Amistad - A Novel - Softcover

Pesci, David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 156924703X ISBN 13: 9781569247037

Publisher: Da Capo Press, 1997

Synopsis

Amistad is the powerfully re-imagined history of one of the country's first battles for civil rights. In 1839 fifty-three enslaved Africans, led by a Mende rice farmer named Singbe-Pieh, staged a bloody rebellion on board the Amistad, a Spanish slaver from Cuba. The Amistad was intercepted by U.S. navy officers and towed to port in New London, Connecticut, where the Africans were held for trial in New Haven. Led by President Van Buren, the pro-slavery American government maintained that the Africans were Spanish property and should by returned to Havana to be tried for murder, but members of the fledgling abolitionist movement forced a series of trials to win their freedom, culminating at the Supreme Court, where the Amistads were defended by former President John Quincy Adams.

About this title

About the Author:

David Pesci has written for The New York Times, The National Review and other regional newspapers and specialty magazines. Amistad is his debut novel.

From AudioFile:

Amistad is an inspiring audiobook made all the more moving by Courtney B. Vance's performance. The story tells of the murder trial of Singbe Pieh and 53 other enslaved Africans who staged a bloody rebellion on board the Spanish ship, Amistad. It gives poignant insight into our country's history and its budding movement to abolish slavery. Vance commands the text and moves fluidly between dialects--from Singbe Pieh's native Mende to the Hispanic accent of a disgruntled Spanish sailor. Characters come alive with his reading and allow listeners to live along with them. R.A.P. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 156924703X
• ISBN 13: 9781569247037
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304