The Life of Olaudah Equiano

First, this was not the book I was expecting...there was a whole 'nother photo. The book I received was thin...looks like it was copied and pasted into what I have now. Hot mess!!!

This was one of the best book purchases that I have ever made. Olaudah gives a first hand account of his capture, slavery, and adventures. Make sure you purchase this book before they are all sold out. A must have for one's library!!!

A horror story that's too true, that makes me wonder why it is so easy for people to have children. This woman is so dangerous and vile, and she's released in 2 more years. I fear for her family. As usual, Greg tells this story without sentimentality or any need to exaggerate. It is clearly a report on abuse that was allowed by not only other family members, but by police and the community. What an eye opener.

I"m about a 3rd of the way through and this is one of the most compelling books I have ever read. This is a missing piece of history rediscovered.

As an American who has grown up hearing and learning about slavery and the slave trade in the US, and mainly in the 19th century, I appreciated the insight Equiano's book gives into the institution from other parts of the world, and in particular how racism evolved within an institution that had been taken for granted for centuries and had not been particularly racist.It is not the narrative of a victim. Not only does Equiano purchase his freedom halfway through the book, but also you can tell from the incidents he describes and from reading between the lines that he was a strong, even pugnacious person who didn't take any guff from people he did not respect. He was pragmatic, ambitious, and a fighter. While he accepted the social hierarchies of the time, including slavery itself until the latter part of his life, he shows no humility (except in terms of his spiritual condition). When he proposes to another person that he work for him as a servant, you get the feeling that he has just given that person an honor.Equiano's autobiography is important for many other reasons. It is very much a book of its time, the late 18th century, when spiritual autobiographies were important both to the writers and the readers. (Make sure that when you buy an edition of this book you do not buy an edition that has been abridged, as the account of Equiano's religious/spiritual development is what has been cut, making hamburger of what remains). He has wonderful, sometimes acid, comments, to make on the churches he observes at the time. For example, here's his comment on a church service run by the Rev. George Whitfield, at which people are crowding out into the yard and standing on ladders to see into the church: "When I got into the church I saw this pious man exhorting the people with the greatest fervor and earnestness, and sweating as much as ever I did while in slavery....I thought it strange I had never seen divines exert themselves in this manner before; and was no longer at a loss to account for the thin congregations they preached to."Equiano's autobiography is also a tale of his adventures: he served on board battle and merchant ships much of the time and saw action during the French and Indian war. He was also part of Phipps' search for a passge to India through the north pole, where their ship was frozen in ice just as Shackleford's was two centuries later.And finally, Equiano's life and story become entwined with the British abolition movement. His book was intended to serve the movement, raising revulsion by demonstrating the cruel and unethical practices that rose from slavery and appealing to logic and the reader's sense of shame. He is one of the earliest writers to point out a psychological blindess in slave holders, the denial and the double vision they had to develop in order to justify themselves. The very existence of the book, written by a literate, very bright, and comfortably wealthy former slave put the lie to the racist arguments that Africans were best suited to slavery. And in one part of the book that is reminiscent of Mary Wollestonecraft, he speaks passionately that the ignorance and helplessness that was so striking in so many slaves had nothing to do with nature, and everything to do with social conditioning.

I recommend this book as an accurate historical account of the oppressive and savage American system of slavery and its hypocritical claims as a democratic and "Christian" nation.

This young man was kidnapped from his home to become a slave in 1700's. He is honest about how he feels. Everyone should read this book!

Equiano's story amazed me. Of course, I knew about the terrible conditions associated with slavery, and I had read a few slave narratives. But Equiano managed to turn the tables, become a successful businessman, and buy his freedom, something that really impressed me. His narrative was also instrumental in outlawing slavery in England.

I would recommend this book. It is insightful to some extent but at some point you feel the detachment the writer makes between himself (now a free negro) and slaves with which he has contact during his travels. Maybe this was required for his sanity, maybe not. He touches upon the cruelty inflicted on slaves but doesn't dwell on it nor make it the theme of the book.. I think this just makes it all the more harrowing when mentioned. I cannot begin to understand the torture, cruelty as a slave nor the injustice bestowed on free black men such as the one in the book. A good read, an eloquent man with a thought provoking adventurous tale to tell

This is the life story of the man who was pivotal in bringing to light the plight of the victims of the Atlantic Slave Trade. Without his testimony and knowledge, John Newton (he of the great hymn Amazing Grace) and William Wilberforce might have had a longer struggle in their quest to end the blight on human history. If you happened to watch the film Amazing Grace, then this book would make a lot of sense to you.This is an insightful read about an individual who had experience a lot of inhumane sufferings and still kept a sense of who is was as a human being and not chattel as the slave masters wanted him to see himself. In some ways I see that as a reflection on us today as to how we handle great adversities.This is a must read for all who are interested in the history of not just the dark times of the human race that is called slavery, but how some individuals (not just Solomon Northup's 12 years a slave, which I believe should be read in conjunction with Equiano's story) who were break enough to challenged those in power, even if it meant that their lives would be forfeited without a second though by people who would like the status quo to remain in their favour.I would not say that this was an enjoyable read, as something that has such a negative side is highly unlikely to be, but it is very insightful and thought provoking to those with a conscience.

My headline says it all, really. This is a very interesting account, written by a former slave, of the tragedy that was and is slavery. It is eminently readable and the edition - for an ebook - is remarkably well presented, typos being so few and far between as to be virtually unnoticeable.It's a deeply saddening book in reflecting the gross brutalities of those who claimed to be the enlightened.

A description of how he was taken from his village and eventually to the West Indies. It was a revelation to me that the African's themselves had slaves. Although he didn't spend his life on a plantation he spent most of his life at sea and did reasonably well for himself, obviously very intelligent. It ended rather abruptly with his marriage, although no mention of how he came to meet his wife or sadly their life after.

I have always wanted to read this book and I bought it just in time for my first visit for West Africa in the summer. I made me cry on the plane and standing on the balcony of Elmina Castle in Ghana and walking through the dungeons, you can hear the words of this books. Very emotional and thought provoking book and we should learn from this remarkable human experience so we learn from it and may it never happen again.