Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an advanced copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.


African Town is the story of the last transatlantic shipment of enslaved people from the west coast of Africa. Our main characters are several teens who have been captured and sold by the evil king Glele and find themselves newly enslaved by an Alabama plantation owner. Written in verse, this title is beautifully heartbreaking. I felt so deeply for each and every character. They all had their own styles of speaking and their own struggles. All were fleshed out and well-written.

I hate to say that I "enjoyed" this title because of the subject matter, but it was objectively a beautiful book that told a very important story. I found myself trying to steal minutes here and there in order to finish this just that much faster.

The end of the book includes information about each of the people from the Clotilda and their families. It also included extra info about the slave trade and the descendants of Africa Town.

I would highly recommend this title in order to learn more about this important piece of American history. I have now purchased my own copy by pre-order to arrive on the day it's released.



Trigger warnings:
-kidnapping
-murder
-slave trade
-racism
-mention of rape
-manslaughter
-mention of war (civil war)
-death of a child (multiple)