Some of us learned about the Amistad revolt in our school history classes. Some of us only know about it because of the 1997 movie starring Morgan Freeman and Anthony Hopkins. But many of us still know little or nothing about those involved in the 1839 slave ship revolt that became a symbol for the abolitionist movement. In his new book, “Ardency: A Chronicle of the Amistad Rebels,” Kevin Young attempts to change this.
Part epic poem, part history scrapbook, “Ardency” gives voice to the African captives involved in Amistad – from their kidnapping in Sierra Leone, to their revolt, to their trial, and finally, to their repatriation in their homeland.