Kidnapped at the age of 11 from his home in Benin, Africa, Olaudah Equiano spent the next 11 years as a slave in England, the U.S., and the West Indies, until he was able to buy his freedom. His autobiography, published in 1789, was a bestseller in its own time. Cameron has modernized and shortened it while remaining true to the spirit of the original. It's a gripping story of adventure, betrayal, cruelty, and courage. In searing scenes, Equiano describes the savagery of his capture, the appalling conditions on the slave ship, the auction, and the forced labor. . . . Kids will read this young man's story on their own; it will also enrich curriculum units on history and on writing.

-Amazon description

As I'm homeschooling my girls, I sometimes come across a book or lesson that makes me think that my own education has been lacking. That happened again as I read this book. The Kidnapped Prince is the autobiography of Olaudah Equiano, an African slave in the late 18th Century who won his freedom, got an education and published his story. (Take that, all you bozos who said that Africans were inferior to whites!) Why wasn't this book required reading back when I was in school? Well, one reason is that this is an adaption of Equiano's autobiography. Ms. Cameron edited the story down a bit and rewrote the tale in a language more understandable for us 21st Century types. Anyway, I'm a strong believer in reading first hand accounts of history, and since slavery is such an important aspect of American history, I would recommend that any parent let their child check this one out. Me, I'm going to go look for the original work, to see what I might have missed.
--J. ( )