Publisher Description
The African is Harold Courlander's critically-acclaimed novel of the slave trade as seen through the eyes of Hwesuhunu. An insightful journey through the volatile frontiers of American slavery, this unforgettable story is the riveting primary source for Alex Haley's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Roots. Hwesuhunu's life is portrayed in heartbreaking detail. Starting with his capture by French slave traders and the horrors of the Middle Passage, The African recounts his heroic fight for survival while shipwrecked on the island of Saint Lucia, his enslavement on a Georgia plantation, and his fate-driven quest for freedom as a runaway. Throughout these ordeals, Courlander passionately and eloquently conveys the full panorama of Hwesuhunu's emotions, from the desperate confusion over his plight to his consuming search for his life's meaning. Peter Francis James' deeply resonant voice brings Courlander's masterful prose to life with power and purpose.
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"another really good book from my "sociology of the inner city child" class. the author of this book sued alex haley (the author of roots) for stealing his idea... and won! there are definitely some eerily similar experiences in both books."
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Leslie (4 out of 5 stars)
About Harold Courlander
Harold Courlander (1908–1996) was an American novelist, folklorist, and anthropologist, and an expert in the study of life in Haiti. He authored more than thirty books and plays and numerous scholarly articles.
About Peter Francis James
Peter Francis James is an accomplished actor on both the stage and the screen. His theater credits include roles in On Golden Pond, Much Ado about Nothing, and August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean. His many film and television credits include Jahfree Neema in Oz, Raymond Parks in The Rosa Parks Story, Joe Gould’s Secret, The Guiding Light, Law & Order: SVU, and Third Watch. James’ audiobook narration has won him nine AudioFile Earphones Awards.