Africa Town by Irene Latham and Charles Waters

This historical fiction novel-in-verse tells the true story of the survivors of the Clotilda, the ship that brought kidnapped and enslaved Africans to Alabama in 1860--more than fifty years after it became illegal for Africans to be trafficked to the United States.

Kossola, whose oral history was originally recorded by Zora Neale Hurston, is one of the many voices and poetic styles we hear in this riveting tale woven by Irene Latham and Charles Waters.

The front matter includes relevant maps and an introduction by Jocelyn M. Davis, a descendant of Clotilda surviovrs.  The book is divided into eleven sections with a good deal of white space.  Back matter includes the authors' notes on Alabama's Africantown today, a glossary, a guide for pronouncing characters' names, and explantions of the poetic forms used for the characters' voices.  Teachers may be interested in the teaching resources brought together by Project 110 here. --Jessica Fenster-Sparber