Caribbean Books

"Raining Sardines" is just a wonderful, fantastical story. While the title references a unique phenomenon in some Latin American countries in which the skies occasionally open up and rain down sardines, hamsters, frogs, and the like, the title is a tad misleading. The story is actually about the adventures of the two principal characters (children) in their quest to save their small town from a brutish land-baron who's family has been bullying the townsfolk for decades. Flores-Galbis writes with a confident and easy prose that is both colorful and poetic. "Raining Sardines" is a fast-paced and engrossing story that is perfect for pre-teens and early teens alike... and for their parents who also love a good, whimsical adventure.

I was one of Enrique's first friends when he came to America with his three brothers. There are parts of this book that i remember him talking about when we were playing. After reading the book, I have ordered books for the elementary school back home for their library. I treasure the autographed copy I have at home, we recently saw each other again after almost 40 years, it was like we had stayed in touch all these years.

Flores-Galbis has a background in art and this is evident in his writing style. Raining Sardines is replete with figurative language and imagery. He illustrates the adventures of two young Cubans, Enriquito and Ernestina, very picturesquely. This is certainly a book that will appeal to young readers. I am currently using this novel with my advanced/gifted middle school students and, needless to say, they have developed and expressed a significant level of interest in this work.

Enrique Flores-Galbis takes you on a colorful adventure that keeps you at the edge of your seat! DO NOT start this book without leaving time to read it all the way through! Too hard to put it down! My new favorite book!

Enrique Flores paints a vivid world with his words in "Raining Sardines". This book is a fun, great read for "young" readers of all ages. I highly recommend it - que chévere.

This book is a product of copious amounts of research, and the primary source materials quoted are invaluable to any scholar or aficionado of Trinidad cultural history. The only glaring handicap is that the writing of often a little brittle, and could benefit from a strict editor to help with flow. Highly recommended for anyone's book collection or school/university library.

Only in Trinidad could a serious historian also be a serious calypsonian. This is a great, original, absorbing book. Get a Chalkdust album as a companion to the book.

Book Review.

Prof. Hollis "Chalkdust" Liverpool,
Rituals of Power & Rebellion. The Carnival of Trinidad and Tobago 1763 - 1962. Chicago: Research Associates School Times Publications and Frontline Distribution Int'l Inc., 2001. ISBN 0-94839-080-8

Dr. Hollis "Chalkdust" Liverpool has a natural talent for writing. The roots of the Carnival tradition, the history of calypso, the music, the dancing, and the masquerading date back to the place of origin, the homelands of the Africans, in the Western regions of Africa, before the period of slavery and forced migration to Trinidad. In the 18th and 19th century in Trinidad, the lyrics, the melodies, the tunes, the call/response style, everything related to calypso, were eventually affected by the Spiritual Baptists' arrival to Trinidad from the US. The Shango music and the African style of dancing from Africa were brought to Trinidad and Tobago by the slaves, and as a result of adaptation to their new environments, the Africans produced "the calypso". The Carnival and the calypso cannot be separated, for the Africans created their new style of masquerading and singing to vent their anger and frustrations from their oppression during their period of enslavement. "Rituals of Power and Rebellion" and the sequel "From the Horse's Mouth" are two books that go together and deserve recognition not only for the literary style, but for their authenticity as historical texts that shed light on a topic that few historians have discussed before. It is true that texts prior to these scholarly books were Eurocentric in their outlook. The Europeans style of masquerading was also brought by the French and others to Trinidad, but the survival of the Carnival tradition was mainly due to the Africans from Africa who created their new style of masquerading and singing in their new home in Trinidad and Tobago. Recently, Prof. Hollis "Chalkdust" Liverpool launched his book in Toronto, "From The Horse's Mouth: Stories of the history and development of the Calypso", published in Port of Spain, Trinidad: Juba Publications, 2003. ISBN 976-8194-13-8

Dr. Hollis Liverpool is currently a Cultural Anthropologist and Assistant Professor of Social Sciences at the University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas. He is a Professor, a Calypsonian, an historian, a Calypso Monarch, a writer, an author of many books and has made suggestions in his book "From the Horse's Mouth" that the music and recordings of all the calypsonians from Trinidad and Tobago should be preserved for generations to come in the Archives. The Carnival and the calypso history are part of the culture of Trinbagonians and we must be proud to promote it as such. The birth of the T and T calypso has its own natural beauty. Dr. Liverpool says, and I put it succinctly, "If you don't buy a book for yourself, buy them for your children," and I agree with him. We must teach our kids the appropriate historiography of our country of birth. I enjoyed reading both these books, because now I have a greater understanding of Caribbean history, music, culture, and traditions. Trinidad and Tobago has calypso, kaiso, soca, chutney soca and many more styles of music yet to come.
Review by Henrietta Akit, a Trinidadian from Toronto. B.A. Honors in History, from the University of Western Ontario, Canada.

A REVIEW OF
"RITUALS of POWER and REBELLION"
November 26, 2001

A masterpiece of social history, Dr.Liverpool's book, "Rituals of Power & Rebellion -The Carnival Tradition in Trinidad & Tobago 1763-1962" is an invaluable addition to the scattered body of literature available on this topic. Hollis "Chalkie" Liverpool, has successfully managed to put into context, the social, political, economic and cultural forces which inadvertently came together to create the greatest show on earth. Rituals of Power & Rebellion is an in-depth study of the development of Trinidad carnival. It reveals that what appeared to be simply a musical bacchanal, was in fact the struggle of an oppressed people to maintain their cultural identity in a land of foreign domination, class struggle, economic deprivation and political strife, The Trinidad carnival provided an outlet for the maintenance of sanity and a powerful weapon to resist oppression & injustice.

Dr. Liverpool has done the people of Trinidad and Tobago a tremendous favour by making this book available for posterity. He has set a standard in a West Indian context, that is rivaled only by Dr. Williams' "Capitalism & Slavery" and Walter Rodney's "How Europe Underdeveloped Africa" in terms of his documentation of historical events. The extensive research that went into the writing of this book is beyond impressive and the fact that is was written by a son with the caliber of "Chalkie" as opposed to a foreign observer is a credit to West Indian scholarship.

This book should be read by anyone interested in the history of Trinidad and should be compulsory reading for students of West Indian history at the University level. To a griot and historian, I say Chuba Dubai.

J. Michael De Gale

Toronto, Canada.

"Rituals Of Power and Rebellion" by noted historian and calypsonian, Dr. Hollis "chalkdust" Liverpool, is a masterpiece of scholarship, insight and impressive research. An in-depth study of the evolution of Carnival in the Caribbean and in Trinidad & Tobago in particular, "Rituals Of Power & Rebellion" is that history lesson, which needed to be told and which now needs to be read by all people of the African Diaspora. Dr. Liverpool uses his wonderful skills as a storyteller to keep his readers enthralled as he unravels the many layers of social, anthropological, cultural and musical history, which have contributed to the survival and evolution of Carnival. As a history of Carnival, "Rituals Of Power & Rebellion is unparalleled. It covers all aspects of Carnival's growth and evolution. The book takes the reader beyond the shores of Trinidad & Tobago as it examines the strong cultural and social ties, which kept the displaced and enslaved African closely connected to his African traditions, as evidenced by the nature and characteristics of the Caribbean masquerade. "Enslavement, then, did not cut the cultural rope linking Africa to the New World. Rather, there was always continuity and change. ... The Carnival in Trinidad then, was filled with African traditions of mask, masking, masquerading, singing and dancing." Dr. Liverpool shows how European and other ethnic traditions also influenced the manner in which Carnival evolved. "The tradition of Carnival, it will be seen, was utilzed by the people as part of their organized cultural resistance, to check the imposition of European values and customs on Africans generally." "Rituals Of Power & Rebellion" is a wealth of information. It brings together many of the elements - positive and negative - which have contributed to the social and cultural evolution of the displaced and enslaved African. It gives the reader an in-depth look at the traditions and customs of Africa, which survived the Middle Passage -- those African myths, customs and rituals, which are so important to the heritage of the displaced African wherever he happens to be. "That the Carnival tradition survived from 1783 to 1962 was due in no small measure to the resilience of the Africans in Trinidad and their determination to carry out their West African traditions despite the attempts of the dominant elites and the Colonial Government to rob them of their memories and legacies." Calypso is traditional Carnival and Dr. Liverpool gives his readers a master's course on this subject as he shows the direct relationship of calypso to the music of Africa in technique, rhythm and style. "The roots of music and dance as contained in the Carnival of Trinidad go back therefore to Africa, where music is integral to almost all aspects of community life". The book gives a detailed look at the various musical instruments and the patterns of music, which have influenced the development of calypso, as well as other forms of Caribbean music. It is a fascinating account, which gives, in great details, evidence of the strong connection, which the music of the Caribbean still has with the African continent. We are told that, "Singing in the Caribbean followed the African impromptu style and call-and -response pattern." Dr. Liverpool gives such an in-depth analysis of the subject that this book becomes a most useful reference for students of Caribbean/African musicology. "RITUALS OF POWER & REBELLION" educates the reader on the evolution of Carnival, the music and the masking and, in so doing, gives a remarkably in-depth historical review of the period in question. Not only does it provide the political and cultural aspects of the celebration of carnival from 1763 to 1962, but it also gives an insightful account of Trinidad's history during that period.It shows the indubitable spirit of the displaced and enslaved African in the struggle to survive the harshest of conditions in a place far removed from the land of his forefathers. On reading "RITUALS OF POWER & REBELLION" one becomes acutely conscious of the important role of a people's heritage on their cultural and social evolution, often in ways not usually considered. Dr. Liverpool has written an exceptional book. To his credit as a storyteller, this remarkable historical account flows beautifully and becomes an easy read. It will, no doubt, become an important part of the scholarship for students of Afro/Caribbean studies. It should also become a much-used reference on bookshelves in the homes of anyone interested in the evolution of Carnival in the caribbean and in the cultural history of people of the African Diaspora. Hats off to Dr. Hollis "Chalkdust" Liverpool for such an impressive tour de fource...Kanchan Gilfillian & Anthony County... New York, N.Y.

julio cortazar's poems are truly great. they're simple, beautiful and sad. i recommend anybody who loves or likes poetry to read this book. i keep coming back to cortazar's poems all the time. his poems are written very beautifully. like this line " i was a tango lyric to your indifferent tune."

This was my first reading of this author and I loved it. His style has the right mix of subtlety and frankness(for lack of a better word). The book has each poem in Spanish as well as english.

julio cortazar's poems are truly great. they're simple, beautiful and sad. i recommend anybody who loves or likes poetry to read this book. i keep coming back to cortazar's poems all the time. his poems are written very beautifully. like this line " i was a tango lyric to your indifferent tune."

... if you're dreaming, if you're breathing air or poetry. This book will make you want to write, it'll make you want to read it again and again, it'll sometimes leave you speechless and breathless, and some other times eager to go and tell others to read it. I must have read it as a whole at least eight times and some poems must've entered through my eyes at least 30 times. And I always return to it. It feels like home.

Cortazar seizes the heart, the throat, the gut... every part of the body. As with most great poetry, critical and interpretive words will not suffice; poetry must speak for itself. Cortazar's simplicity and force lies in its ability to speak volumes all on its own. From his insistent "I accept this destiny of ironed shirts,/I get to the movies on time, I give my seat to old ladies." in "The Good Boy" to his exquisitely simple, "Everything I'd want from you/is finally so little/ because finally it's everything", Cortazar describes simply what it is to feel.

Most importantly, this book is in Spanish and English, so linguistic purists will be able to compare the original with the translation (which for me is also the mark of an excellent book.)

A wonderful novel. I found it difficult to stop reading this beautifully written & translated book. The story is told in a way that brings vivid visuals to mind. It takes you on an entertaining rollercoaster ride through the emotions associated with romance, friendship, and self-discovery. I would highly recommend it to anyone who has enjoyed "Like water for chocolate" or "Love in the time of cholera".

This first novel by Puerto Rican writer Mayra Santos is the voyage of a couple of characters seeking for a better future in the Domincan Republic.The main two characters are carefully constructed by Santos, so that the reader gets a believable and loving kid, that dresses as a woman and amazes people with his voice, plus an enchanting woman that guides his career. Santos also utilizes different points of view to complete the story and even incorporates parts in English that reflect the contradicting situation in the Caribbean. Santos involves the reader through a journey of music, love, and ambition using her best skills as a talented writer. Part sad, and part happy, the successful combination of fiction and history in "Sirena Selena" is not to be missed.

It has been a long time since I have read a beautiful novel set in the Caribbean. I had to get my hands on Mayra Santos Febres's book! It is so great to rediscover my Latin roots!

Sirena Selena is a fifteen-year-old boy whose grandmother died and left him alone in the streets of San Juan. The boy, however, had a great gift: he had the voice of an angel. Having heard him sing sad boleros in an alley, La Martha -- a Drag Queen and nightclub owner -- decides to take the boy under "her" wing. The novel takes you on a delicious and poignant trip to the life-altering events of Selena's life.

I love the bickering and the conversations between the "locas"; it is hilarious. The storytelling and language is beautiful. I marvel at the flawless translation. This is a very unique novel that everyone should indulge in. I highly recommend it!

I loved this book. It has the feel of an anthopological study on street living and the glamour that is always elusive and fleeting. Martha is indeed divine, as a character and the wisdom that she imparts. A great look at a very vibrant part of society which most of us don't know. It has many tragic and unjust moments, but it all goes towards making that perfect performance. Great book.

When the 15 year-old Sirena Selena gets dolled up like a goddess and emotes her way through heart-wrenching boleros that her abuela taught her, men get weak in the knees and women swoon. That Sirena happens to be a boy (and massively hung) with his whole illusion masterminded by La Martha (another draga of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico) makes no difference to anybody once they are in the overwhelming power of the voice and the image. They have seen Heaven and they want a piece of it, whether under the gown they find boy, girl or something totally new. Santos-Febres is brilliant in her descriptions of gender construction and the artifice of "womanly wiles" as well as of the fragility of their opposite, the macho facade. The gossip, cat-fighting and climbing that the dragas of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic indulge in becomes almost heroic in her capable hands. The tale of a "woman" besting her man is as old as the hills, but the Caribbean sizzle and drag-queen sass make this novel as refreshing a delight to read in the moment as it is a provocative moral tale to ponder after the fact. Ay, carajo! Sing out, Sirena Selena!

This book that is great to give to new families starting out their library. The rythm of this story makes it so fun to read and for the kids to listen to- over and over and over again. Its simple enough for the youngest child to have fun with and fill in the fun sounds, or a life lesson in getting, or not getting, your work done for older kids.

My 7 month old loves this book. His face lights up when he hears the rain "plinka, plinka" and the wind "Wooya, Wooya". He also loves the pictures. I know this will always be one of his favorites.

The talents of the prolific Nancy Van Laan ("In a Circle Long Ago," and many others) and illustrator Yumi Heo ("Sometimes I'm Bombaloo") combine in this cheery retelling of a Brazilian folktale about blackmouth monkeys. The monkeys frolic through the Brazilian rainforest, swinging from vine to vine, and, most importantly, climbing the thorny tall trees:

Still they climb, UP-UP!
And they slide, Down-Down!
They sing, "Jibba-jibba-jabba."
swinging round and round

JUMP, JABBA JABBA,
RUN, JABBA JABBA,
SLIDE, JABBA JABBA,
Tiny monkeys having fun!

But these same trees keep them from having a comfortable home, unlike their neighbors the armadillo and the toucan. The monkeys SAY they're going to build a house, but fun and delicious things (e.g., bananas!) keep them from doing it!

The short rhymes and wonderful animal and nature sounds make this a very fun book to read out loud. The rhythms are musical, and the capitalized sounds (e.g., PLINKA PLINKA, WOOYA WOOYA, GURR-YUH GURR-YUH) are your cue to turn up the narrative volume for your little one. They'll eat it up. Slightly older toddlers may also enjoy the monkeys' priorities of fun and food over practicality. Yumi Heo has an unusual palette: I love the blues in her bubbling river and stormy sky. Her repetition of the playing monkeys nicely complements the repeated sounds of the text, and her flat, "folkish" drawings, filled with repeated designs and iconic imagery, evoke the teeming rainforest. The book was included in "The 3rd Edition of The New York Times Parent's Guide to the Best Books for Children." A simple but superb performance by van Laan and Heo.

Both my three year old daughter and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's rhyming verse is fun to read and the pictures are captivating. The actual story of how the carefree monkeys avoid making their night-time nests is light-hearted and amusing. My daughter and I borrowed this entertaining book from our local library. We liked it so well that I intend to buy it for her collection of favorites.

Never mind the review that says this for age 3+. My 14 month old won't go to bed until we've read this at least three times. He's barely talking but he picks up the books and says "Whee!" And his older brother (age 4) chimes in with the "Jibba Jibba Jabba" every time!

First off, let it be said that this is not a critique from the right. People ought to read this work, which is more informative in terms of what we want to do now than, say, the Bolivia Diary, which we don't want to repeat.

One can see here something that has plagued the left for many, many, years. Throughout Che's work, there is a very comprehensive idea of the "good" person and all members of society will be molded into such a person. Che says that in socialism, heroism will become a feature of everyday life.

This sort of hypermoralistic perfectionism is not what governments should be doing. Heroism should "above the call of duty" and not made a public goal. Governments should expand freedom, which could very well include redistributing wealth or changing workplaces and forms of ownership. But creating the new socialist man should be left up to citizens to figure out.

Elections would be nice, too.

In this small book, originaly a letter, Guevara explains the various steps that individuals have in the revolutionary strugle. He explains the relation between a vanguard party and the masses, and focus on the echo that the party has to have on the masses needs. This is a key point in understanding Cuba and Socialism since in a one party sistem, the only way of having a participative democracie is by forcing the party to follow the peoples needs. More over, it's the view of a very tender and humane man, that differs greatly from the more known Stalinist Socialism.

Does socialism deaden individual freedom and creativity? Che Guevara, a leader of the Cuban revolution, answers this question in this 1965 article. He draws on the experience of that revolution. Guevara demonstrates that the individual reaches its highest creativity as part of the struggle against the exploitation and violence of capitalism. It is only through this process that the individual can reach his or her fullest development.

This pamphlet ranks with the communist manifesto, with State and the Revolution, with Trotsky's great writings against stalin, as one of the texts the encapsulates why and how we fight for a world of working people in power, why revolutionists like Che gave their lives for the cause of socialism, why humanity has a future out of the muck and mire and filth, why we fight.

Che admits revolutionists fight for the love of the world. Che who brought books of poetry and of languages and of higher math with him to Bolivia, not for his own enjoyment, but to truly educate the other fighters, Che in simple direct butalmost poetic words, explains why we fight, why we will win.


While this book may not be directly available from Amazon at times, they are available from the booksfrompathfinder on Amazon that you can find by clicking on the new and used books on this page.

Why did Cuba survive the 'collapse of communism' ? Che Guevara explained that
without a communist party, a genuine one which means led by the most politically
conscious and self-sacrificing workers and farmers, leading a constant battle for workers'
control and a higher level of consciousness and solidarity among the whole population,
any revolution would slide back toward capitalism. The Cuban Communist Party is such a
party: the only one in power anywhere since the 1920s.Thus, he predicted the collapse
of Stalinism ( as opposed to communism).Cuba put his ideas into practice in the middle
to late 1980s for the first time on a nationwide basis.It was this battle against bureaucracy
and for workers' democracy that made Cuba strong enough to survive its severest
economic crisis since the revolutionary triumph.Cuba is ready to aid as always any
revolutionary movements that develop as a result of the present crisis of capitalism, and
to aid the revolutions to come : its internationalism is intact. The basic line of march ,the
ideas as a guide to action that make Cuba capable of mobilizing millions for socialism and
the revolution in 2002 are outlined in this pamphlet.Workers and farmers everywhere
who fight back against capital NEED THIS BOOKLET.

This book is an excellent and entertaining devotional for Christians. Swashbuckling faith uses examples from the movie to help us learn more about God's love for us through Jesus. The author has an amazing way of drawing you in to the topic very creatively as he brings spiritual truths to light in a very practicaly way. I highly recommend this book for Christians young and old.

Who ever would have thought that Jack Sparrow's piratical ways could have meaning for a Christian ? Tim Wesemann creatively combines spiritual truths with humor and an unmistakable passion for furthering his and our relationship with God.It's like being handed a map for your faith ! Dig up this treasure....And be a good little pirate and share the gems with your friends.

Tim Wesemann has a writing style that leads a reader down a comfortable journey. In this book he outlines the treasures and the choppy waters we can face as we walk a Christian life. The journey in this book is wonderfully humorous but just as equally inspiring. If you are looking to mature in your faith, this book can certainly fit the bill in an entertaining way. The only problem is that it was such an easy read that I finished it way too fast. Now I'll have to go back and read it again and again (what a problem to have)!

Pirates of the Caribbean, the original Disney movie, had plenty of supernatural elements to it. But is there anything we can learn from it about Christian living? In Swashbuckling Faith, former pastor Tim Wesemann contends that there are pearls of truth throughout the film worthy of our exploration.

The book contains 32 brief chapters, each a lesson using the movie's plot as a springboard (or plank) for discussion. Each chapter begins with a "pirate's hook," a snapshot from the movie illustrated the pearl of truth. The topics range from honoring codes and mutiny to captains needing crews and trusting our anchor.

Perhaps my favorite treasure/lesson in the book was "One Good Deed Deserves..." In the movie, Commodore Norrington tells Jack, "One good deed is not enough to redeem a man of a lifetime of wickedness." Wesemann pillages this spiritual truth wonderfully: "Maybe a better question is whether one good act should redeem us from a lifetime of iniquity." (30)

With almost any book of this nature, one naturally expects a certain amount of cheesiness. While there are cheesy elements in Swashbuckling Faith (such as the JSV Bible translation- Jack Sparrow Version), it's kept at an appropriate level without going too far over board. Tim Wesemann is a poetic writer who skillfully navigates the deeper waters of living faith. Avast me heartys, this be a fun and practical read whether yer landlubbin or out to sea. Now, bring me that horizon...

This is a book that I just couldn't put down. It was a real boost to my faith. It was entertaining, interesting, challenging and faith building. I will go back to it again and again for encouragement and fun. I can't recommend it enough.

Alice Pero's work weaves its way around the psyche like so many vines gone "liberated." It is ephemeral at times, while rock solid at others; allowing for the ebb and flow that is life. There are many possible "reads" of this book~none (thank goodness) will be the same...neither will the reader, upon being freed up from too much gravity, finding him/herself reaching contentedly ever closer to the stars.

Alice Pero writes lean, twisty, surprising lines. She's not afraid of abstractions or even of old-fashioned soaring, but even her flightiest poems ambush us with bits of kitchenware and other earthly trinkets, always, somehow, appropriate. Her ability to move like lightning between familiar and esoteric reminds me of Emily Dickinson, except that in Alice's poems, death is no masterful gentleman, just a bratty kid throwing a tantrum because no one in Alice's world quite believes in him. She's often funny and occasionally (e.g., in her poem "With Very Good Reason", dedicated to the New Yorker) gloriously snide (and spot-on). I found that the book improved as I read, and even on rereading (which the book demanded), I found the first section less compelling than what followed, so I urge browsing readers to sample the later chapters as well as Chapter 1 before making up their minds. I think if you do, you'll find she'd speaking to you and that she speaks VERY well.

Her work is highly readable,simple in its rhythms, wonderfully rich in its content. She has obviously put in the hours and effort to hone each of these poems to completeness. Even poems tinged with loss are kept from becoming maudlin or overly wrought. Everything is clean as can be.

These are very moving poems, in the guise of playful jaunts to another realm.

"Thawed Stars," poems by Alice Pero is full of energy, delight and exhilaration. Poems leap into your mind and become three dimensional experiences. The deceptive innocence, the light-heartedness, rides over a profound wisdom. This is a being, a viewpoint, at play who makes worlds. And the worlds are worth visiting. Some are worth living in. Great art lets you live in it and lives in you. Like a favorite song or painting, some of these poems continue to resonate, and one returns to them as to friends for friendly company. At a time when "serious art" must bow to pain and loss, these poems operate out of a lightness of being so pure that one is in danger of disappearing into a dance. I have read every word of this book and thoroughly recommend it.

While taking an African American literature course in college I was introduced to this novella written by William Craft. It is a must-read for American and African American history classes. The novella is a quick and easy read, with the capacity for great discussion and in-depth analysis. Humor, suspense, mystery and action is all provided in this wonderful tale of escape and hypocrisey.

Ellen and William Craft were a young (mid-20's) slave couple who made a daring escape to freedom. Light-skinned Ellen cut her hair short and dressed in the suit and tophat of a white planter. Since she was illiterate, her husband William made a sling for her arm, so she had an excuse not to sign hotel registers. And since she had a womanly voice, the couple devised a poultice tied around her jaw indicating she had a bad toothache and could not speak. William played the role of his white massa's slave. And the couple traveled by train, steamship, and wagon to their destination in the north. They soon became popular lecturers in the United States and Europe. This is a remarkable story of daring and bravery and should be read by everyone. Anyone who wants to introduce their children to good historical fiction should get them The Journal of Darien Duff, an Emancipated Slave, The Diary of a Slave Girl, Ruby Jo, and The Journal of Leroy Jones, a Fugitive Slave.

This book is a captivating account of the injustices of slavery and a amazing story of two fugitives running for there freedom. This book is a great story that should be taught in schools and should not be ignored in American History classes. It opened my mind to the horrors slavery actually caused. It represents a part of our history that should never be repeated. 5 plus stars.

I read this for a college history survey course before it was mistakenly announced that the book was out of print. The book was dropped from the syllabus, but I am glad I read it anyway.

The first and shortest part of the book is William Craft's powerful account of how he and his wife Ellen executed a daring escape from servitude in Georgia. Their plan was remarkable in its ingenuity: The almost white Ellen, outfitted with a master's clothes and a poultice on her face to prevent incriminating speech with strangers, and her husband William, disguised as a servant, escaped to freedom in the north. Travelling by rail, the pair exultantly crossed over into Canada and from thence headed for England.

The second part of the book is a third person summary of the couple's travels after their ambitious escape. It follows them from Georgia through the slave and free states, in which they were well received and protected (especially in Boston), up to Halifax and across the water to England. I found the final two thirds of the book the most enjoyable, as it treated of foreign travel, in which I have a keen interest. Both portions of the book are beautifully written and often gripping. I hope a few of my classmates read this before that announcement. This book is both pleasurable to read and historically vital.

Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom is a must read for all American history students and should be required reading at least at the high school level. This book gives the reader a first-person view of that "Peculiar Instition" known as slavery and to what lengths one will go to achieve personal freedom. This book will change your view of slavery forever.

For many Westerners, history is something that happened last year and this deliberate ignorance of the past gives rise to many false beliefs today. Chief among them would be the belief in the West that we have always been aggressors in the Levant and Islam is simply now fighting back. Even a cursury examination of history reveals the dangerous falsehood in that belief.

Niccolo Capponi's book on the Battle of Curzolaris (AKA Lepanto to many Americans)is well worth the time to read. Though he breaks no real new ground, his detail and love of subject (pre 16th century Med cultures, esp. Italy)shows. Copiously end noted with many charts comparing manpower, ships, armaments, losses etc (about 20% of the book), the book puts together an engrossing story of a world at war.

From the pre League political climate and the earlier attempts to forge a concerted Christian force to battle the Ottomans as they ravaged the shores of Europe, Mr. Capponi's book does an admirable job of illustrating the problems and weaknesses of Christian Europe at this time. He notes how the new Pope, Pius V would be the mover and true shaker of the enterprise. to do so, he had to overcome a relucant Spain, many suspicious Italian states, the crusading orders of St Stephen and Hospitallers, the machinations of France trying to aid its Ottoman allies(!), and everyone's suspicions of Venice. By devious use of subsidies and reminders of religious duty, Pius finally cobbles together his League.

Ironically it would be the Ottoman capture of Famagusta(Cyprus), a Venetian possession and the treatment of the garrison and inhabitants that would cause a creaky alliance to tun into a avenging force that went on to destroy the bulk of the Ottoman fleet. It is here that Capponi is strongest, his detailed knowledge of the people involved paints the battle in colorful detail. He highlights the bravery of both sides and gives credit where it is due to both Moslem and Christian bravery.

The battle itself is well treated but it is the prefacing of the battle and the aftermath (often surprising and sad at the same time) that is the best part. This time was not one of cleanly divided lines, politically or religously. Both sides had no problems with slavery or disrupting lives and livelihoods in the region. Alliances were often temporary and often surprising. Both sides were torn with factional infighting but for this once, the Christian side was less so. It can truly be said that this was one of the turning points of history....

Niccolò Capponi has written a fascinating and detailed history of Europe and the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century and the fractious relationships between the European states,the Venetian Republic,and the Papacy. Often more suspicious of each other than of the Turks, they finally merged into a shaky Christian coalition which faced down the Sultan's navy at the battle of Lepanto. Although full of historical and military detail, "Victory of the West" is a very readable book, laced with humor and compassion, and much attention to good storytelling. When the two naval forces finally face each other, I guarantee you won't be able to put the book down until the finish!

A good description of this so important battle events that lead to it and the main characters involved.

The description of the battle itself could be more extended, but I realize that without animation and modern resources it is hard to describe a 500 ship melee.
Maybe someone could design an adequate animation to complement a fine book like this one?

by far the best book I have read on this battle, full of information and ancedote

An excellent book that from now on (but just until I'll write my own narration of Lepanto ....) will be the unquestionable reference work on the subject. Almost one hundred years ago Alethea Wiel, in The Navy of Venice (London, 1910) wrote: "They (the six Venetian Galleasses positioned in front of the Christian fleet) bore so distinguished and important a part in the crushing defeat of the Turks at Lepanto as to have, it is said, secured the victory to Venice and her allies." This in one of the various points that Niccolò Capponi, leading Italian military historian, probed and researched in depth providing full evidence of what really happened the 7th of October 1571. Many errors, constantly repeated since the times of Jurien de la Gravière (and perhaps earlier) by almost all the authors, have been so eradicated with the help of an opulent amount of newly discovered archival documents.
Some inaccuracies: at page 187 the moschetto, a small piece of artillery was named after a bird, a special kind of falcon; at page 192 Antonio (and not Arturo) Surian, called the Armenian, was a very well known inventor and not a Master Gunner. This is all I have been able to discover so far but, being green with envy, I am sure that reading the book again I'll be able to uncover other crucial blunders of the same magnitude.
Summing up: a virtually flawless, superior level academic work that can be read with absolute ease and pleasure.