Life on an African Slave Ship (Way People Live)

Explores the history of the slave trade between African and America, providing information about how slaves were captured, life aboard the slave ships, how the sale of slaves was executed, and what occurred after the sale.

Gr 5 Up-An exemplary series entry, this volume does a thorough and realistic job of portraying the realities and horrors of the slave trade. Chronological chapters trace the voyage, beginning with the capture of Africans through the Middle Passage to the arrival and sale in the Americas. There is also a chapter on resistance. Pertinent primary-source quotations and sidebars permeate the text and are noted in citations. Captioned pictures are scattered throughout. Two other more pictorial books that address this topic are Tom Feelings's The Middle Passage (Dial, 1995) and Jim Haskins's Bound for America (Lothrop, 1999). In addition, there are a number of other books on the African slave trade including Daniel Mannix's Black Cargoes: A History of the Atlantic Slave Trade (Viking, 1962; o.p.). However, few have as specific a focus as this one. A useful resource for history reports and projects.-Janet Woodward, Garfield High School, Seattle, WA

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