The African Audiobook By Harold Courlander cover art

The African

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The African

By: Harold Courlander
Narrated by: Peter Francis James
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The African is Harold Courlander’s critically-acclaimed novel of the slave trade as seen through the eyes of Hwesuhunu. An insightful journey through the volatile frontiers of American slavery, this unforgettable story is the riveting primary source for Alex Haley’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Roots. Hwesuhunu’s life is portrayed in heartbreaking detail. Starting with his capture by French slave traders and the horrors of the Middle Passage, The African recounts his heroic fight for survival while shipwrecked on the island of Saint Lucia, his enslavement on a Georgia plantation, and his fate-driven quest for freedom as a runaway. Throughout these ordeals, Courlander passionately and eloquently conveys the full panorama of Hwesuhunu’s emotions, from the desperate confusion over his plight to his consuming search for his life’s meaning. Peter Francis James’ deeply resonant voice brings Courlander’s masterful prose to life with power and purpose.

©1993 Harold Courlander (P)1996 Recorded Books, LLC Fiction Historical Fiction Africa Inspiring

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this story.. I so wanted there to be a happy ending.. that he would find Agagane or at least Ohio.. being a black American, this story spoke to my soul . I so wanted Hwesuhunu to defy the odds and somehow make it. I feel like Wes is my spirit ancestor sharing his story with me.

Tragically beautiful

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one of the best books I've ever listened to. will read again. characters authentically understood by the author

stunning

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I enjoyed this audible. The narrator did an excellent job expressing the various voices of the characters it added so much more to the story.

Definitely worth of listen.

The Narrator added so much to the story

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Wish I had found this gem years ago. Though not the epic that was "Roots" but its powerful non the less. The actor who did the reading did a remarkable job with the many accents of the various characters.

The African

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The first 3 or 4 hours are painful. It’s not that it’s not an engaging story but the presentation the narrator chose. Once we hits land it changes and becomes very engaging but I almost gave up before that. Good story

Picks up nicely

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I actually read this book years before Roots. Love Haley. But, this book was the first description of the slave experience that moved me realize that all ethnic groups have been enslaved from Jesus times to today. The title "The African" describes a people, a place, a culture with art, dance, ritual, Spirit, war. Slavery in the USA crippled folks for generations. And yet, a white wrote about the "business" of Slavery with compassion and truth! I am Igbo. He recreates the dignity of THE AFRICAN.

Awesome!

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From beginning to end you can't help but feel all the emotions. At times hard to listen to, but the story of survival is inspiring.

A Beautiful Story

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The autbor wrote with eloquence.I coukd sense the horror of slavery and the triumph of the human spirit throughout the whole book.

The author did an amazing job

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A classic novel that cements my appreciation of the ancestors who've suffered, yet found a way to triumph....

A required read for all inhabitants of Earth...

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