This was a multi-voiced story of the last slave ship that sailed from West Africa.

This was well researched and based on the lives of the people on that ship. Heartbreaking and horrific, but an absolute necessary. This is for Middle Grade and up.

This book is so important but not the easiest to read. I would prefer not to rate books with this type of topics because I dont want to sway anyone away from reading things like this. I will rate it here because I have to but I would suggest everyone pick this book up.

I absolutely loved this story told in verse of the last slave ship that transported slaves from Africa to the US.

Wow, this was incredible. Of course I knew nothing about this because god forbid we have comprehensive American history, right? And it was so unbelievably difficult to read for that reason. This story is also so powerful. They created an entire community that still thrives.

An important read.

The formatting of this one on the kindle was bizarre and that made it quite challenging to follow the story line. Therefore, I did not finish this book.

Important and heart-wrenching. this middle grade novel tells the true story of the last slave ship bringing kidnapped people from Africa to the United Stated, the Clotild. Perhaps most shockingly, it all started with a bet and a man determined to prove he can still traffic humans into the United States even after the slave trade (though not slavery itself) has been outlawed. The narratives skips around to tell the stories of the enslaved people as well as the men who chose to traffic them and follows the characters up through the Civil War and the founding of a community known as African Town. A moving and informative story of terrible events and the incredible people who lived through them.

Stunning and heartbreaking. Incredible voice. Each character is so well defined and the addition of the various voices adds to the depth of the story. Gorgeously written.

5/5 stars. Africantown absolutely ripped my heart out. Told as a fiction story but taking into account the real names, lives, and stories of the last slaves to come to America was so beautifully written. I highly recommend that everyone read this book not just to read and learn about the families of Africatown that is a real place, but also because of the feelings it will bring as you read about different tribes coming together and try to make the best of a horrific situation.

I love verse novels, they create a great rhythm for the story and this book is full of amazing poetry.

The novel is inspired by the true story of the last African slave ship Clotilda, This is an emotional book with a tough history, with the stories and experiences of survivors who endure captivity aboard the ship, suffer brutality and deprivation as slaves in an unfamiliar country, and never forget their African roots.

The novel is told in multiple POVs, allowing you to learn the stories of people who were kidnapped and forced to Alabama. The stories throughout will stay with you long after you put down the book.

Thank you GP Putman for an early copy of this YA historical fiction novel in verse.

I had never heard of Africatown/African Town and the last slave ship. I didn’t know we knew the last slave ship. This book enlightened me in so many ways-life as a slave while knowing life in Africa, life after the civil war, American born enslaved people v African born, and so much more. A very important read written in a captivating novel in verse format that captured the voices of each character so wonderfully! (Each poem type is also explained at the end, which was really cool to see why the authors chose that style for that character).

Extraordinary novel in verse detailing the journey and lives of the African men and women who were brought to America illegally on the last slave ship, the Coltilde. This is told in 14 voices, even the ship gets a voice, and the audio version is wonderful.

I have tried this book again and got pretty far into it. But sadly I had to DNF it. I don't know if it is the writing or the fact that a white person co-authored this story. But something just didn't vibe well with me.

Where do I start to share what I love about this book? I like historical fiction thatreally is firmly rooted in actual history, and "African Town" definitely is, with extensive back matter explaining what's factual and what's fictional, as well as resources for those who want to learn more.

Because this group of Africans was brought to America just before the start of the Civil War, they were in a position later in life to clearly share what it meant to be ripped from their homelands; they had clear memories of life before enslavement, something that came into sharp contrast through the American-born character, James, who had never known life as a free person.

I especially like novels in verse like this one, where the authors use poetry to tell the story through different narrators. In the back matter, they share what type of verse they used for each character and why they made these choices.

Latham and Waters do a masterful job portraying the brutality of slavery but without being overly graphic. I'll be able to recommend this to older middle grade/young YA readers who I know can't handle detailed descriptions of violence. At the same time, the writers don't draw back from showing the deep ways the Africans were humiliated and the hardships they faced.

Most importantly, I loved how the book lets readers experience the bonds between the shipmates, how they tried to work together to return home to Africa after the war, and finally they finally accepted that this woudn't happen and built a community that blended the cultures of their homelands and that of America. A book I can't recommend highly enough, for adults as well as young readers from about age 12 up.

This historical fiction novel-in-verse lends voice to the harrowing ordeal of those captured and enslaved via the last illegal transport ship of the Clotilda.

Told from multiple points of view, this powerful and staggering account is both challenging and essential and I was grateful to have read it.

I loved this book. Written from multiple POV's and in verse, African Town tells the story of a group of Africans brought illegally to America in 1860, long after the United States had made the importation of slaves illegal. Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the ARC copy of this title to review. My ARC was a little confusing to read in places because it wasn't always clear when the speaker changed. However, because each speaker used a different kind of poetry style/format, I was able to figure it out. I really appreciated every perspective offered, even that of the ship Clotilda which brought the soon-to-be-enslaved people across the Middle Passage.

The story is one that is hard to read in places. Heartbreaking in places, ugly in places, and stunningly hopeful in other places. It is hard to imagine that this is based on real people and real events, starting in Africa and following these 110 unfortunate souls through the Civil War and after emancipation. I found the added information at the back of the novel just as informative and interesting as the novel itself.

This is one of a very few books that I've read that I will probably also look for the audio version. I think hearing the poetry in different voices with the accents and speaking mannerisms will make the reading experience an even more compelling must read.

This dramatization of America's little known history is a must read. I originally learned about Africa Town in Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" by Zora Neale Hurston, but this book takes things to a whole other level with points worth exploring in additional research.

I was initially enraptured by the title of the book and the cover but stayed for the beautifully written novel written in verse and the pretty drawings. Cannot wait to see how the authors' crafts evolve.

This was such an interesting read. At first, I read the book and liked it, but I didn't know anything about the real Africatown. I got to see an interview with the authors and found out the book was written as true to real life as possible based on stories from the descendants of the kidnapped and of Africatown. The authors really brought the story to life.

African Town's use of distinct voices to tell the story of this settlement created from the labor and struggles of these freed slaves is unique and captivating. Their stories, full of hardships, pain and sorrows, lend to the appreciation of what they created. This work of historical fiction is invaluable.

Thank you @prhaudio for a complimentary audiobook.

In this unique historical fiction novel-in-verse, we hear from multiple different perspectives, including the ship that brought the last group of enslaved people from Africa to the plantations of the US, even after importing slaves was outlawed. After the Cicil War was over, a village called African Town was formed, which is where the book derives its name.

With a full cast of characters, the audiobook really brought the story to life.

4.5 stars