When I first started this book, I couldn’t believe the statistic that only 13 slave ships have been recovered after 10s of thousands sailed across the Atlantic. However, by the end of the book, the destruction of the remarkable Africatown, Alabama, gives insight into exactly what happens when Black individuals thrive and show their resilience while also uncovering the egregious acts against them. They’re systemically destroyed. 

The Meaher family, to this day, ought to be ashamed of themselves - it breaks me that the remnants of Africatown are nearly gone from physical history. The nearly complete destruction by the Meahers of Africatown to hide their own wrongdoing and guilt culminated in a great loss of historical sites which should have been preserved for generations. Instead, the cancer-causing pollution is what’s left of their legacy. 

The US really needs to re-evaluate what is taught in schools and what we hold in high esteem. Though Cudjo and his kin painfully dreamed of going back to Africa his whole life, I think it’s safe to say he and the founders of Africatown are the best US history has to offer.