By Matt Bryant
The Hoover Library’s Stories of Exile program series will be wrapping up in December with a tale closer to home. Authors Irene Latham and Charles Waters will be at the library on Tuesday, December 19th at 6 pm to discuss their young adult novel-in-verse, African Town.
This story is inspired by the true story of the last American slave ship, the Clotilde. In 1860, long after the United States outlawed the importation of enslaved laborers, 110 men, women and children from Benin and Nigeria were captured and brought to Mobile, Alabama aboard a ship called Clotilde. These two fantastic authors have given voice to the ship’s human “cargo” along with the white men that set this voyage in motion. This book is one that should be read by everyone – exiled from their homes, the captives made a home in Alabama that thrives to this day.
Following this exciting guest appearance by the authors, we will discuss the book further at our last book club meeting Thursday, December 21st at 6:30 pm. Our thanks go out to the Yiddish Book Center and the Birmingham Jewish Federation for making this program series possible.
