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African Town
African Town | Irene Latham, Charles Waters
9 posts | 7 read | 18 to read
Chronicling the story of the last Africans brought illegally to America in 1860, African Town is a powerful and stunning novel-in-verse. In 1860, long after the United States outlawed the importation of enslaved laborers, 110 men, women and children from Benin and Nigeria were captured and brought to Mobile, Alabama aboard a ship called Clotilda. Their journey includes the savage Middle Passage and being hidden in the swamplands along the Alabama River before being secretly parceled out to various plantations, where they made desperate attempts to maintain both their culture and also fit into the place of captivity to which they'd been delivered. At the end of the Civil War, the survivors created a community for themselves they called African Town, which still exists to this day. Told in 14 distinct voices, including that of the ship that brought them to the American shores and the founder of African Town, this powerfully affecting historical novel-in-verse recreates a pivotal moment in US and world history, the impacts of which we still feel today.
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Eggs
African Town | Irene Latham, Charles Waters
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Pickpick

HF in verse, this was amazing! Each character had his her own type of verse: nonet, triolet, acrostic, tanka etc. that fit their personality or social standing. This the story of the last slave ship from Africa, which, after Abolition, evolved into African Town near Mobile AL. It is still honored today.

#RushAThon Day 29
@Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES

DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳 1y
Eggs @DieAReader 🤗🤗 1y
61 likes1 stack add2 comments
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lauraisntwilder
African Town | Irene Latham, Charles Waters
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Pickpick

I got this novel in poems at my local indie, which is only a short walk away from Mobile Bay, resting place of the Clotilda. I thought telling the story through poems was a successful way to get multiple points of view without confusing the narrative. Still, a lot of people had to be left out. I definitely want to read some of the nonfiction accounts available. Kossola was interviewed by Zora Neale Hurston, so that's worth seeking out, I think!

lauraisntwilder I ran out of room to mention -- this was my #bookspin for August. Thanks, @TheAromaofBooks! 1y
Eggs I just borrowed this from the library and hope to start it today! 1y
21 likes1 stack add2 comments
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rachelsbrittain
African Town | Irene Latham, Charles Waters
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Pickpick

Important and heart-wrenching, this middle grade novel tells the story of the last slave ship bringing kidnapped people from Africa to the United Stated, the Clotild. The narratives skips around to tell the stories of the enslaved people as well as the men who chose to traffic them up through the Civil War and the founding of a community known as African Town.

47 likes2 stack adds
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Deblovestoread
African Town | Irene Latham, Charles Waters
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1. Tagged book added to Litsy TBR based on @Cinfhen ‘s review.
2. The Dance Tree with The Colony a close second
3. Ireland, Maui, Playa del Carmen

Want to play? @Cinfhen @Megabooks @Gissy

#WondrousWednesday

Eggs Thanks for joining in 📚🗺📚 2y
31 likes1 comment
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Cinfhen
African Town | Irene Latham, Charles Waters
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Pickpick

Absolutely stunning. Multicast narration outstanding. The story of the last slave ship out of Africa containing 110 men, women and children who were brought to Alabama as slaves. So impactful, moving, heartbreaking and ultimately uplifting. I wish this book in verse would be mandatory reading for every school student. I am so grateful to #ReadingAfrica22 #Benin for putting this book in my ears ❤️🙌🏻 Five stars

BarbaraBB Five stars! Stacked!! 2y
Librarybelle I‘d stack this based on your review if I had not already stacked it! 2y
Cinfhen It was so well done and I feel like I learnt so much @BarbaraBB @Librarybelle 2y
74 likes7 stack adds3 comments
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Cinfhen
African Town | Irene Latham, Charles Waters
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BarbaraBB You‘re doing so well with the challenge!! I wonder if I still need #Benin too 🤔 2y
Librarybelle Looking forward to your review on this! 2y
Cinfhen I feel like I‘m getting lucky @BarbaraBB with the African countries/ many are tied to other books I read - so far this audio is wonderful @Librarybelle , but sad 😔 2y
60 likes3 comments
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Onioons
African Town | Irene Latham, Charles Waters
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Based on real life events, African Town tells the story of the last enslaved people brought from Benin to Oklahoma. Only 150 years ago. The various perspectives are followed in a style reminicent of Otsuka's Buddha in the Attic. Another powerful novel capturing history through the voices western history traditionally doesnt capture.

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Hooked_on_books
African Town | Irene Latham, Charles Waters
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Pickpick

This is a novelization of the people stolen from #Benin and brought to the US illegally as the last enslaved peoples. It‘s written in verse without different poetry structures for each voice. It‘s well done and makes me want to go back and (finally) read Barracoon.

#ReadingAfrica2022

Librarybelle Stacking! 3y
55 likes4 stack adds1 comment