from this book I learned more about the slave trade then I ever did in school. From how they were abducted from Africa, to how they lived in the US, to the huge numbers of black loyalists that escaped to Nova Scotia from New York after the American Civil War. The book was hard to read, but I could not have been more glad to have read it. It was very well-written and it keeps you engaged and hopeful. The lead character, Aminata Diallo just makes you want to keep going on, despite all she goes through.