Barracoon

The Story of the Last ""Black Cargo""

By: Zora Neale Hurston

Narrated by: Robin Miles

A major literary event: a never-before-published work from the author of the American classic Their Eyes Were Watching God that brilliantly illuminates the horror and injustices of slavery as it tells the true story of one of the last known survivors of the Atlantic slave trade—abducted from Africa on the last ""Black Cargo"" ship to arrive in the United States.

In 1927, Zora Neale Hurston went to Plateau, Alabama, just outside Mobile, to interview eighty-six-year-old Cudjo Lewis. Of the millions of men, women, and children transported from Africa to America as slaves, Cudjo was then the only person alive to tell the story of this integral part of the nation’s history. Hurston was there to record Cudjo’s firsthand account of the raid that led to his capture and bondage fifty years after the Atlantic slave trade was outlawed in the United States.

In 1931, Hurston returned to Plateau, the African-centric community three miles from Mobile founded by Cudjo and other former slaves from his ship. Spending more than three months there, she talked in depth with Cudjo about the details of his life. During those weeks, the young writer and the elderly formerly enslaved man ate peaches and watermelon that grew in the backyard and talked about Cudjo’s past—memories from his childhood in Africa, the horrors of being captured and held in a barracoon for selection by American slavers, the harrowing experience of the Middle Passage packed with more than 100 other souls aboard the Clotilda, and the years he spent in slavery until the end of the Civil War.

Based on those interviews, featuring Cudjo’s unique vernacular, and written from Hurston’s perspective with the compassion and singular style that have made her one of the preeminent American authors of the twentieth-century, Barracoon brilliantly illuminates the tragedy of slavery and of one life forever defined by it. Offering insight into the pernicious legacy that continues to haunt us all, black and white, this poignant and powerful work is an invaluable contribution to our shared history and culture.

Amazing!

The preservation and reading of Koju's accent was done so well. The history of the man's life events were so intriguing and great wrenching. I hope someone digs to find out more on the whereabouts of his grandchildren and great grandchildren

Loved it!

Great story, interesting details! Fun to listen to, would have been difficult to read the way he spoke.

very enjoyable

The story is wonderful. Performance was amazing! I very much needed a little time away from my world. Thank you!

BARRACOON

I quickly become mesmerized with the narrator, the narration, and the historical content of the book. This was my 1st experience with Audiobooks. I throughly enjoyed the experience.

Exceptional book and the reader was phenomenal

Exceptional book and the reader was phenomenal. I have eagerly shared my thoughts about this book with others. So grateful for Zora Neale Hurston