Echo of Lions [Hardcover]

Barbara Chase-Riboud (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Again blending fact and fiction in what she calls a "nonfiction novel," Chase-Riboud ( Sally Hemings ) chronicles an important chapter of American historywith uneven success. Senge Pieh is seized in Guinea, dragged in chains to Sierra Leone, locked up and illegally shipped to Cuba, sold as a slave called Joseph Cinque and reshipped with 53 fellow Africans on the Amistad. Though he manages to commandeer the vessel, Cinque is subsequently tricked by two crew members familiar with celestial navigation, and lands not in Africa, but off Sag Harbor, Long Island. Arrested, accused of murder on the high seas and piracy, Cinque and 38 others are imprisoned for years in Connecticut, finally tried, acquitted, then re-tried in the Supreme Court (where they are defended by ex-president John Quincy Adams) and, in a landmark decision, released. Cinque finally returns to a homeland decimated by the illegal slave trade. Didactic, repetitious, more history than fiction, this book, commemorating the 150th anniversary of Cinque's rebellion, is nonetheless a moving testament to the triumph of sheer survival and the tragic limitations of victory. Literary Guild alternate.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

A fictional account of the celebrated antebellum Amistad affair. The Amistad was a Spanish slaver that appeared off the Long Island coast; it was in the hands of African slaves who had rebelled and seized the ship. Under American law, the Africans were put on trial for their lives in a case that eventually reached the Supreme Court. Chase-Riboud tells this story form a variety of perspectives: the revolt's leader; the Africans' translator (a former slave); former President John Quincy Adams, who argues their case before the Supreme Court. Less sensational than the author's Sally Hemings , this is just as scathing in its indictment of racial prejudice. As a novel, however, the book lacks drama, and the invective does not reveal personality.
- Charles Michaud, Turner Free Lib., Randolph, Mass.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 381 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow & Co; 1st edition (January 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688064078
• ISBN-13: 978-0688064075
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,050,105 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Should be required reading in high-school history class., September 13, 1999

By 

CINDY C. DASHNAW (Greenfield, IN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Echo of Lions (Hardcover)

This exceptional book should be required reading in all high-school history classes. Chase-Riboud gives a historical-fiction account of the slave trade and tells the story of one group of individuals who beat incredible odds and changed the course of American history. Its descriptions of the conditions in the slave ships will horrify you, then make you incredibly angry - not only at what people suffered, but that the truth is hidden from us by school districts and historians everywhere. I feel much more educated about American history after reading this book, and I have a great deal of respect for President John Quincy Adams. I agree with another commenter: the fact that this book is out of print is a blemish on our society.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Exceptional Telling of a forgotten American Drama, April 3, 2000

By 

"thegambian" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Echo of Lions (Hardcover)

To be brief; I read this book when it first came out in hardback. I found the story to be both compelling and inspiring. This book reinforced my sense that the curriculum setting process in american public education is so narrowly focused as to create cohort after cohort of ill informed and historically ignorant citizens. Stories such as this would inspire our children to take an interest in history and to provide a framework for them to understand the political, economic and social ties that make this country what it is. Context is everything. This book is all about context.

After reading this marvelous story as told by an exceptionally talented story teller I went on to read every one of her books. I cherish my copy of this book and wish that it had received wider circulation.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent work of historical fiction., February 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Echo of Lions (Hardcover)

Echo of Lions was given to me as a gift several years ago by an acquaintance who was aware of my great interest in American history. It was my introduction to the Amistad affair. And what a wonderful intro it was! Echo of Lions is very tightly written, the fictionalized portions are very believable (as good historical fiction should be), and it moved me to become interested in this particular historical event (as good historical fiction should do).