Here are 84 books that White Slaves, African Masters fans have personally recommended if you like White Slaves, African Masters. Book DNA is a community of 13,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Orientalism

Lawrence A. Peskin Author Of Three Consuls

From my list on experience the Mediterranean like a 19th-century American.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am an early American historian who studies and teaches about America’s interaction with the world. I got interested in the Mediterranean when I started reading angry American screes against Barbary “pirates” who captured Americans and held them as “slaves” in North Africa. These events alerted me to a fascinating cast of American characters, many of them consuls on both shores of the Mediterranean who were involved in freeing the captives but also, I realized, were doing so much more to facilitate American commerce and shape national identity. They are the topic of my latest book!

Lawrence's book list on experience the Mediterranean like a 19th-century American

Lawrence A. Peskin Why Lawrence loves this book

Although I don’t always agree with Said, and he doesn’t really address the United States specifically, I find myself turning to his book again and again because he asks the crucial questions about western interaction with the Islamic portion of the Mediterranean region.

His questions can also be applied to Mark Twain’s interaction with Catholics on the European shores of the Mediterranean. Anyone discussing the Middle East seriously needs to be familiar with his approach.

By Edward W. Said ,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked Orientalism as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The seminal work that has redefined our understanding of colonialism and empire, with a preface by the author

'Stimulating, elegant and pugnacious' Observer
'Magisterial' Terry Eagleton

In this highly-acclaimed work, Edward Said surveys the history and nature of Western attitudes towards the East, considering orientalism as a powerful European ideological creation - a way for writers, philosophers and colonial administrators to deal with the 'otherness' of eastern culture, customs and beliefs. He traces this view through the writings of Homer, Nerval and Flaubert, Disraeli and Kipling, whose imaginative depictions have greatly contributed to the West's romantic and exotic picture of…


If you love White Slaves, African Masters...

Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

Book cover of The Innocents Abroad

Lawrence A. Peskin Author Of Three Consuls

From my list on experience the Mediterranean like a 19th-century American.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am an early American historian who studies and teaches about America’s interaction with the world. I got interested in the Mediterranean when I started reading angry American screes against Barbary “pirates” who captured Americans and held them as “slaves” in North Africa. These events alerted me to a fascinating cast of American characters, many of them consuls on both shores of the Mediterranean who were involved in freeing the captives but also, I realized, were doing so much more to facilitate American commerce and shape national identity. They are the topic of my latest book!

Lawrence's book list on experience the Mediterranean like a 19th-century American

Lawrence A. Peskin Why Lawrence loves this book

This is Mark Twain’s hilarious, grumpy account of his travels, mostly through the Mediterranean region just after the Civil War. Even though it’s over a hundred years old, I laughed out loud and found a lot of it to be still recognizable from my own travels.

But it’s also kind of disturbingly non-politically correct, raising lots of troubling questions for me, anyway, about how Americans looked at Catholics and Muslims.

By Mark Twain ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Innocents Abroad as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A beautiful edition with the formatting and all 234 images from the original first edition published in 1869. The cover is from an Antonio Joli painting of Rome. Use Amazon's Lookinside feature to compare this edition with others. You'll be impressed by the differences. Don't be fooled by other versions that have no illustrations or contain very small print. Reading our edition will make you feel that you are back traveling the Mediterranean with Mark. If you like our book, be sure to leave a review!

Published under the full name The Innocents Abroad, or The New Pilgrims' Progress, this…


Book cover of The Barbary Wars

Lawrence A. Peskin Author Of Three Consuls

From my list on experience the Mediterranean like a 19th-century American.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am an early American historian who studies and teaches about America’s interaction with the world. I got interested in the Mediterranean when I started reading angry American screes against Barbary “pirates” who captured Americans and held them as “slaves” in North Africa. These events alerted me to a fascinating cast of American characters, many of them consuls on both shores of the Mediterranean who were involved in freeing the captives but also, I realized, were doing so much more to facilitate American commerce and shape national identity. They are the topic of my latest book!

Lawrence's book list on experience the Mediterranean like a 19th-century American

Lawrence A. Peskin Why Lawrence loves this book

All those American captives in North Africa prompted the United States’ first overseas wars: The First and Second Barbary Wars. In turn, they led to still more captivity, not to mention “the shores of Tripoli” part of the Battle Hymn of the Republic.

Lambert’s is the definitive account of these events, and it is short and sweet, even if it places them in the “Atlantic world” rather than the Mediterranean world.

By Frank Lambert ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Barbary Wars as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Frank Lambert details America's nineteenth-century conflicts in the Middle East in The Barbary Wars.

The history of America's conflict with the piratical states of the Mediterranean runs through the presidencies of Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison; the adoption of the Constitution; the Quasi-War with France and the War of 1812; the construction of a full-time professional navy; and, most important, the nation's haltering steps toward commercial independence. Frank Lambert's genius is to see in the Barbary Wars the ideal means of capturing the new nation's shaky emergence in the complex context of the Atlantic world.

Depicting a time when Britain…


If you love Paul Baepler...

Book cover of Crossing: A Chinese Family Railroad Novel

Crossing by Lisa Redfern,

Crossing is a vividly human re-imagining of the love, sacrifices, and accomplishments that two Chinese brothers - American Immigrants - experience as they travel to California to build the Transcontinental Railroad. 

Book cover of American Apostles

Lawrence A. Peskin Author Of Three Consuls

From my list on experience the Mediterranean like a 19th-century American.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am an early American historian who studies and teaches about America’s interaction with the world. I got interested in the Mediterranean when I started reading angry American screes against Barbary “pirates” who captured Americans and held them as “slaves” in North Africa. These events alerted me to a fascinating cast of American characters, many of them consuls on both shores of the Mediterranean who were involved in freeing the captives but also, I realized, were doing so much more to facilitate American commerce and shape national identity. They are the topic of my latest book!

Lawrence's book list on experience the Mediterranean like a 19th-century American

Lawrence A. Peskin Why Lawrence loves this book

Besides captives, missionaries were another major group of Americans who visited the Mediterranean. They worked in the Middle East (Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey) in what was, at least initially, a fairly futile effort to convert residents to Protestantism. 

Heyrman does a fantastic job of humanizing two young missionaries and probing their views of the locals and of Islam. As a bonus, she’s written a follow-up describing a romantic triangle among the missionaries (Doomed Romance: Broken Hearts, Lost Souls, and Sexual Tumult in 19th-Century America).

Book cover of The Sovereignty and Goodness of God: A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson

Amy Belding Brown Author Of Flight of the Sparrow: A Novel of Early America

From my list on New England’s forgotten conflict.

Why am I passionate about this?

I write historical fiction set in New England and based on the lives of real people. My New England roots go back to the 1630s when my English ancestors first came to the region so I’m steeped in its traditions and literature. I love doing the research for my books, especially when my characters lead me in new directions. I spent ten years digging into the conflict between the Puritans and the indigenous Natives and in the process discovered a largely forgotten story that has long-lasting implications for our day.

Amy's book list on New England’s forgotten conflict

Amy Belding Brown Why Amy loves this book

Mary Rowlandson’s narrative of her captivity experience with Native Americans during King Philip’s War was one of the first bestsellers in the English colonies. And it’s the first published “captivity narrative” in what was to become a popular American literary genre. Rowlandson’s book is a fast-moving and dramatic account that describes in detail the attack that destroyed her home and culminated in her capture. She includes a harrowing account of carrying her fatally wounded daughter on an arduous journey, her despair when her daughter dies, her struggles to survive among people she’s been taught to revile, and her eventual ransom and release. This book has long been one of the most important primary sources documenting Native culture in New England at the time of English colonization.

By Mary Rowlandson ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Sovereignty and Goodness of God as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Considered the first American "bestseller", this early captivity narrative follows Mary Rowlandson's three month holding by the American Algonquian Indians. The first by an Anglo-American woman, Mrs. Rowlandson's "Narrative" remains a classic. Captivating to readers since its initial publication in 1682, this account presents a unique perspective on transcultural interaction between early American settlers and their Native American counterparts. Following King Phillip's War, Mary and her three children were seized by Algonquian Indians in her town of Lancaster, Massachusetts. What ensued is a harrowing journey of tremendous hardship up to her release per ransom. Rowlandson integrates Puritan ideologies and Biblical…


Book cover of Pirates!

Barbara Sjoholm Author Of The Pirate Queen: In Search of Grace O'Malley and Other Legendary Women of the Sea

From my list on women seafarers and pirates.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up in Long Beach, California and have always gravitated to port towns and saltwater. I had a summer job as a student working on the famous Hurtigruten cargo ship and traveled up and down the Norwegian coast as a dishwasher. Since then I’ve kayaked, sailed, and wandered the shores of many countries, including the Pacific Northwest, where I live now. Being Irish and Swedish myself, I wanted to make women’s history as seafarers in the cold waters of the North better known. I had a great time researching this travel book about little-known places and women skippers, fishers, and sea goddesses. 

Barbara's book list on women seafarers and pirates

Barbara Sjoholm Why Barbara loves this book

Pirates! Historical fiction for young adults and anyone who enjoys a sea story with twists and turns aplenty, this novel begins in Bristol, England in the eighteenth century. Nancy Kingston’s father is a shipowner whose money comes from sugar plantations and enslaved labor in Jamaica. A tragedy makes sixteen-year-old Nancy his heiress; her brothers send her to the West Indies to marry. But life takes a surprising turn; she and the enslaved maid Minerva, escape to become pirates in the Caribbean. If you’re looking for an absorbing, multicultural tale of girls who go in search of adventure and freedom amidst the horrors of plantation life, this is a must-read. According to the author the novel is based on a true story, which makes it even more fascinating. 

By Celia Rees ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Pirates! as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

From the author of the bestselling and award-winning WITCH CHILD, comes another outstanding historical novel.

When two young women meet under extraordinary circumstances in the eighteenth-century West Indies, they are unified in their desire to escape their oppressive lives. The first is a slave, forced to work in a plantation mansion and subjected to terrible cruelty at the hands of the plantation manager. The second is a spirited and rebellious English girl, sent to the West Indies to marry well.

But fate ensures that one night the two young women have to save each other and run away to a…


If you love White Slaves, African Masters...

Book cover of Almost Home

Almost Home by Howard Means,

Almost Home is a fictional retelling of the last great tragedy of the Civil War.

In late April 1865, almost 2,000 newly freed Union prisoners of war are packed onto the steamer Sultana, in poor repair and with a listed capacity of 376 passengers. Among them are four Indiana soldiers…

Book cover of The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf

Donald R. Hickey Author Of Glorious Victory: Andrew Jackson and the Battle of New Orleans

From my list on understanding the Battle of New Orleans.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m an award-winning author and professor of history at Wayne State College in Nebraska. Called “the dean of 1812 scholarship” by the New Yorker, I’ve written eleven books and more than a hundred articles, mostly on the War of 1812 and its causes. I didn’t become interested in this battle until well into my academic career, when I decided to turn the series of articles on the War of 1812 that I had written into my first book. I quickly became fascinated by the cast of characters, headed by tough-as-nails Andrew Jackson; Baratarian pirate Jean Laffite; and the British commander, Sir Edward Pakenham, who was the Duke of Wellington’s brother-in-law. No less intriguing was the magnitude of the U.S. victory and the British defeat, the profound and lasting legacy of the battle, and the many popular misconceptions about what actually happened in the battle or what might have happened had the British won.

Donald's book list on understanding the Battle of New Orleans

Donald R. Hickey Why Donald loves this book

The Laffite brothers, Pierre and especially Jean, loom large in the mythology of the Battle of New Orleans, although in truth the contribution of the Baratarian pirates to Jackson’s great victory was rather modest. In this work, Davis fleshes out the life and character of the two brothers, showing how the accepted view of their contribution to Jackson’s success in the campaign has been overstated.

By William C. Davis ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Pirates Laffite as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An “engrossing and exciting” account of legendary New Orleans privateers Pierre and Jean Laffite and their adventures along the Gulf Coast (Booklist, starred review).

At large during the most colorful period in New Orleans' history, from just after the Louisiana Purchase through the War of 1812, privateers Jean and Pierre Laffite made life hell for Spanish merchants on the Gulf.

Pirates to the US Navy officers who chased them, heroes to the private citizens who shopped for contraband at their well-publicized auctions, the brothers became important members of a filibustering syndicate that included lawyers, bankers, merchants, and corrupt US officials.…


Book cover of In Deeper Waters

Paul Michael Winters Author Of Together in a Broken World

From my list on queer people living their best lives.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up in a time when it was nearly unheard of to be out in high school. This led to a very lonely and isolating childhood, with few role models and almost no queer fiction. I'm dedicated to making it easier for the next generation by providing joyful stories about queer people living their best lives. My stories feature proud queer people, where being queer is simply an aspect of their personalities and doesn't dominate the plot. People imitate art, and by providing positive examples of happy queer people, I hope to make the world a more accepting place, one story at a time.

Paul's book list on queer people living their best lives

Paul Michael Winters Why Paul loves this book

From the moment I read the first page, I knew I would love this book. Its focus on adventure, romance, and whimsy captivated me, all with a cast of queer characters. While it was undeniably queer, that was never the focus of the conflict and was normalized in this fun fantasy world.

The chemistry between the love interests was sweet and joyful, and the prose was a pleasure to read, filled with humor and quirkiness but also true emotion—a great fantasy romance and adventure filled with queer joy.

By F.T. Lukens ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked In Deeper Waters as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

"A frothy confection of sea-foam, young love, and derring-do." -NPR

A young prince must rely on a mysterious stranger to save him when he is kidnapped during his coming-of-age tour in this swoony adventure that is The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue meets Pirates of the Caribbean.

Prince Tal has long awaited his coming-of-age tour. After spending most of his life cloistered behind palace walls as he learns to keep his forbidden magic secret, he can finally see his family's kingdom for the first time. His first taste of adventure comes just two days into the journey, when…


Book cover of Lady Pirate

Shawna Barnett Author Of Windfall

From my list on adventure with women at sea.

Why am I passionate about this?

From the beginning of my reading journey, I wished for more stories about women who were courageous, passionate, and in control of their own destiny. I wanted to write books for female readers who loved characters like Zorro, Robin Hood, and Jack Sparrow, but wanted to see themselves shining through them. In the process of researching, I discovered unforgettable characters like Captain Mabbot and Clare Sullivan. The Legends of Vioria series focuses on such women, who use their wit and strength to navigate the world. It is my hope to continue to write stories that will inspire others just as the books in this list inspired me. 

Shawna's book list on adventure with women at sea

Shawna Barnett Why Shawna loves this book

I read this book when I was looking for inspiration on pirate romance. Instead, Captain Valoree Ainsley’s debacles with her rascal crew, set up the dynamic between Captain Foley and her crew in Windfall. I loved the humor of this book and would highly recommend it for a fun and romantic read. 

By Lynsay Sands ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Lady Pirate as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Valoree no longer has to masquerade as her murdered brother and scourge the oceans as Captain Red. She no longer has to command his pirate band in a quest to regain his birthright. She has been named heir to Ainsley Castle. But no executor would ever hand over the estate to an unmarried pirate wench and her infamous crew-no matter to whom she'd been born. And the will distinctly states that in order to inherit, Valoree must be married to a nobleman ...and pregnant. Upon learning that, the virgin captain is ready to return to the seas-but her crew has…


If you love Paul Baepler...

Book cover of Creativity, Teaching, and Natural Inspiration

Creativity, Teaching, and Natural Inspiration by Mark Doherty,

I have woven numerous delightful and descriptive true life stories, many from my adventures as an outdoorsman and singer songwriter, into my life as a high school English teacher. I think you'll find this work both entertaining as well as informative, and I hope you enjoy the often lighthearted repartee…

Book cover of Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea

Gabriella Buba Author Of Saints of Storm and Sorrow

From my list on Asian fantasy heroines breaking the minority mold.

Why am I passionate about this?

As an Asian author myself, nothing makes me happier than when authors and stories gleefully break the mold of the perfect model minority sidekick character that Asian characters have been boxed into in English media/literature for years. No more Mathy model minorities or sexually submissive mail-order brides. It’s time for Asian women to break those bamboo ceilings and become messy, angry, fully realized characters ready to tear down the sky to achieve their goals.

Gabriella's book list on Asian fantasy heroines breaking the minority mold

Gabriella Buba Why Gabriella loves this book

I loved this novel about the legendary Chinese pirate queen Shek Yeung because I love a woman who is willing to do whatever it takes to stay on top.

What’s more compelling than watching your husband being cut down and immediately hatching a plan to marry his second-in-command to prevent her pirate fleet from fracturing? In addition, I loved the very subtle magic/spirituality woven throughout in the mirrored relationship between the young pirate empress scrabbling for survival and power and the Sea Goddess Ma Zou, who is present from Shek Yeung’s earliest days as a fisherman’s daughter until she is the leader of the red banner pirate fleet.

I love a complicated patron-goddess relationship.

By Rita Chang-Eppig ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

For readers of Outlawed, Piranesi, and The Night Tiger, a dazzling historical novel about a legendary Chinese pirate queen, her fight to save her fleet from the forces allied against them, and the dangerous price of power.

As Recommended By
The TODAY Show * Washington Post * Goodreads * LitHub * Real Simple * Time * Popsugar * HuffPost * Los Angeles Times * Ms. Magazine * Book Riot * Elle.com * The Rumpus * Tor.com * Polygon * Debutiful * Electric Lit * Shondaland *

When Shek Yeung sees a Portuguese sailor slay her husband, a feared pirate, she…


Book cover of Orientalism
Book cover of The Innocents Abroad
Book cover of The Barbary Wars

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