born slavery survivors' experiences. The [Clotilda's] journey was just one of around thirty-six thousand documented slave ship voyages... of the more than 12.5 million people who were forced onto slave ships..." (Pg. 268)
To provide one of the key points, the Clotilda's journey occurred fifty years after the Atlantic Slave trade was outlawed and word did get out about the ships arrival and who had funded its travels.
The book opens with a listing of all 110 individuals, known and unknown, with their names and life span. If some of those details were not known, there is still a space for each person with what information was available. From there the narrative is presented chronologically. We follow the lives of those 110 from their homes in Africa, capture by other Africans, journey to the coast, surviving the Middle Passage, life in servitude, post war 'freedom' and their struggles in the Jim Crow South. As the last known survivor, Matilda McGrear, died in January 1940 it is a book whose focus ends before the widespread Civil Rights Movement. The actions of several survivors defied white control of their lives, inspiring their descendants, as their art and folklore had some influence on the Harlem Renaissance. In a excellent closing Epilogue, Durkin brings the narrative through to the present, relating how many of the children and grandchildren of the Clotilda survivors were early participants in the Civil Rights Movement and the ongoing struggle for equality in the United States.
Hannah Durkin's depth of research is readily apparent, as we constantly hear from the 110 in their own voices, at least as recorded from speeches, interviews, legal documents, newspaper articles or other sources.
Stories of survival and trauma. The narrative is clear in showing all the horrors of slavery. The forced migration and destruction of communities, the splitting of families or the physical and mentally demanding work and constant threat of punishment. Almost all of the survivors wished to return to Africa, but the majority were never able to do so. Once freed, some established Africatown where they were able to revive their Yoruba traditions through laws and customs, such as their African style quilt making.
A timely contribution to American History detailing lesser known aspects of postbellum America. Recommended to historians, researchers or readers of American History.
I received a free digital version of this book via NetGalley thanks to the publisher.
Barracoon , Hannah Durkin's The Survivors of the Clotilda documents the lives of the 110 individuals brought to America on the eve of the Civil War aboard the 'last' slave ship, the Clotilda. Through their lives we're provided "a mere snapshot of African-born slavery survivors' experiences. The [Clotilda's] journey was just one of around thirty-six thousand documented slave ship voyages... of the more than 12.5 million people who were forced onto slave ships..." (Pg. 268)
To provide one of the key points, the Clotilda's journey occurred fifty years after the Atlantic Slave trade was outlawed and word did get out about the ships arrival and who had funded its travels.
The book opens with a listing of all 110 individuals, known and unknown, with their names and life span. If some of those details were not known, there is still a space for each person with what information was available. From there the narrative is presented chronologically. We follow the lives of those 110 from their homes in Africa, capture by other Africans, journey to the coast, surviving the Middle Passage, life in servitude, post war 'freedom' and their struggles in the Jim Crow South. As the last known survivor, Matilda McGrear, died in January 1940 it is a book whose focus ends before the widespread Civil Rights Movement. The actions of several survivors defied white control of their lives, inspiring their descendants, as their art and folklore had some influence on the Harlem Renaissance. In a excellent closing Epilogue, Durkin brings the narrative through to the present, relating how many of the children and grandchildren of the Clotilda survivors were early participants in the Civil Rights Movement and the ongoing struggle for equality in the United States.
Hannah Durkin's depth of research is readily apparent, as we constantly hear from the 110 in their own voices, at least as recorded from speeches, interviews, legal documents, newspaper articles or other sources.
Stories of survival and trauma. The narrative is clear in showing all the horrors of slavery. The forced migration and destruction of communities, the splitting of families or the physical and mentally demanding work and constant threat of punishment. Almost all of the survivors wished to return to Africa, but the majority were never able to do so. Once freed, some established Africatown where they were able to revive their Yoruba traditions through laws and customs, such as their African style quilt making.
A timely contribution to American History detailing lesser known aspects of postbellum America. Recommended to historians, researchers or readers of American History.
I received a free digital version of this book via NetGalley thanks to the publisher.
September 20, 2024
So, as you can imagine, this was quite a hard read. Not in the sense that the book was dry—I actually found Durkin's prose to flow quite well—but because the things that happened to these people are depressing if not sickening as all hell. I genuinely believe that this should be required reading as it really debunks the myth that we (in North America, but in the U.S. specifically) should get over the trans-Atlantic slave trade because it happened so long ago. Dude(s), this book lays out that these people are only the last recorded enslaved people (illegally, as slavery was outlawed by this time and the enslavers knew that and did all they could to cover their tracks and evade authorities) and so there may be more that came after them, but mainly that these people lived into the 20th century and so, yes, it's likely that someone's grandparents today (ofc depending on how old they are) could very well be the child of an enslaved person and have grown up hearing about or dealing with the trauma that was left on their families.
Another great thing about this book is that it lays bare the strength of white supremacy in not only rewriting history to more favourable outlooks on the people who participated in keeping the Clotilda survivors enslaved but also in keeping them in poverty once emancipated. It really made me think about the irony of racists telling Black folks to go back to Africa when many if not all of the Clotilda survivors expressed desires to return to their homelands but white Americans and their enslavers in particular refused to help them save or actively inhibited their ability to save the funds to do so. Like, I'm sorry, you want them to leave but you do everything possible so that they can't leave?? Racism really has no logic.
To be frank, there is little to feel good about when reading this book. Even interviews with descendants of the enslavers show the brain-rot that the myth of "it happened so long ago, get over it" creates—one descendant felt he was on equal footing with the descendants of the people his ancestors enslaved but did not even approach the bequeathment of land his family still has in the area whereas descendants of Clotilda survivors were jailed, killed by trains, lynched, etc. (as one specific and incredibly upsetting chapter details). The only person you can even feel good about shows up in the Acknowledgements: "Mike Foster, one of Africatown's biggest supporters since learning he's related to the Clotilda's captain William Foster, has for three years kept me [Durkin] abreast of his and the community's work to promote its history." Now that's allyship. Now that's working towards reparations.
Another great thing about this book is that it lays bare the strength of white supremacy in not only rewriting history to more favourable outlooks on the people who participated in keeping the Clotilda survivors enslaved but also in keeping them in poverty once emancipated. It really made me think about the irony of racists telling Black folks to go back to Africa when many if not all of the Clotilda survivors expressed desires to return to their homelands but white Americans and their enslavers in particular refused to help them save or actively inhibited their ability to save the funds to do so. Like, I'm sorry, you want them to leave but you do everything possible so that they can't leave?? Racism really has no logic.
To be frank, there is little to feel good about when reading this book. Even interviews with descendants of the enslavers show the brain-rot that the myth of "it happened so long ago, get over it" creates—one descendant felt he was on equal footing with the descendants of the people his ancestors enslaved but did not even approach the bequeathment of land his family still has in the area whereas descendants of Clotilda survivors were jailed, killed by trains, lynched, etc. (as one specific and incredibly upsetting chapter details). The only person you can even feel good about shows up in the Acknowledgements: "Mike Foster, one of Africatown's biggest supporters since learning he's related to the Clotilda's captain William Foster, has for three years kept me [Durkin] abreast of his and the community's work to promote its history." Now that's allyship. Now that's working towards reparations.
April 7, 2024
In May 2019, the world became informed that the wreckage of the last slave ship, the Clotilda, had been discovered on the Alabama shore. This book tells the story of its journey, its survivors, and their descendants.At a time when the tide began to change and white Americans were starting to see that enslaving people was wrong, creating laws making it illegal, the Clotilda and other ships were secretly used to travel to Africa and back, carrying Africans illegally, to slavery in America. Upon its last return, the Clotilda was destroyed and sunk in an effort to hide what Timothy Meaher and William Foster had done. This is an important part of American history that we should not forget. The legacy of slavery’s horrors persist to this day.
This book discusses the resistance and endurance throughout the tragedy and loss the survivors of the Clotilda experienced. When the Clotilda returned to Alabama shores for the last time, it was carrying 110 enslaved people. Some of them lived to see the beginnings of the Civil Rights Movement; some died living in the same cabins they’d lived in while they were enslaved. The land and descendants are still living without equity today.
In a time when the facts of America’s history are being debated and deliberately covered (example: banning books, making DEI guidance illegal, threatening librarians and educators), will the history of the Clotilda be seen as necessary to learn about, as the Mayflower was? It must.
Netflix has a documentary about the Clotilda. Link to an NPR article here: https://www.npr.org/2022/06/15/110500...
This book discusses the resistance and endurance throughout the tragedy and loss the survivors of the Clotilda experienced. When the Clotilda returned to Alabama shores for the last time, it was carrying 110 enslaved people. Some of them lived to see the beginnings of the Civil Rights Movement; some died living in the same cabins they’d lived in while they were enslaved. The land and descendants are still living without equity today.
In a time when the facts of America’s history are being debated and deliberately covered (example: banning books, making DEI guidance illegal, threatening librarians and educators), will the history of the Clotilda be seen as necessary to learn about, as the Mayflower was? It must.
Netflix has a documentary about the Clotilda. Link to an NPR article here: https://www.npr.org/2022/06/15/110500...
September 21, 2024
(Audiobook) This is not an easy book to read, and I couldn't read/listen it at night as it would make me too angry to sleep. Given the recent scholarship looking at the "last" slave ship to come to America, this one not only covers all the dealing before, during and after the voyage, but it looks at the lives of those impacted, from the slaves cruelly brought over to those who would profit from their forced labor. Most of the tales aren't ones of happiness, especially for the enslaved, as they dealt with upheaval from their homelands, to the last years of chattel slavery, to surviving the post-Reconstruction world, where the once slave-masters yet again asserted the dominance at the expense of the former slaves. The amount of research going into this work is incredible, and one appreciates the candor for the main tales told to conclusion, and to the tales which history eventually loses the trail. If we are going to reexamine slavery and its role in American history, works like this should be a part of the discussion. Even as the transatlantic slave trade was banned long before the Clotilda sailed, the idea of the benefit and good of slavery still drove actions in the 1850s. If the South had won the Civil War, it is likely that more ships like the Clotilda would have carried more victims to the slave-driven economies of the west. The rating is the same regardless of the format. A must-read/listen, even if it is not a particularly enjoyable read.
August 27, 2025
A fascinating history of the last recorded Africans to be enslaved in the United States. The story starts in 1860 when a Mobile river boat pilot boasts that he can successfully bring back slaves from Africa despite the bringing of new slaves to America from Africa became illegal in 1808.
It tells how the ship was built, how the men, women, and children were captured by other African tribes, the voyage to their land of captivity, their lives as slaves and their struggles after emancipation in 1865. Much of the story is about Africa Town, a town outside of Mobile that the Clotlda’s survivors and their descendants founded after being freed.
African Town, which still exists today, was founded and governed by the freed slaves. It thrived despite hindrance from the white governments in Mobile and Montgomery. Despite the hurdles, the citizens built a thriving middle class town complete with its own schools and churches.
The ship was scuttled after the trip to avid proof of the crime. The author, with the help of The University of Southern Mississippi, found the wreck in the early 2020’s. While as of the book’s writing the Clotilda had not been raised, the story of its discovery brought interest from around the world and lead to reconciliation between descendants of the enslaved and some of the enslavers.
It tells how the ship was built, how the men, women, and children were captured by other African tribes, the voyage to their land of captivity, their lives as slaves and their struggles after emancipation in 1865. Much of the story is about Africa Town, a town outside of Mobile that the Clotlda’s survivors and their descendants founded after being freed.
African Town, which still exists today, was founded and governed by the freed slaves. It thrived despite hindrance from the white governments in Mobile and Montgomery. Despite the hurdles, the citizens built a thriving middle class town complete with its own schools and churches.
The ship was scuttled after the trip to avid proof of the crime. The author, with the help of The University of Southern Mississippi, found the wreck in the early 2020’s. While as of the book’s writing the Clotilda had not been raised, the story of its discovery brought interest from around the world and lead to reconciliation between descendants of the enslaved and some of the enslavers.
January 17, 2024
The Survivors of the Clotilda The Lost Stories of the Last Captives of the American Slave Trade by Hannah Durkin
432 Pages
Publisher: Amistad
Release Date: January 30, 2024
Nonfiction (Adult), Nonfiction, History, Multicultural Interest, Slavery, Civil War, Alabama
The Clotilda was the last slave ship bringing 110 kidnapped Africans to the United States. The ship docked in Alabama and the bidding began. Some of the occupants on the ship were as young as Matilda at age two. The slave trade was already banned and several of the local politicians hid the fact the Clotilda arrived with slaves. The ship was destroyed at the docks to get rid of any evidence.
The conditions the Africans endured continued throughout their lives. Only one African every returned to his home country. They all told their stories to their families and asked that it be repeated to future generations so they would not be forgotten.
The author did an amazing job following the lives of the Africans after their arrival in the United States. Her writing style is engaging and easy to follow. It is well written and eye opening. She tells their stories as if she was listening to them firsthand. If you have an interest in American History, you should read this book.
432 Pages
Publisher: Amistad
Release Date: January 30, 2024
Nonfiction (Adult), Nonfiction, History, Multicultural Interest, Slavery, Civil War, Alabama
The Clotilda was the last slave ship bringing 110 kidnapped Africans to the United States. The ship docked in Alabama and the bidding began. Some of the occupants on the ship were as young as Matilda at age two. The slave trade was already banned and several of the local politicians hid the fact the Clotilda arrived with slaves. The ship was destroyed at the docks to get rid of any evidence.
The conditions the Africans endured continued throughout their lives. Only one African every returned to his home country. They all told their stories to their families and asked that it be repeated to future generations so they would not be forgotten.
The author did an amazing job following the lives of the Africans after their arrival in the United States. Her writing style is engaging and easy to follow. It is well written and eye opening. She tells their stories as if she was listening to them firsthand. If you have an interest in American History, you should read this book.
October 2, 2025
The Survivors of the Clotilda is one of the best books I've read in a long time. It is exceptionally well-written and thoroughly researched. Durkin follows the Clotilda captives from their abundant lives in West Africa through the horrific Middle Passage—enduring unimaginable abuse and rape—to their lives as enslaved people and eventually free citizens in Alabama. What makes this book unique is how it captures crucial complexities: Africans selling Africans, the contradictions of Christian enslavers alongside helpful whites, and how missionaries both helped and hindered. Durkin explores how the Christian faith became important to survivors for different reasons. Throughout, she honors their deep longing to return home and their resilience in building Africatown when return proved impossible.
As someone who has lived in West Africa, Durkin's authentic portrayal of the culture and people resonated powerfully, lending even greater weight to the devastating losses they endured.
As someone who has lived in West Africa, Durkin's authentic portrayal of the culture and people resonated powerfully, lending even greater weight to the devastating losses they endured.
April 26, 2024
Clotilda, the name of a ship that will live in infamy….this is one of the most profound historical records of the TransAtlantic slave trade, with personal narratives from survivors and a comprehensive view of the south, especially all those historical figures implicit in human trafficking and the parallel segregation and dehumanization. There are moments I was on the verge of tears due to my ignorance, most of my studies in American schools was on a superficial level of the history of the slave trade and a large focus on the Civil Rights Movement. It has made me realise that there is a crucial portion that I was not educated on. I implore everyone to read this book, not only for its historical context but so that we do not repeat the past and recognize even currently when egregious acts are being committed in modern times. Thank you to a British scholar for bringing this to light and may all those who suffered as in the author’s dedication, ‘the 110 and 12.5 million’ be remembered for their strength, courage and humanity.
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