Enslaved: The Sunken History of the Transatlantic Slave Trade

Journalist Jacobovici (coauthor, The Last Gospel) and marine archaeologist Kingsley (God’s Gold) expand on their docuseries of the same name in this informative account of efforts to find and explore “lost and forgotten slave wrecks.” They spotlight Diving with a Purpose, a group of scuba divers who located the likely location of the Leusden, a Dutch slaver whose 1738 sinking off the coast of Suriname killed 664 enslaved Africans, and the schooner Home, an Underground Railroad “freedom boat” that sank in Lake Michigan in 1858, among other wrecks. Amid technical details about the group’s expeditions, the authors document horrific conditions on the Middle Passage, detail how European demand for sugar and coffee drove the slave trade, and explain the significance of salvaged items, including the copper bracelets used as currency in Africa. (According to Royal African Company records, one enslaved person could be bought for 200 bracelets.) Also discussed are slave rebellions at sea and the lives of survivors including abolitionist Olaudah Equiano, who was trafficked from Benin in 1756. Though the writing gets choppy at times, the authors present a wealth of information and effectively commemorate the two million captured Africans who died en route to Europe and the New World. Readers will be horrified and enlightened. (Oct.)

Correction: An earlier version of this review incorrectly stated that the shipwreck Leusden had been found.