African Town

A SCOTT O’DELL AWARD WINNER • Inspired by the true story of the survivors of the last American slave ship in 1860, this powerful portrait of a pivotal moment in history gives a new, complicated meaning to the American dream.

“A haunting, beautifully told history.”—NPR

“A book that should be both taught and treasured.”—Bookpage, starred review

The year is 1859, and though the trans-Atlantic slave trade has been banned for more than fifty years, the enslavement of Black people still fuels the American economy. But Southern plantation owners now face the threat of a civil war and the end of slavery. Timothy Meaher can’t conceive of such a disruption to his way of life. He resents government interference in his right to make a living. Against this backdrop, he makes a bet with other businessmen that he can smuggle enslaved Africans into the United States without being caught. Soon, Meaher has commissioned what is now known as the last slave ship, the Clotilda.

Wrenched from their homes in what is now Benin, the 110 African captives on board the Clotilda face an uncertain fate. Among these souls are five vibrant young men and women whose dreams are just starting to take flight: Abilè, Gumpa, Kêhounco, Kossola, and Kupollee. They survive the Middle Passage and arrive in Alabama as enslaved people, still clinging to the hope of one day returning home. Through incomprehensible brutality, they hold fast to their dreams—they marry, raise children, and form a legacy that still endures in African Town.