Amistad: A Novel

by David Pesci

Overview

Amistad is the powerfully re-imagined history of one of the country's first battles for civil rights. In 1839 fifty-three enslaved Africans, led by a Mende rice farmer named Singbe-Pieh, staged a bloody rebellion on board the Amistad, a Spanish slaver from Cuba. The Amistad was intercepted by U.S. navy officers and towed to port in New London, Connecticut, where the Africans were held for trial in New Haven. Led by President Van Buren, the pro-slavery American government maintained that the Africans were Spanish property and should by returned to Havana to be tried for murder, but members of the fledgling abolitionist movement forced a series of trials to win their freedom, culminating at the Supreme Court, where the Amistads were defended by former President John Quincy Adams.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781569247037
Publisher:	Hachette Books
Publication date:	11/17/1997
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	298,367
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x (d)
Lexile:	990L (what's this?)
Age Range:	14 Years

About the Author

David Pesci has written for The New York Times, The National Review and other regional newspapers and specialty magazines. Amistad is his debut novel.

What People are Saying About This

Roberta Flack

"A wonderful book, powerfully written and filled with emotion....This is a story that transends race or ethnic origin. It is a story of hope in the face of impossible odds and of the will to be free."

Susan Campbell

"Until very recently, Amistad was little more than a footnote in the history books, and that is tragic....David Peshi has taken this much-overlooked historical event, combined it with painstaking research of a historian with a novelist eye for detail, and showed us the humanity of Singbe, Gradeau, and the men who it killed, and the men who it saved."

Howard Jones

"A wonderful, inspiring story told by a rising young novelist who proves the possibility of combining historical scholarship with the art of literature to produce a delightful, engaging narrative that is informative as well as moving and entaining."

Editorial Reviews

A fascinating true story along with a little fortuitous timing (Steven Spielberg is filming a movie based on the same incident) save this responsible but bloodless novelization of an 1839 cause clbre. Led by a Mende tribesman called Singbe-Pieh, the African captives aboard the slaveship Amistad freed themselves and took over the ship. After a failed attempt to sail back to Africa, they were captured and taken ashore in Connecticut, a slave state at the time. The ensuing battle, fought in the courtrooms and the papers, over whether the Africans were property or people in the eyes of the law riveted the attention of the country. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court (where John Quincy Adams presented the defense). Pesci relates this forgotten piece of American history solidly (if stolidly) through its main charactersprincipally Singbe-Pieh, called Joseph Cinqu by the Americans, and the slaves' original attorney, Roger Baldwin. Although Pesci keeps a sharp eye on the political issues (the abolitionist movement fanning the flames, the Van Buren administration trying to put them out), his reportorial tone conveys little drama or suspense. There are some telling touchesthe revelation that this was an age where keeping slaves was not as scandalous as keeping children up after dark is particularly joltingbut the overall tone is disappointingly sedate. (May)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

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.--John Owen, Advanced Micro Devices Lib., Santa Clara, CA

Library Journal

YAIn 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

School Library Journal