African Town

"African Town" is a compelling young adult novel-in-verse that brings to life the untold story of the Clotilda, the last known ship to illegally transport enslaved Africans to the United States in 1860. Through 14 unique perspectives, including that of the ship itself, readers witness the horrors of the Middle Passage, the struggle for survival in captivity in Alabama, and the unwavering determination to maintain cultural identity. The narrative culminates in the inspiring formation of African Town, a community founded by the survivors after the Civil War, which still thrives today. This book offers a deeply emotional and historically significant exploration of resilience, injustice, and the power of community, making it an essential read for young adults interested in American history and social justice.

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.