Amistad [Hardcover]

David Pesci (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1997

A riveting historical novel based on one of the nation's first civil right struggles
-- Often left out of history books, the events that inspired this novel spanned three years and involved three court cases

The year is 1839, the place Western Africa and New Haven, Connecticut. Fifty-three Africans who are taken as slaves struggle against terrible odds to regain their freedom and return home to Africa. They are led by Singbe Pieh, a humble rice farmer who refuses to be a slave and never gives up his quest to return home to his wife and children.

This historical novel begins as Singbe is capture by rival tribesmen. He is quickly sold to white slave traders, tortured, and humiliated on board a slave ship and again in the Havana slave market Soon he finds himself transferred to the Amistad, where he stages a bloody rebellion. Eventually he and his fellow rebels end up off the coast of Long Island where the U.S. Navy intervenes, towing the Amistad to Connecticut, where slavery is still legal.

Led by President Van Buren, the pro-slavery U.S. government tries to return the Amistad to the slave owners and Cuban shores. But members of the fledgling abolitionist movement, led by equal rights zealot Lewis Tappan and defense lawyer Roger Baldwin, force a series of court trials aimed at freeing them. What follows is a scheme to kidnap the Amistads using U.S. Marines, a government cover-up, and the case making its way to the U.S. Supreme Court where former President John Quincy Adams argues on behalf of the Amistads. David Pesci converts this harrowing story into a page-turning novel.

"A wonderful book, powerfully written and filled with emotion.... This is a story that transcends race orethnic origin. It is a story of hope in the face of impossible odds and of the will to be free". -- Roberta Flack

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA?In August 1839, Singbe-Pleh, a Mende tribesman, led his fellow African captives aboard the Spanish ship Amistad in a successful revolt. The Africans took over the ship but could not sail it back to Africa. They were captured and put on trial in Connecticut, initiating a chain of events that strained diplomatic relationships between the United States and Spain and intensified the bitter debate over the issue of slavery. The case was politically charged, with pro-slavery President Van Buren's administration wanting to give the Africans to Spain, abolitionists rallying for their freedom, and former President John Quincy Adams eventually defending them before the Supreme Court. Pesci deftly blends the facts of this fascinating historical episode with story. He accurately portrays events while creating memorable characters such as Singbe-Pleh, known later as Joseph Cinque, who towers over his captors with dignity and reason. The author uses the revolt and its aftermath to examine the American legal system and, more importantly, attitudes toward slavery in the 19th century. Some readers will see parallels to the intricate and sometimes confusing working of today's legal system, and also to contemporary racial attitudes. The narrative ends with the return of the Africans to their homeland, and a short epilogue ties up loose ends with short biographical sketches. A valuable addition to historical fiction collections.?Susanne Bardelson, Wheat Ridge Public Library, Jefferson County, CO
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Courtney B. Vance gives a solid but uninspired reading of Pesci's novel of the 1839 slave revolt. A group of native Africans take over their slave ship only to be captured by the U.S. Navy and subjected to years of imprisonment and trial. The litigation reaches its climax in a stirring defense by ex-president John Quincy Adams before the Supreme Court. The story is familiar because of the recent Steven Spielberg film, but the novel provides much more detail, at turns inspiring and ironic as the Africans weather disappointment and ill-treatment from friend and foe alike. The audiobook's primary flaw is lack of focus; the recording simply fails to place the leader of the revolt, Cinque, in a strong enough position at the center of the story. This abridgment preserves many of Pesci's digressions but allows pertinent material to fall through the cracks. Though Vance performs the dialog with care, he allows his narration to lapse too frequently into a brooding monotone, leaving a flawed retelling of a story that nonetheless deserves to be heard. With mixed feelings, this is recommended, especially for public libraries.AJohn Owen, Advanced Micro Devices Lib., Santa Clara, CA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 292 pages
• Publisher: Marlowe & Co (May 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156924748X
• ISBN-13: 978-2702810255
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,669,049 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your money on this fictionalized account., May 18, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Amistad - A Novel (Paperback)

I recently finished an entire semester studying the Amistad mutiny, and Pesci's book was required reading. I read it both before the class began, and later in the semester; it didn't improve with time. Those portions of the story that Pesci did not fictionalize were interesting, but he writes in passive voice, which I found incredibly boring as well as frustrating. His descriptions of characters go on for paragraphs, and often serve no purpose other than to fill space; his adjectives are stale and overused. His stereotypical characters speak in modern slang that at times borders on the ridiculous. It is terribly distracting to have the captives look at one another and say, "We are in a world of sh--!" I agree with Pesci that it is difficult to write period dialogue, but he really should have made the effort. I suggest that anyone truly interested in this event investigate the many factual, well-written books available, including those written for children.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pleasantly Pleased, November 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Amistad - A Novel (Paperback)

I received this book as a gift and almost exchanged it for something else because I usually don't read historical novels. However, I decided to check-out the first few pages. They grabbed me and I quickly became completely fascinated with the story. Pesci does an excellent job of weaving in the numerous facts and personalities that inhabit this incredible incident. The writing is smooth (although the paperback copy I got had a few typos) and he moves easily from the action thriller that makes up the book's first part to the courtroom drama that ensues. Highly recommended, even if (like me) you are not generally one for history. I hope he writes something new soon.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A history lesson that reads like a thriller, April 19, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Amistad (Hardcover)

I'm usually not big on history, but this was a gift so I decided to read until I got bored. I never did. In fact, it was one of those books that, as I got closer to the end, I didn't want it to end. It was a great story, well-written, and well-paced. Pesci made the transition from a thriller in the first few chapters to the legal drama that this incident became. He also put a human face on the participants, especially Sengbe Pieh and Roger Baldwin. Pehaps best of all, he interwined the exhaustive details and nuances of the Amistad event in such a way that it didn't feel like I was getting a history lesson. An excellent novel.