I enjoy stories of difficult and dangerous treks, and this one appealed to me: it's an account of the trials of American sailors who were shipwrecked off of the African coast in 1815 and dragged across the desert as slaves. Author King took much of his material from two first-hand accounts, one by Captain Riley and another by able seaman Robbins, and has included perspectives of the native peoples and of the diplomats who eventually brokered the release of the surviving sailors.

Every aspect of the story, from the initial shipwreck to the devastating prospect of attempting to survive on the brutal desert coast to the dramatic culture-clash and hardship of being taken captive, is quite riveting, and often heart-wrenching. I was rather surprised at the descriptions of the initial battles between different native groups for possession of the sailors - they seen as a treasure-trove, valuable commodities cast up on shore for the seizing, but at the same time they were treated very harshly indeed, almost as if to see who could work their new slaves to death soonest. Or perhaps that *was* their value: helpless strangers who could be used up entirely...

The obvious contrast with Americans engaged in the African slave trade certainly wasn't lost on me - or on the survivors; Captain Riley became an ardent anti-slavery advocate, though sadly there were many who simply refused to believe (or care) that black people might suffer as much under captivity as these white sailors did.

The details of the very harsh life of the desert nomads, the mix of brutal treatment and unexpected kindness, the political climate that affected trade and diplomacy, and the increasing drama as to which of the men would survive and how any of them might gain their freedom made for an intense and fascinating story.

I'm sending this to BCer perryfran in Utah, for the US/Canada wishlist tag game. Enjoy!

*** Released for the 2014 The release challenge, for books with "the" in the title. ***

Thanks for sending me this wishlist book. I actually saw this at a thrift store a few months ago and regretted not picking it up! Looks interesting and I hope to get to it sometime soon.

This is the true story of Captain James Riley and his crew from the brig Commerce who were shipwrecked on the coast of western Africa in 1815 and taken as slaves by desert nomads. The crew is beaten, nearly starved to death, traded among various Arab groups, and forced to march untold distances while barely maintaining enough nourishment to survive. The captives drank both human and camel urine as a means of staying somewhat hydrated and on occasion were given the intestines of slaughtered camels to eat complete with undigested grain still in them. During the ordeal, the captives lost significant body weight -- Captain Riley going from 240 lbs to a mere 90 lbs while some of the other crew were reduced to only 40 lbs! Eventually Riley and four others of his group are freed and then later two others are also rescued from captivity. Riley writes a memoir of his experiences which is widely read and was even an inspiration for Abraham Lincoln. In fact, Riley later became an abolitionist but he also suffered from PTSD as a result of his ordeal and died at a relatively young age.

King uses Riley's memoir and another by seaman Archibald Robbins, who was one of the later rescued, as a basis for his book. He also gives some other history and geography of the region throughout the book. I found the descriptions of the nomads behavior and customs to be fascinating while their treatment to the men was often brutal. It was noted several times that the Arab women were much more severe in their treatment to the survivors than were the men. Although this narrative was for the most part engrossing, I thought it was sometimes repetitious and a little dry as King described the tedium of the everyday struggle to survive in great detail but overall it did a good job of telling this forgotten story of survival.

Sending to booklady331 who selected it from her nonfiction VBB. Enjoy!

Arrived today. It looks interesting. Thank you for sharing.

This is a true story of survival. It had to have been horrible. I wonder what happened to the men who were not rescued. The other journalists have summed the book up well.

Enjoy! KTM RABCK to Aberpeter For Oh The Places We Can Go - Zahara, Nigeria

thank you for the RABCK

Skeletons on the Zahara is a well researched account of the Commerce and its crew, who were shipwrecked off Cape Bojador, Africa in 1812. Rich in detail, Dean King describes the events as they unfolded and from the crew trying to make it on their own in the desert to when they were taken in as slaves, having to endure all kinds of torture from being stripped naked, to beatings, to natives fighting over who actually owns them as slaves. While the retelling of this account was somewhat dry and laborious, it was also thought-provoking and captivating. As previous readers mentioned, it makes me think about the American slave trade at that time and how the slaves in the US were treated. This imagery from this book will probably stick with me for some time.

Added to the Around the World bookbox

Compelling writing!!!


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