Skeletons on the Zahara

I mentioned this book to Dad on the phone over the weekend. It's a non-fiction account of the survivors of a shipwreck on the coast of Africa in 1817. The author, Dean King, combined the first-hand accounts from the captain and another crew member, which makes it more interesting. He is also the author of a book about Patrick O'Brian's books. Let me tell you, you did not want to be shipwrecked on the coast of Africa in those days. Hell, it can't be too pleasant now. At that time, though, it was common practice for the bedouins of the region to make Christians into slaves. Living wasn't great for the bedouins, but it was unbelievably cruel for their slaves. There was a black market (or was it white market) in Christian slaves, so much of the story involves the circuitous path of these poor bastards as they are ultimately traded for a ransom. It is a great narrative about an offbeat time and place. The original books were bestsellers in their time, and some of the implications of slavery that come about when the tables are turned had implications all the way through to Lincoln's time.