Roll, Jordan, Roll: The World the Slaves Made

My son is a History Major in college and said that the book was a great resource.

The Alpha and Omega of American slavery scholarship. No one has thought so carefully, researched so fully, written so gracefully on the most heart-breaking of historical subjects

One thing I've consistently noted in reading reviews on Black Studies Books is that (apparently white, clearly misinformed) reviewers completely dismiss the point of these books, namely, that American slavery is considered by most historians to be the most cruel and brutal ever and that Trans-Atlantic slavery, in particular, is NOT the same thing as other forms of slavery---especially those in Africa before European nation contact. Trans-Atlantic European slavery is commercial slavery. the Wealth of the state DEPENDED on it at ALL costs. Genovese does a lot of work in clearing up that misconception and misunderstanding. Specfically, he fixes the historical whitewash that Stamp does in making the conditions of slavery more important than the existence of slavery. Genovese is perhaps one of the ranking last words on slavery. The book lends itself to an in depth psychological examination of slavery which more accurately than Stamp's suggest that people do not always act in the better material interests even when they are aware of the consequences of their actions. Genovese indicates there was a strong material motive for slavery---what else could justify the extreme economic and psyhic expense of it? But also, Genovese is one of the first scholars to begin to examine the consequences that whites suffered in dehumanizing themselves by dehumanizing others---a condition that persists today in the form of white supremacy and socalled globalization.

This was one of the most interesting books I have read in history (up there with Darnton's The Great Cat Massacre). There is the tendency to view blacks of slavery times as victims and victims only; this book conveys the richness of the culture and more importantly their humanity; The chapters on courtship rituals were extremely entertaining and fascinating. I haven't read widely of the time period, but this ranks as the best of what I've read so far.