Barracoon: Adapted for Young Readers

Of the millions of men, women, and children transported from Africa to America to be enslaved, eighty-six-year-old Cudjo Lewis was then the only person alive to tell the story of his capture and bondage—fifty years after the Atlantic human trade was outlawed in the United States. Cudjo shared his firsthand account with legendary folklorist, anthropologist, and writer Zora Neale Hurston.

Adapted with care and delivered with age-appropriate historical context by award-winning historian Ibram X. Kendi, Cudjo’s incredible story is now available for young readers and emerging scholars. With powerful illustrations by Jazzmen Lee-Johnson, this poignant work is an invaluable contribution to our shared history and culture.

 

Portrait of Cudjo Lewis, who was born as Oluale Kossola. Charcoal on white Legion Stonehenge paper, 2023.

INTERIOR ART EXCERPTS

Cudjo with his Great-Granddaughters, twins Mary and Martha (Chapter 2). Charcoal on white Legion Stonehenge paper, 2023.

Cudjo watching his grandfather with the King (Chapter 2). Charcoal on white Legion Stonehenge paper, 2023.

Freedom Collage (Chapter 7). Charcoal on white Legion Stonehenge paper, 2023.

 

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