The practice of slavery is traced with unvarnished words and pictures from ancient times through the nineteenth century, and to the present day, where it actually continues in some parts of the world.

I enjoyed learning while reading this book. I like learning, particularly about past tragedies and mistakes that the human race has made. I like how this chapter book uses a variety of textual features to teach the information in different ways. Timelines, pictures, captions, mosaics, maps, drawings, diagrams, and the list could go on. A great example of this is on page 23. This page alone had a photograph, map, travel routes, diagram, and drawings. All of this contributes to the understanding of the information. No matter what type of learner, any reader will be able to take away valuable information. This book was jam packed with information, and I really appreciate the way it was organized. The chapters were divided into the background of slavery, the Atlantic slave trade, how slave trade worked, life in slavery, the fight for freedom, abolishing slavery in the Americas, and the aftermath of slavery. Each chapter had distinct listed subsections. Since the book was so long and full of information, this made it so easy to find and refer back to specific topics discussed. The main idea of this text is to inform readers about the horror that was and still is plaguing the earth; slavery. ( )

In this colorful, captivating, and informative book, author Reg Grant tells the story of slavery from the ancient times to the present. Topics touched upon in the book include: slavery in ancient times, the Atlantic slave trade, slaves’ lives in the U.S. and fight for freedom, the Underground Railroad, the Civil War, the continuing struggle for freedom, and slavery today. Each page of the book includes bright, clear images, short paragraphs introducing topics, and informative picture captions. The amount of text is short enough that one can learn a great deal about slavery without feeling overwhelmed.

The book includes timelines, graphs, charts, and maps, depicting such information as eighteenth century slave-trade routes. Numerous quotations are sprinkled throughout the book from people such as merchants, politicians, and former slaves, which help convey the story of slavery even more vividly than the text. The back of the book includes a glossary, index, and acknowledgments page. One addition that would have made the book even more useful would have been a list of related sources to look at for more information. Despite this, the book would still be a fitting addition to any library collection because of how informative it is about slavery. ( )