 | Slavery''s Exiles: The Story of the American Maroons Subjects: Maroons -- Southern States -- History; Fugitive slaves -- Southern States -- History; Southern States -- Race relations -- History; Diouf (Servants of Allah) tackles a subject that many may not be familiar with: the slaves who escaped from bondage to live free in the wilds of the American South known as maroons. Because direct accounts of these slaves' lives are rare, where they exist at all, the author takes her information from court records, newspaper articles, and other outside sources. This cobbling together of accounts makes for an uneven narrative, with important pieces missing. Whether a slave lived or died, or was successful as a maroon, is often not revealed. In other instances, the narrative is interrupted by a glut of specifics. Where fact and narrative blend in balance, however, the stories are riveting. Readers will become familiar with colorful characters like Captain Cudjoe of Jamaica or the man nicknamed "Forest" for his skill at hiding, and they will learn surprising facts about maroons' participation in trade and defense, along with horrific details of punishments. The plight, motivations, and survival methods of the maroons are also covered in their varying modes. This work is best suited for an academic audience, as Diouf tends to assume some familiarity with the history of the maroons, but it's a notable document for its treatment of the subject. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. Diouf Sylviane A. : Sylviane A. Diouf is an award-winning historian of the African Diaspora. She is the author of Slavery's Exiles: The Story of the American Maroons and Servants of Allah: African Muslims Enslaved in the Americas--named Choice Outstanding Academic Book in 1999--both with NYU Press. Her book Dreams of Africa in Alabama: The Slave Ship Clotilda and the Story of the Last Africans Brought to America received the 2007 Wesley-Logan Prize of the American Historical Association, the 2009 Sulzby Award of the Alabama Historical Association and was a finalist for the 2008 Hurston/Wright Legacy Award. She is the editor of Fighting the Slave Trade: West African Strategies and the co-editor of In Motion: The African-American Migration Experience. A recipient of the Rosa Parks Award, the Dr. Betty Shabazz Achievement Award, and the Pen and Brush Achievement Award, Diouf is a Curator at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture of the New York Public Library. |
