THE TRANSATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE

by David Killingray ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1987

Part of a British series called ""People on the Move,"" which purports to cover the causes and effects of various population migrations, this is fast-food nonfiction: information pasted together and packaged into a convenient format. In a pedantic style, the author covers the slave trade between Africa and the Americas from the 16th to the 19th centuries. Included are its origins, organization and operations, and the effects on the slaves themselves--the conditions under which they were shipped, sold and made to work. There are also chapters on slave revolts, on the fight against the slave trade, and on life for blacks in America and Europe after it ended, up to modern civil-rights movements. Meanwhile, the text is surrounded by badly reproduced photos and boxed sections that contain statistics and quotes from documents and autobiographical accounts. There are a glossary, a chronology, a booklist, and an index. The American distributors have not removed British-isms, much less changed the British focus of the approach, rendering the book still less useful for American readers. While this might have some marginal use for homework assignments because of its accessible organization, its high price and the soporific writing make it a poor choice.

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1987

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 64

Publisher: Batsford--dist. by David & Charles

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1987

Categories: CHILDREN'S