Nov 12th, 2008 · Amitav Ghosh's sprawling historical novel is set on a former slave ship in 1838, and features a wildly diverse cast of characters and fluid, "beautifully made" sentences. Reviewer Alan Cheuse says Sea of Poppies is worth a passage.
Nov 9th, 2008 · Amitav Ghosh's epic novel tells the stories of a disparate group of seafarers aboard a former slave ship that has been retrofitted for the opium trade and its human cargo.
Nov 5th, 2008 · Born in 1899 in central Texas, Amanda Jones is the living link between the time when a black man could be owned as property and when a black man could be elected president of the United States. She calls Barack Obama's election "a blessing."
Oct 25th, 2008 · Author Leonard Todd's new book, Carolina Clay, explores the life, art and legacy of a slave potter named Dave. Todd offers a personal perspective on the history of slavery: His great-great grandfather owned Dave.
Oct 21st, 2008 · Senator John McCain's ancestors owned a Mississippi plantation and about 120 slaves who worked the grounds. Farai Chideya talks with Douglas Blackmon of the Wall Street Journal and Lillie McCain, a descendant of the McCain plantation workers, about how the black McCains see this election.
Oct 13th, 2008 · The town of Allensworth was the first in California to be founded and funded solely by African Americans. At its height, the town — founded by a former slave-turned-soldier — had a bustling economy. As Allensworth celebrates its 100th anniversary, Farai Chideya gets perspective from Lonnie Bunch, Alice Royal, and Thomas Ward.
Oct 7th, 2008 · Host Michel Martin kicks off Rhode Island's Freedom Festival with a conversation on a bicentennial commemoration, marking the end of the transatlantic slave trade. Martin is joined by filmmaker Katrina Browne, Africana Studies professor Dr. James Campbell, Mary-Kim Arnold and the Rev. Jeffery A. Williams, head pastor at the Cathedral of Life.
Sep 22nd, 2008 · Thomas Jefferson's biography got significantly more complicated when DNA evidence linked him to the descendants of Sally Hemings, a slave on his estate. Annette Gordon-Reed talks about her new book, The Hemingses of Monticello an exhaustive study of Sally Hemings' life and role within the Jefferson household.