Book cover of Rough Crossings

Book description

Rough Crossings is the astonishing story of the struggle to freedom by thousands of African-American slaves who fled the plantations to fight behind British lines in the American War of Independence. With gripping, powerfully vivid story-telling, Simon Schama follows the escaped blacks into the fires of the war, and into…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Rough Crossings as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

In the 18th century, more than 12 million slaves were shipped from Africa to the Americas via the notorious Middle Passage. This book gave me an inside understanding of how the slave trade was stopped and vivid descriptions of the individuals who played leading roles.

My mind was also expanded with new knowledge about the extraordinary experience of slaves during the American Revolution. I loved the exciting and dramatic language that put me in the middle of the action.   

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German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

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