This powerful novel, written in verse, tells the story of the last group of Africans brought illegally to the United States in 1860. There were multiple viewpoints and it provided not only historical perspective but the gut-wrenching personal perspective.

I found myself researching even more about African Town and the people in the story because I wanted to know more details than even the authors provided.

This is an important part of history. One of which I never learned about in school, but should be taught. This was a necessary and profound read!

Incredible story! Knew nothing about the Clotilda and reading this has led me to search for more. Appreciated it being written in verse because it made it seem easier to tackle the heavy, deep content and feelings that arose while reading. Multiple narratives was interesting, though reading the ARC on my kindle created some challenges in formatting and keeping track of voices. Overall excellent book that excels in telling this historical story through the eyes of the many that experienced it.

What a terrific, necessary and important read. I don't remember learning about the Clotilda and I'm glad I read this book. The voices were so authentic and this was definitely an impactful read. I hope students, teachers, parents read this.

My Thoughts:

This novel in verse is a work of fiction created from historical events around the true story of the last American slave ship. Taking a myriad of voices, both animate and inanimate, including the ship, the poems from their voices reveal a more chilling history because of the way the authors vary the voices. I think it is also so haunting because the poems keep rolling in like a dark tide. I definitely had to stop reading and put it down for a bit. Guess what, the story doesn't get more palatable. The voices, even the ships, are highly personal. As a reader, I feel their fear, There is no redemption.

Still, this is a great way to immerse readers into the horror of slavery through the eyes of those involved both directly and indirectly. It makes the research that should go alongside this more immediate and present.
From the Publisher:
Chronicling the story of the last Africans brought illegally to America in 1860, African Town is a powerful and stunning novel-in-verse.

In 1860, long after the United States outlawed the importation of enslaved laborers, 110 men, women and children from Benin and Nigeria were captured and brought to Mobile, Alabama aboard a ship called Clotilda. Their journey includes the savage Middle Passage and being hidden in the swamplands along the Alabama River before being secretly parceled out to various plantations, where they made desperate attempts to maintain both their culture and also fit into the place of captivity to which they'd been delivered. At the end of the Civil War, the survivors created a community for themselves they called African Town, which still exists to this day. Told in 14 distinct voices, including that of the ship that brought them to the American shores and the founder of African Town, this powerfully affecting historical novel-in-verse recreates a pivotal moment in US and world history, the impacts of which we still feel today.

“Then you will know how de sun kisses the earth, melts like honey over de land - it’s no wonder I believed all of life would be bright and sweet.”

4 stars

This book is about a lot of different people, that either was taken from Africa to America as slaves, or was the ones that took the Africans, even the ship had a POV. I was very intrigued by the way it was written and the story itself.

This book took me a whole month to read, one of the books I have used most time to read, I’m not exactly sure why it took me so long, but it was definitely not because it was a bad book, or a bad written book, it was written very different from what I’m used to, but at the same time very beautifully. Every chapter of a different persons was written to fit that person’s personality and way of thinking and speaking.

This book was not easy to read, it was hard to read about how homesick they felt, how ambushed they felt. It is a book I feel is important to read, because it takes the point of view from all perspectives, and most of all from the Africans. They need the attention to tell their story. I know it isn’t a non-fiction book, but the book has done a lot of research to back these stories up, and I appreciate and love that.

It deserves attention and love, because even though it was hard and brutal emotionally at times, it is honest and a great way to tell children or just other adults the story about slaves and the independence war.

Overall good and informative.

**3.5**
**I received an e-arc of this book through the read now section on NetGalley**

African Town chronicles the story of the last Africans brought illegally to America in 1860. 110 men, women, and children from Benin and Nigeria were captured and brought to Mobile, Alabama on a ship called Clotilda. Their journey includes the savage Middle Passage and being hidden in the swamplands along the Alabama River before being secretly parceled out to various plantations, where they made desperate attempts to maintain both their culture and also fit into the place of captivity to which they'd been delivered. At the end of the Civil War, the survivors created a community for themselves they called African Town, which still exists to this day. The story is told in verse and chronicles 14 different perspectives of these events, including one of the ships that brought them to America.

This is a very strange review for me because I almost think I would have preferred to read a non-fiction/non-verse book about these events and these people. The book has both facts and fiction based on intense research done by both authors, and I really appreciated the additional information given at the end of the book about the individuals who were taken from Benin and Nigeria. I also really liked the explanation of the different styles of verse that each of the 14 perspectives had. I am in no way saying this is a bad book; I think this is an incredibly important book and allowed me to learn about a subject that I honestly knew nothing about. I am also definitely going to search out additional books revolving around these 110 individuals and African Town.

I struggled with how many perspectives there were and a bit with the pacing of the book and the writing styles. It was difficult for me to stay engaged at points and I didn't feel myself being drawn to the story as much as I wanted to be. I completely understand why they chose the perspectives they did, but just for me personally, it felt a little bit overwhelming to go back and forth between 14 different perspectives. Again, I really want to reiterate that I in no way think this is a bad book (for me, a 3 or above is not a bad book and is still a book I would recommend). The format and writing style just did not gel with me, unfortunately, which made it a lot harder for me to get through the book. But overall, this was a solid book and I would recommend it for learning about African Town and the individuals who worked to create a community for themselves after being forcibly taken from their homeland.

This novel was an incredibly impactful piece that opens the reader's eyes to the reality of the world.

4.5 stars.
Told in verse with multiple PoVs, the authors tell the story of the last group of people kidnapped from Africa and brought illegally to the southern US in 1860.

It’s a sad history, told in spare language of the hopes, dreams, and fears of several people, those taken unwillingly, and the white men who decide to kidnap people from Africa for their profit.

I was familiar with one of the characters, Kussola, who I had met in Zora Neal’s Hurston’s “Barracoon”. We hear how Kussola was kidnapped at nineteen, and became part of the last “black cargo” from Africa.

We also meet others who were in the barracoon with him. The approximately one hundred and twenty people were brought to Alabama, then split up amongst various neighbouring plantations.

Their different backgrounds, and ensuing reactions to their terrible situation, gives us a better picture of the people in the holds of the Clotilda. We also see this group’s struggles in their new land, and their fervent desire for freedom and control over their lives, which eventually leads to their creation of Africa Town, and its businesses, school and place(s) of worship, and the most important, their growing families. We feel the weight of their vanishing dreams of returning to Africa, and determined putting down of roots in their new land.

For such a sad subject, I really liked this book. The authors not only bring these people to life, but also give us context with some of the actual history, a glossary, and other resources to check out afterwards..

I absolutely LOVED the descriptions of the types of poetry styles used for each person. Each person’s poem style, such as its shape on the page and its rhythm, is chosen specifically to describe the speech patterns and characteristics of each person. It’s a brilliant way to distinguish each of the speakers.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Penguin Young Readers Group for this ARC in exchange for my review.

I adore historical stories and this is such an interesting premise. I recommend because of the story itself, writing style, and its ability to transport you into a different world/time period.

I will admit reading in verse is not a draw for me. However I knew I needed to read this book because I absolutely adore Irene Latham. She is such an mild mannered, kind human with compassion so much larger than her own being. I have no doubt she is forever changed by telling the stories of the last slaves brought to Alabama. In case you don’t know, Irene is an Alabamian. She is not immune to the harsh realities of this state, past and present. I am so grateful she is trying to shed light on real history for the younger readers and future readers. I don’t know Charles, but much respect to him as well.

This is such an important book in a time when legislators are trying to whitewash history, especially in Alabama. It encompasses events for these people from being stolen from their life in Africa through the Civil War and after emancipation. The added information including glossary, facts vs fiction , timeline and source material enhances this informative novel.

I will end by admitting I listened to most of this book. After hearing a sample, I just felt the narration was like the icing on the cake to the story of these courageous, strong, and beautiful characters.

Full disclosure: I was unable to read this title before its publication, so in an effort to read multiple titles at once, I purchased the finished audiobook of this title and my review is based on that.

This was so powerful. I loved the inclusion of the voices of as many people as physically possible without inundating the narrative. Seeing the same event from multiple perspectives added a layer of depth to an already poignant story. Very well done. Also glad I listened to this on audio, very good listen!

African Town is a stunning novel based on true events that happened during the American era of enslavement. The main characters are Africans, kidnapped from their shores and transported to America where they are enslaved on a plantation. This novel showcases resilience, the brutalities of slavery, and the power of community and being trauma-bonded.

This novel has readership for all audiences, though I'm not sure that was the best way to go as I feel the novel sometimes sanitized the true horrors of slavery. This is likely done to be readable for younger audiences, but was a bit glaring for me while reading, though I would also understand if the authors made the choice to do this to prevent this book from being overly graphic loaded, as that is certainly very triggering especially from Black readers.

I did think the prose was beautiful, and I loved the characters. This story is important, and needs to be read. I will be featuring this on my blog.

Must read book for teens/ young adults though appropriate for all ages. This book brought on so many feelings. I cried. A lot. So beautifully written. There are a few trigger warnings.

African Town by Charles Waters and Irene Latham is an audiobook that I very eagerly listened to. After all, I love verse books. I love historical fiction. And I LOVE audiobooks. So, it stands to reason that I would like this book. And well, I did like this book very much. It follows what happens when the very last slave ship – the Clotilda – which was very real – comes to America with enslaved people after the trade has been made illegal. The book then goes into what happens after the enslaved people are set free. They have to decide whether to stay in America or go back to Africa.

Overall, I thought that African Town was a great book at first. Like, my initial reaction was to give it a five star review. Then I decided to sit with my thoughts a little bit longer. I don’t know how I feel about a white woman telling some of the perspectives in this story. The authors note says neither of the authors are descendents of those who came on the Clotilda. It talks about the authors taking on the burden of telling the story so it doesn’t have to fall to the descendents. I don’t know, that just made me feel a little weird while reading. I think there’s a good conversation here to have around Own Voices but I am not sure I am the person to have that conversation, you know?

Anyways, what drove me to my initial five stars was the narration. There are many narrators of African Town. Each is absolute perfection at the parts that they take. The narrators are: Cassandra Campbell, Ronald Peet, Andrew Eiden, Cary Hite, Sean Patrick Hopkins, Sandra Okuboyejo, Soneela Nankani, Nene Nwoko, Michael Obiora, Prentice Onayemi, Mark Sanderlin, Mirron Willis and Patrick Zeller. I was only familiar with two of the narrators ahead of time — Cassandra Campbell and Soneela Nankani. Turns out, these narrators are just phenomenal with their talent. If you do read this book, audiobook is absolutely the way to go.

The story of the last American slave ship, the Clotilda, keeps coming around, and I find it fascinating. I first heard this story while watching Season 6, Episode 8 of Finding Your Roots, in which Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., discovered that the musician Questlove was descended from Africans who were stolen in 1860 and brought to the Mobile Bay area well after the transatlantic slave trade was abolished and just before the Civil War freed them. This group of around 110 people retained their dignity, their languages, their names, and their culture, and they found each other again after emancipation and formed a community.

Not long after that, in 2018 Zora Neale Hurston's lost work, Barracoon, was published, and it features Hurston's anthropological interviews with the Africatown community.

Now we have this wonderful work of fiction, African Town, which is well researched and engaging, to bring these remarkable people to life. I stayed up really late finishing this, and that doesn't happen very often. The story is told through several characters' POV, which makes the story rich and complex. Even the enslavers have a voice. Actually, even the SHIP has a voice. The Clotilda is a character who, although she has little to no control over her role in this slavery debacle, sympathizes with the enslaved people and wishes she could rebel a little and help them get free.

Making this book even more valuable besides being just a really good read, there is significant back matter that will lead interested people, like me, to further resources. It seems that the Africatown area of Mobile fell into disuse because the surrounding area became industrialized and polluted during the 1970s, but there is now an effort to mitigate the environment, return the area to a heritage site, and develop a museum and interpretive center. It is possible to tour the community now.

African Town would make a wonderful novel study for high school students, if these racists would ever go away and stop trying to make history illegal. In addition to shining light on a lost historical moment, the narrative is lovely. Each character's voice is written in various types of poetic form, which would be a fabulous way to teach poetry. All of the voices and choices are explained in the end notes.

I really like this book. Great plot, great characters, interesting style, historically important subject--it can be read and enjoyed on many levels.

Absolutely incredible read! I loved the characters, as well as how the story line was paced out. The conflict was wonderfully written and explored! I highly recommend this book. It's thought provoking and worth the read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an advanced copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.


African Town is the story of the last transatlantic shipment of enslaved people from the west coast of Africa. Our main characters are several teens who have been captured and sold by the evil king Glele and find themselves newly enslaved by an Alabama plantation owner. Written in verse, this title is beautifully heartbreaking. I felt so deeply for each and every character. They all had their own styles of speaking and their own struggles. All were fleshed out and well-written.

I hate to say that I "enjoyed" this title because of the subject matter, but it was objectively a beautiful book that told a very important story. I found myself trying to steal minutes here and there in order to finish this just that much faster.

The end of the book includes information about each of the people from the Clotilda and their families. It also included extra info about the slave trade and the descendants of Africa Town.

I would highly recommend this title in order to learn more about this important piece of American history. I have now purchased my own copy by pre-order to arrive on the day it's released.



Trigger warnings:
-kidnapping
-murder
-slave trade
-racism
-mention of rape
-manslaughter
-mention of war (civil war)
-death of a child (multiple)

I chose to read this book because I’ve always liked novels in verse, and because I know so little about the history of the people brought here and forced into slavery.
I like the economical style of novels in verse. They use few words to tell a powerful story, and African Town is a good example of how spare and evocative language can express so much. I was interested to read the afterword to learn the different poetry styles which were used for each character, styles which reflected on their traits. For example, one of the African men used free verse because he was the storyteller of the group and his speaking wasn’t bounded by as many limits as others. The child in the story spoke in acrostic poems because children often write acrostics.
Through over a dozen different voices, we hear the stories of African brought over on one of the last ships, the Clotilda. The US had outlawed bringing in more slaves by then, but some men hatched an idea to smuggle them in to the US. In this book, we hear from both the African who were captured and from the men that bought them as slaves and brought them here.
The speakers from Africa start by describing their lives in their home countries and—though it sounds surprising—I realized most of the accounts I have come across talk about how terrible the slave ships were, but I haven’t read as much about the lives the people had before they were torn from them. This book makes readers think about how terrible slavery is, which it should, and it also made me think more substantially about how it would feel to be taken away from everything I know to a new and brutal life.
There were 110 people on the Clotilda, and it is a fitting tribute to their spirit to tell their stories. After emancipation, many of them went on to establish African Town in Alabama, a place that still stands today.
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

Beautifully written and told in such a way that it's digestible even though the contents of the book are very heavy. I appreciated finally reading about this time in history.

Once I started reading this book, I found it almost impossible to put down. The style, the story, the characters... all excellent. I only vaguely knew about this town and nothing about its history. Once I'd finished reading the story itself, I was immediately engaged with the back matter and wanting to know more and more. That's a very good sign for a book.
This book belongs in every high school library and American History class. I'm pretty sure you could do a whole semester on this book alone. I like that it presented different voices. I'm not sure how I feel about the moments of happiness and the positivity that was expressed while still enslaved, but I suppose that, too, was a reality. And it lends itself well to discussion.
Thank you for an advance copy of this book. I hope it will find a very very wide audience.

Five stars for both content and the educational value.