The Book of Negroes...I mean the ACTUAL book of Negroes

"The Book of Negroes" is a well written, historical fiction about slave trading in Africa written by Lawrence Hill. Many things about this book are interesting and thought-provoking, tearful and heart-wrenching. As the reader follows the story of Aminata Diallo, a young African girl taken from her home and sent overseas to America, one very important question is called to mind. What exactly is the book of Negroes? 

As Revolution began in the thirteen American colonies in the late seventeen hundreds, the British were badly outnumbered. As a last resort they promised freedom to any slave of a rebel who fought the Americans on their behalf but the response was greater than they could have imagined; as many as 30 000 slaves escaped to British lines. Working as soldiers, labourers, pilots, cooks, and musicians, they were a major part of the unsuccessful British war effort. As defeat became inevitable, these free blacks were evacuated to Nova Scotia with the other Loyalists on the promise of land, home and continued freedom.

In order to track the many people making the journey from New York to Nova Scotia, a log was created to record the black loyalists names, appearance and proof of their freedom.

Men, women and children would line up for hours at a time in order to get their name penned into the Book of Negroes. They were described as "stout, fine, able bodied, worn out, fine wench, healthy negress" and many other words. These descriptions were written beneath the name of the ship they would be traveling on, and where it was bound for.

In Lawrence Hill's book, Aminata Diallo participates in the penning of names, she sits for days at a table with other workers, writing down descriptions of other people just like her, hoping beyond hopes that their lives in Nova Scotia will prove to be prosperous. 

This true history; added in to an already engaging, detailed book; helps to add depth and a sense of awe to the story line. Knowing that the log still exists in our time, that people who were once broken down and treated lower than dirt, had their hopes raised at the prospect of having their identity recorded is a humbling fact. 

This book is definitely one to pause between chapters and consider what it is the text is saying. The human emotions, the conflicts and decisions are real enough to be felt and the history is an essential part to the story.

It would be interesting, to one day set eyes on The Book of Negroes.

Being Thankful

Often times when reading a book or watching a movie, you realize how well off you really are, how great your life is, and how awful it could be. You definitely think about these kinds of things while reading "The Book of Negroes" by Lawrence Hill. How lucky we are to live in such a great time, where human rights are climbing the political and social ladder. And what a great country we have! Free from slave trading and heavy prejudice, such a free place to express our opinions and ideals.
While reading about the maltreatment of the African people, it strikes you that you have never suffered as they are suffering, and you hope you never will. A wave of thankfullness, mixed with sadness hits you as you realize that there are still people going through the slave trade, being trafficked as if they were no more important than cheap drugs acidentally spilt on the roadside.
Hopefully there will be a day where human rights are of chief importance all around the world, that every country becomes outraged at the mere mention of a slave. But until then we can hope that the children and adults captured and kept under deplorable conditions find some relief, and be thankful for the lives we have and the places we live.

The Danger of Lack of Interest

Even though a community, family, or any other kind of social unit may seem completely normal, that doesn't necessarily mean it is. This kind of situation is apparent in the short story "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson. What appears to be a normal functioning, run of the mill community turns out to be a group of people willing to stone a person to death just because they drew a piece of paper with a black dot on it. Similarly in "The Book of Negroes" by Lawrence Hill, what appear to be loving happy communities of people in Africa turn out to be abusive and indifferent of their fellow man when slave coffle's are led through their towns. This indifference is also talked about in a speech made by Elie Wiesel called The Perils of Indifference. He talks about how regular countries, so similar to the regular community in "The Lottery"; ignore such life altering things such as the Holocaust, or the stoning of a person. Wiesel also talks about how shocking it is to discover that people were indifferent about such things. How could one human being just completely disregard the life of another? It does happen, and it occurs in communities, families, and other social units more often than we would like to admit.