To Be A Slave By: Julius Lester

Intriguing story. I had not thought of slaves being brought to the Americas for exploration before Jamestown was even settled. They were ideal for the settlers since they did not know the lay of the land like the natives who could escape successfully, and they looked different unlike indentured servants who could run off and blend in with other settlers. Written very well for children, it alludes to the gruesome facts without going into gory detail. The story is created from a collection of quotes taken from actual slave accounts. I also learned that three fourths of the South's population did not have slaves and most owners had less than twenty slaves. The ending of the book was dark and ominous though "The white folks have been and are now and always will be against the negro". Did he feel that was an effective way to be objective?