Enslaved: The Sunken History of the Transatlantic Slave Trade
About this audiobook
A riveting and illuminating exploration of the transatlantic slave trade by an intrepid team of divers seeking to reclaim the stories of their ancestors
From the writers behind the acclaimed documentary series Enslaved, starring Samuel L. Jackson, comes a rich and revealing narrative of the true global and human scope of the transatlantic slave trade. The trade existed for 400 years, during which twelve million people were trafficked and two million would die en route.
In these pages we meet the remarkable group Diving with a Purpose (DWP) as they dive for sunken slave ships all around the world. They search for remains and artifacts testifying to the millions of kidnapped Africans that were transported to Europe, the Americas, and the Caribbean. From manilla bracelets to shackles, cargo, and other possessions, the finds from these wrecks bring the stories of lost lives back to the surface.
As we follow the men and women of DWP across eleven countries, Jacobovici and Kingsley’s rich research puts into vivid context the archaeology and history of these vessels that were lost between 1670 and 1858.
From the ports of Gold Coast Africa to the corporate hubs of trading companies of England, Portugal, and the Netherlands and the final destinations in the New World, Jacobovici and Kingsley show how the slave trade touched every nation and every society on earth.
Though global in scope, Enslaved makes history personal as we experience the divers’ sadness, anger, reverence, and awe as they hold in their hands tangible pieces of their ancestors’ world. What those people suffered on board those ships can never be forgiven. Enslaved works to ensure that it will always be remembered and understood and is the first book to tell the story of the transatlantic slave trade from the bottom of the sea.
About the author
Dr. Sean Kingsley is a marine archaeologist who has explored over 350 wrecks from Israel to America. Off the United Kingdom, he identified the world’s earliest Royal African Company English ‘slaver’ ship. He is the author of fourteen books, writes for National Geographic, and is the founder and editor-in-chief of Wreckwatch magazine about the sunken wonders of the world’s seas.
Simcha Jacobovici is an acclaimed Israeli/Canadian journalist, New York Times bestselling author, and a three-time Emmy winning filmmaker. He was showrunner and director of the six-part series Enslaved: The Lost History of the Transatlantic Slave Trade for which he has received numerous awards, including two NAACP Image Award nominations. He is host of the History Channel’s “The Naked Archaeologist.” He is an adjunct professor in the department of religion at Huntington University, Ontario, Canada.
Cary Hite is an experienced actor and audiobook narrator who has had the pleasure of working with a number of publishing houses. An Earphones award-winner, he currently resides in New York City.
Brenda Jones has worked on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, for fifteen years as communications director for an icon of American politics, Rep. John Lewis. Nearly all of his published opinions, statements, and speeches, ranging from his introductions of presidents of the United States, to commencement addresses delivered to the Ivy League, to House floor statements and those that celebrate his transformative civil rights legacy, have been penned by Brenda Jones. She collaborated with him on Across That Bridge: A Vision for Change and the Future of America, which won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work/Biography. She has also worked in commercial television news and public broadcasting.
