Reviews with content warning for Violence - Barracoon: The Story of the Last Slave

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Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Barracoon: The Story of the Last Slave by Zora Neale Hurston

21 reviews

scrubsandbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective

4.0

Zero sugarcoating history, just the way I like it. ZNH's conversation with Kossolo is set in a way that lets him tell his story in all its entirety, dialect and all. The narration for the audiobook felt like I was talking to him directly. It was rough to get through a lot of parts because of the themes but that is the nature of the entire story. Discomfort ought to be expected, and it is important for readers to deal with the discomfort. A definite recommend for anyone looking to pick up an important non-fiction for Black History Month.

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tinyflame4's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

3.0

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pinkalpaca's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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crazytourists_books's review

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dark informative sad medium-paced

3.0

Is it the content I expected? No.
Is this an extremely important book for the African-American history? Yes.
Did I struggle to read it? Yes.
Did my heart ache for this man (and the thousands of others, men, women, children, like him)? Of course.
Did I like it? Unfortunately not.
Would I recommend it? Yes, it's historical, and/or laographical value is huge.

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mktaylor15's review against another edition

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informative sad medium-paced

4.0

A very important anthropological piece that not only gives insight into the last ex-enslaved person from the last slave ship but also in to the beginnings of Zora Neale Hurston's career

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mmwi's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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clarabooksit's review against another edition

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sad slow-paced

3.0

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vaenire's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative tense medium-paced

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nytephoenyx's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective slow-paced

4.25

Barracoon relates the story of Kossula – one of the last Black men to be sold into slavery from Africa to the United States. This biography is an interestingly formatted one, more a collection of afternoon conversations than a traditional biography. For the content of this biography, I think that style is perfect.

Kossula’s story is woven with his history, day-to-day, and stories. Some day, Hurston would barely converse with him at all which other days, Kossula easily shared his memories from Africa. His story includes pieces of his father’s and grandfather’s stories, building a brief generational record rather than one just of emotional experience.

Historical biographies can be complicated to record because it’s very easy for the recorder to insert themselves in the narrative. It can be challenging not to set these stories in the framework of our own personal belief and/or socially accepted fact. Hurston’s ability to separate herself from Kossula’s story, especially when his narrative differed from what she understood, is admirable. It also gives greater power to Kossula’s story itself.

Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” is short as for as biographies go. You won’t get the whole story from birth to the moment of telling. In fact, you’ll only get a few snapshots of his remarkable life. What stands out the most is the emotions he shares – grief, pain, love, and loneliness. The use of his original dialect and interjections add to this. According to the (extensive) foreword, Hurston fought to keep the dialect in and as a result this manuscript was not published until recently, posthumously. While it’s unfortunate it took this long for Kossula’s story to be heard in long-form, I agree with her push to capture his authentic voice.

Albeit short, Barracoon is a unique piece of historical significance, seeking to share the voice of a freed slave in a dialogue dominated by white men. It’s well worth a read to get a glimpse of the preserved culture and to better round your understanding of American slavery.

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skitch41's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

3.5

At the dawn of the 20th century, historians, sociologists, and folklorists fanned out across the country to gather up the stories of people across America who had lived through dramatic times, particularly the Civil War. The narratives of formerly enslaved African-Americans were especially prized. In 1927, Zora Neale Hurston, not quite yet the author and oral historian people would remember her to be, interviewed an African by the name of Cudjo Lewis, who at the time was the last surviving African to be captured in Africa, sold into slavery, and shipped across the “Middle Passage” to America. Through these interviews, Ms. Hurston retells Cudjo Lewis’s life to modern readers in this fine, but short book.

For my full review, check out my book blog here.

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