Bound for America: The Forced Migration of Africans to the New World

From School Library Journal Grade 6 Up-Seldom has the plight of the African natives who were sent into slavery in the New World been more clearly and effectively presented. This combination of clear text and judicious use of primary-source material makes crystalline the inhumanity and commercialism that kept the trade in slaves alive for 350 years. Eighteen brief chapters illustrated with period and contemporary art cover the history of slavery in general; European and African society in 1492, when Columbus's contact with the New World precipitated the beginning of the transatlantic slave trade; the mechanics of the slave trade from capture to delivery; conditions on slave ships; mutinies; and what slaves could expect at the end of their journey. The volume includes a time line, a list for further reading divided between works for adults and for young people, and a sound index. Cooper's oil-and-wash paintings are exceptional, their impact resulting largely from the artist's ability to capture the suffering and stoicism of his subjects. Following on the heels of Haskins's and Benson's African Beginnings (Lothrop, 1998), this volume successfully continues the exploration of the history of people of African descent. Narrower in scope than Milton Meltzer's The Black Americans (HarperCollins, 1987) and Julius Lester's To Be a Slave (Dial, 1968), it shares their predilection for primary-source narrative. An excellent companion to Paula Fox's The Slave Dancer (Dell, 1975), this book will provide ample opportunity for thought and discussion.