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The Great Stain
- Author
- Noel Rae
- Narrator
- Steven Crossley
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Publish Date
- 20 February 2018
- Run Time
- 24 hours 48 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
Comprising personal accounts from an intensely consequential chapter in human history, the transatlantic slave trade, The Great Stain takes listeners from the depths of suffering to the heights of human dignity.
There have been numerous books about the why, when, and where of slavery in America, but there is a dearth of material exposing what slavery was actually like. In The Great Stain, researcher Noel Rae frames firsthand accounts from former slaves, slave owners, and even African slavers.
Rae exposes the commerce and culture of slavery, not only from an economic or moral standpoint but also through multitudinous perspectives within it: a young girl is beaten after being accused of stealing a piece of candy, a slave ship’s surgeon recounts brutal treatment and squalid conditions, an Englishman visiting Haiti observes as violent uprisings break out. So many viewpoints ensure that no historical blind spot will leave the picture of an era incomplete.
The Great Stain weaves a tapestry of good and evil, of greed and kindness, and of a civilization as it develops, evolves, and continues to move toward the future. More than that, the listener will encounter the complex economic underpinning of an entire society based on the exploitation of the cheapest labor.
Critics Review
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“Narrator Steven Crossley’s deep, slightly raspy voice and English accent are instilled with a tone that evokes the voice-over of the classic British documentary.”
AudioFile
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“Rae expertly assembles the most consequential accounts from the era of the American slave trade. Drawing on a wide range of sources, he frames a vivid and comprehensive picture of a period in American history about which many only have a vague understanding.”
Ibram X. Kendi, National Book Award–winning author
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“A moving, eye-opening account of the complexity and horror of human bondage. The testimony of slaves is particularly powerful…Essential. For all public, general, and undergraduate collections.”
Choice
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“To allow narrative voices, black and white, to come through, Rae draws on a remarkable assemblage of documents…as well as oral histories of former slaves and excerpts from the writings of free persons who lived in the South…The result is a uniquely immediate, multivoiced, specific, arresting, and illuminating look at life under slavery in America.”
Booklist (starred review)
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“Covers the complete story of American slavery from the start of the transatlantic trade in the fifteenth century to slavery’s end…Highly recommended.”
Library Journal (starred review)
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“This book and its wealth of documents and reports make a welcome, ready reference. Essential for students of American slavery and antebellum history.”
Kirkus Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Noel Rae
- Narrator
- Steven Crossley
- Duration
- 24 hours 48 minutes
- Release Date
- 20 February 2018
- ISBN
- 9781538540077
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Genre
- Social and cultural history, History of the Americas, History of the Americas, History of the Americas, History of the Americas, Slavery and abolition of slavery
Synopsis
Comprising personal accounts from an intensely consequential chapter in human history, the transatlantic slave trade, The Great Stain takes listeners from the depths of suffering to the heights of human dignity.There have been numerous books about the why, when, and where of slavery in America, but there is a dearth of material exposing what slavery was actually like. In The Great Stain, researcher Noel Rae frames firsthand accounts from former slaves, slave owners, and even African slavers.Rae exposes the commerce and culture of slavery, not only from an economic or moral standpoint but also through multitudinous perspectives within it: a young girl is beaten after being accused of stealing a piece of candy, a slave ship’s surgeon recounts brutal treatment and squalid conditions, an Englishman visiting Haiti observes as violent uprisings break out. So many viewpoints ensure that no historical blind spot will leave the picture of an era incomplete.The Great Stain weaves a tapestry of good and evil, of greed and kindness, and of a civilization as it develops, evolves, and continues to move toward the future. More than that, the listener will encounter the complex economic underpinning of an entire society based on the exploitation of the cheapest labor.
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