An excellent 5-star read for me, which I found recently after I both read and listened to the audio recording of Zora Neale Hurston's Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo". Hurston's interview with the last survivor of the slave ship Clotilda is focused on Kossula, or Cudjo Lewis. In this more expansive narrative history, Hannah Durkin takes the time to fill in the gaps and the backstories of the other players in this history, including the other 109 captives that were transported from West Africa to Mobile, Alabama, on the eve of the American Civil War.

As a student and teacher of history, I was already familiar with much of the contextual background that Durkin lays out for the Reconstruction South in which the captive shipmates find themselves stranded for the rest of their lives. What Durkin does so well in this history is relay the history of the rest of the survivors, following the lives of the various groups as they were sold off to about three different major plantations in the Mobile community. In doing so, Durkin uses an non-linear format, tracing the lives of each group of Yoruba slaves from their separation at the slave auction to the emancipation after the end of the Civil War. Although some readers did not take to this non-linear format, I thought it was quite effective in its approach.

I was shocked at the amount of illegal slave trading that was going on during this time period. For some stupid reason, I thought the Clotilda was an anomaly, not something that was much more frequent than I thought. To my dismay, as I perused Durkin's footnotes, I learned that the U.S., both north and south regions, were still deeply embedded in the illegal international slave trade, and many government officials turned a blind eye in the face of greed, corruption, and profit.

Much appreciation to the long hours of scholarship that went into the research for the writing of this book. Hannah Durkin, you have my utmost admiration. Kudos on an excellent book!

the survivors of the clotilda is a meticulously researched and powerful history of the 110 men, women, and children brought to america on the last known U.S. slave ship. spanning from the 1860s to the 1930s and beyond, and told in the survivors’ own words wherever possible, it is a devastating look at an event that was “dismissed as a hoax or ignored” until very recently.

this was a thorough look at a piece of history i know very little about, and i found it particularly timely given the current push to remove/severely limit the teaching of black history in schools. my only complaint is the way the timeline jumps around with no clear direction, making it difficult to follow along at times.

“That effort to police the past was so successful that the Clotilda was still being dismissed as a hoax or ignored by historians until well into the twenty-first century.”

“To deny the story of the Clotilda is also to deny a history that extends far beyond Alabama, and even the United States. The voyage of the Clotilda and its aftermath provide a snapshot of African-born slavery survivors’ experiences. The ship’s journey was one of around thirty-six thousand documented slave ship voyages that were made across the Atlantic from the start of the sixteenth century until perhaps well into the 1870s.”

“Yet archival material relating to the Clotilda and its survivors collectively represents by far the most detailed record of a single slave ship voyage and its legacies. Moreover, it is the only Middle Passage story that can be told comprehensively from the perspective of those enslaved.“

In 1860, the Clotilda was the last slave ship to reach the US. Such smuggling was already illegal, so after the ship landed it was scuttled. I believe that its remains have only recently been recovered. The ship’s cargo was a group of Africans, many of them children, who had been captured in a battle with other Africans and then sold to the white slavers. The conspirators behind this crime denied any wrongdoing and hid the Africans.

This book gives the Africans their rightful backstory, often in their own words. It is meticulously researched and very detailed, but it is not dry. Many of the Africans died during the voyage. The survivors arrived naked, diseased and emaciated. The book describes their lives in Africa and then traces their story (and that of their descendants) from capture, voyage, enslavement, emancipation, reconstruction, and up to the civil rights movement.

The survivors never managed to return to Africa, but they tried very hard to get there and longed for their homes until they died. Some established their own town, some bought their own homesteads, but it was not easy for them. One elderly woman’s train travel was fraught: “…the segregated women’s toilet facilities were rarely cleaned and frequently blocked …. the segregated drinking water was carried in one of the buckets used for mopping the men’s restroom. The penalty for a Black person trespassing or loitering in the wrong section of the segregated station was a day in court and a dollar fine.”

This book was well written and very educational. There are a lot of footnotes and a lengthy bibliography. There are also illustrations, but unfortunately they were not included in my ebook ARC. I also listened to the audiobook. The narration by Tariye Peterside was excellent.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

I genuinely appreciate the sheer amount of research that went into this book. Although it borrows heavily from Barracoon (maintaining the use of dialect, which some readers may find difficult), there is also an extensive amount of additional work presented here. There are now several books on the Clotilda, but Durkin's is comprehensive: her explorations into the more modern Africatown bring the book a level of clarity not seen in others. The threads of various survivors weave in and out of the story, journeying through time into the current era.

I have already read one book about the Clotilda and have both Zora Neale Hurston's book "Barracoon" and Ben Raines' book "The Last Slave Ship" on deck to read; it still will probably not be enough to explain all that happened to the people who were snatched and sold from their lands and crammed into a ship and brought here to be treated as less-than-human at the whim of arrogant, privileged, racist white people [and it is these same people's ancestors that still strive to keep the people of Africatown down as those people continue to strive for a place in this world and treatment that is both human AND humane, as the last chapters of the book shows over and over].

I will never NOT be in awe of the spirit and strength and tenacity of ALL of the peoples brought here as slaves; they were [and their ancestors are] integral to the growth and expansion of this country, in the midst of racism, lynching, targeted prison-time and more, and we all need to continue to learn about all they went through and continue to go through in just trying to be "American".

Well-written and deeply researched [I need to buy this book to do the deep dive into all the notes and footnotes etc, even though that will lead me down another rabbit-hole I am sure], this is a MUST read, especially now. We cannot move forward without continuing to look back and learn from the mistakes made and strive to NEVER make them again. People forget this [no matter how they try, they will not be able to erase the parts of history that make them uncomfortable; there will ALWAYS be people who know and speak the truth and we will never be silent] and we are here to remind them until they realize the truth. Hannah Durkin is a truth speaker and I am so glad she wrote this book and spoke more truth that needs to be heard/read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hannah Durkin, and Amistad for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Some readers may be familiar with the slave ship, Clotilda, and the African captives aboard her last journey due to the fairly recent reprinting of Barracoon by Zora Neale Hurston. In it, she chronicled an admirable attempt to capture the memories and experiences of Cudjo Lewis, an elderly man at the time, who had remained in the area; a respected member of the community. He was notably the longest surviving of the documented 110 captives (notably native Africans) to arrive in Mobile, AL in 1860, illegally smuggled into the United States specifically for sale and use as chattel slaves decades after the slave trade was “officially” abolished in the USA.

This book is a historian’s dream. It opens with place setting during the targeted era – detailing the West African landscape, their leaders, tribal wars, and the affects of European politics and expanding globalization that fueled the unquenchable greed and sustained the slave trade for centuries. It tells of how a bet between slavers birthed the Clotilda’s infamous journey and eventual destruction. It relays the lives of the kidnapped prior to capture – their existence in established villages within wholesome families thriving as healthy and happy people with rich history, culture, customs, spiritual beliefs, and self-governance. It delves into their emotional, psychological, and physical suffering beset by the separation from family (knowing they would never see them again), the horrors of the middle passage, the confusion and frustration caused by language barriers, their dehumanizing experiences, heartless exploitation and the horrific abuse/beatings bestowed upon them during their time in bondage.

In addition to the captives' story; we get insight into the orchestrators, participants, and enablers that made it happen as well as some of the merchants who purchased them. The laws and attitudes of the era are also folded into the book to add context and immerse the reader into the political landscape of the day – although, it is rather clear where Alabama fell on the position of slavery.

Overall, a great addition to the canon – easy to digest and presented in an easily comprehensive, fact-filled format.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Amistad, for the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.

Expanding on Zora Neale Hurston’s
Barracoon , Hannah Durkin's The Survivors of the Clotilda documents the lives of the 110 individuals brought to America on the eve of the Civil War aboard the 'last' slave ship, the Clotilda. Through their lives we're provided "a mere snapshot of African-born slavery survivors' experiences. The [Clotilda's] journey was just one of around thirty-six thousand documented slave ship voyages... of the more than 12.5 million people who were forced onto slave ships..." (Pg. 268)

To provide one of the key points, the Clotilda's journey occurred fifty years after the Atlantic Slave trade was outlawed and word did get out about the ships arrival and who had funded its travels.

The book opens with a listing of all 110 individuals, known and unknown, with their names and life span. If some of those details were not known, there is still a space for each person with what information was available. From there the narrative is presented chronologically. We follow the lives of those 110 from their homes in Africa, capture by other Africans, journey to the coast, surviving the Middle Passage, life in servitude, post war 'freedom' and their struggles in the Jim Crow South. As the last known survivor, Matilda McGrear, died in January 1940 it is a book whose focus ends before the widespread Civil Rights Movement. The actions of several survivors defied white control of their lives, inspiring their descendants, as their art and folklore had some influence on the Harlem Renaissance. In a excellent closing Epilogue, Durkin brings the narrative through to the present, relating how many of the children and grandchildren of the Clotilda survivors were early participants in the Civil Rights Movement and the ongoing struggle for equality in the United States.

Hannah Durkin's depth of research is readily apparent, as we constantly hear from the 110 in their own voices, at least as recorded from speeches, interviews, legal documents, newspaper articles or other sources.

Stories of survival and trauma. The narrative is clear in showing all the horrors of slavery. The forced migration and destruction of communities, the splitting of families or the physical and mentally demanding work and constant threat of punishment. Almost all of the survivors wished to return to Africa, but the majority were never able to do so. Once freed, some established Africatown where they were able to revive their Yoruba traditions through laws and customs, such as their African style quilt making.

A timely contribution to American History detailing lesser known aspects of postbellum America. Recommended to historians, researchers or readers of American History.

The Survivors of the Clotilda The Lost Stories of the Last Captives of the American Slave Trade by Hannah Durkin

432 Pages
Publisher: Amistad
Release Date: January 30, 2024

Nonfiction (Adult), Nonfiction, History, Multicultural Interest, Slavery, Civil War, Alabama

The Clotilda was the last slave ship bringing 110 kidnapped Africans to the United States. The ship docked in Alabama and the bidding began. Some of the occupants on the ship were as young as Matilda at age two. The slave trade was already banned and several of the local politicians hid the fact the Clotilda arrived with slaves. The ship was destroyed at the docks to get rid of any evidence.

The conditions the Africans endured continued throughout their lives. Only one African every returned to his home country. They all told their stories to their families and asked that it be repeated to future generations so they would not be forgotten.

The author did an amazing job following the lives of the Africans after their arrival in the United States. Her writing style is engaging and easy to follow. It is well written and eye opening. She tells their stories as if she was listening to them firsthand. If you have an interest in American History, you should read this book.

"The Survivors of the Clotilda: The Lost Stories of the Last Captives of the American Slave Trade" by Hannah Durkin is a profound and meticulously researched exploration of a dark chapter in American history. The book stands out for its dedication to uncovering the lost stories of those who endured the horrors of the Clotilda and the lasting impact of the American slave trade on their lives.

One commendable aspect of the book is Hannah Durkin's commitment to amplifying the voices of those who have been historically marginalized and silenced. The author's extensive research and dedication to capturing the personal narratives of the survivors of the Clotilda add depth and authenticity to the historical account. The book serves as a testament to the resilience of the individuals who endured the traumas of slavery and their descendants.

Durkin's writing style is both evocative and empathetic, allowing readers to connect with the individuals at the heart of the narrative. The book navigates the historical complexities with clarity, providing a nuanced understanding of the circumstances surrounding the Clotilda and its survivors. The inclusion of personal stories and the exploration of the broader historical context contribute to a well-rounded and informative narrative.

However, some readers may find the content emotionally challenging due to the harrowing nature of the stories and the atrocities of the American slave trade. Potential readers should be aware of the heavy subject matter and be prepared for the emotional impact of the narratives shared.

In conclusion, "The Survivors of the Clotilda" is a poignant and essential work that sheds light on the lost stories of those who endured the American slave trade. Hannah Durkin's dedication to historical accuracy and her empathetic storytelling make the book a valuable contribution to understanding the enduring legacy of slavery in America. While the emotional weight of the subject matter may be challenging, the book's overall impact lies in its ability to honor and preserve the voices of the survivors and their descendants.

"The Survivors of the Clotilda" is a powerful and poignant exploration of a dark chapter in American history that has long been shrouded in obscurity. The author skillfully narrates the lives of those who were forcibly brought to the United States in the last known slave ship, the Clotilda, and provides a compelling narrative that captivates the reader from beginning to end.

The book not only delves into the historical context of the transatlantic slave trade but also sheds light on the specific experiences of the individuals who survived the Clotilda's journey. Through meticulous research and empathetic storytelling, the author brings these forgotten voices to life. Durkin seamlessly weaves together primary sources, personal accounts, and historical records to construct a comprehensive and emotionally resonant portrayal of the survivors' lives. By tracing the generational echoes of trauma, resilience, and cultural preservation, the book provides a nuanced understanding of the ongoing legacy of slavery in America. The exploration of their efforts to reclaim and celebrate their African roots adds a layer of contemporary relevance to the narrative. Highly recommended for anyone interested in American history, social justice, and telling hidden stories.