Numerous documents attest to the horrific conditions endured by African slaves during the centuries of the Atlantic slave trade. Less well known is the perspective of those who wielded power during this dark time in human history. The Bodleian Library fills that gap here with the memoirs of a principal figure in the slave trade; Captain Hugh Crow.The first-hand account of a man who commanded one of the last legal slave vessels to cross the Atlantic; Life and Times of a Slave Trade Captain offers a revealing if frequently troubling look into the psyche of a slave trader. His chronicle leaves nothing to the imagination; as he recounts the harsh routine of daily life on a slave vessel; where on average a fifth of the crew—let alone the human cargo—never survived the crossing. Crow portrays himself as an “enlightened†slaver; a claim he justifies through the link between his close attention to his “negroes†and his financial success; and the songs composed for him by the slaves. His account also includes commentary on the social propriety of the slave trade and notes about the conditions on West Indian and Caribbean plantations as well as on slave ships. John Pinfold’s illuminating introduction recounts the life of Hugh Crow and sets him in the rich historical context of eighteenth-century mercantilism and its battle with the abolitionist movement. An eye-opening read; Life and Times of a Slave Trade Captain reveals an often overlooked facet in the complicated history of transatlantic slavery.
#1651990 in Books 2015-07-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 5.50 x .70 x 8.50l; #File Name: 1849044694288 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Feeling the emotions and trials of breaking free from IslamBy ChrisLAThis book provides important insight into how Muslims cope with their decision to abandon the faith. There were 35 ex-Muslims in the study; and they volunteered for two to three hour interviews about their experiences. The subjects of the study were self-professed atheists or agnostics from England and Canada; so their views may not reflect the experiences of ex-Muslims like Rifqa Bary (Hiding in the Light) or Nonie Darwish (Wholly Different) who embraced Christianity. Nor does the study delve into WHY the subjects left Islam.While the author claims that none was threatened with the Sharia sanction of "death for apostasy;" only about half were courageous enough to "out" themselves with any family members. The deep family/community rejection of apostasy was apparent in all of the interviews. The pain of being cut off (either voluntarily or involuntarily) from those loved ones and the traditions of the Islamic community left the respondents high and dry without cultural roots and norms.The author calls these apostasy decisions "moral" decisions because the subjects could not live the lie of pretending to be religious when they were not. However; this academic interpretation ignores the reality that the ideology of Islam requires simultaneous acceptance of diametrically opposed beliefs -- a violation of reason or common sense. Examples: 1) no religious compulsion (Surah 3:83) vs. unwilling submission (Surah 2:256); 2) a god that dispenses both good and evil (Surah 4:78); and 3) citing abrogation (naskh) to explain contradictions in the eternal statements from god (Surahs 2:106 and 16:101).Doubting Muslims will find encouragement in the perseverance of these study subjects to break free from the constraints of Islam. Non-Muslims will appreciate the need ex-Muslims have for a sense of community; respect; and love in their new world outside the Islamic hold.
