Barracoon: Adapted for Young Readers by Zora Neale Hurston

Barracoon: Adapted for Young Readers

Zora Neale Hurston, Ibram X. Kendi

HarperCollins · Print & ebook · January 23, 2024

A Nonfiction pick for readers exploring Barracoon: Adapted for Young Readers.

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Who it’s for
Cudjo Lewis’s firsthand life story brings a rarely heard account of enslavement to young readers.
Themes
Cudjo Lewis’s life story, Atlantic human trade and enslavement, Firsthand historical testimony
Genres
Historical Biographies for Kids, African American Life (U.S.), 19th Century U.S.

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About this book

An Instant New York Times and Indie Bestseller! In the first middle grade offering from Zora Neale Hurston and Ibram X. Kendi, young readers are introduced to the remarkable and true-life story of Cudjo Lewis, one of the last survivors of the Atlantic human trade, in an adaptation of the internationally bestselling and critically acclaimed Barracoon. This is the life story of Cudjo Lewis, as told by himself.

Continue reading

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.

History in One Voice

Cudjo Lewis’s firsthand life story brings a rarely heard account of enslavement to young readers.

Come here for

  • A personal account shared directly by Cudjo Lewis
  • An accessible entry into a difficult chapter of shared history

Expect

  • Age-appropriate historical context from historian Ibram X. Kendi
  • Powerful illustrations by Jazzmen Lee-Johnson

Where it sits

Historical Biographies for Kids44%
African American Life (U.S.)35%
19th Century U.S.28%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Historical Biographies for Kids
  • Cultural Heritage Biographies for Kids
  • African American Life (U.S.)
  • African History for Kids
Show all 8 publisher categories
  • Renaissance for Kids
  • State & Local History
  • 19th Century U.S.
  • 20th Century U.S.
Authors
Zora Neale Hurston, Ibram X. Kendi
Publisher
HarperCollins
Published
January 23, 2024
Format
Print & ebook
Theme
Cudjo Lewis’s life story · Atlantic human trade and enslavement · Firsthand historical testimony
Reading lane
Historical Biographies for Kids