Barracoon

Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” is a non-fiction novel written by acclaimed author Zora Neale Hurston. Hurston centers the work around Oluale Kossola, also known as Cudjoe Lewis, and his experiences on the Middle Passage. Lewis is believed to be one of the last known survivors of the voyages who could recall clear memories. Originally from West Africa, he was captured from his home and sold in the Atlantic Slave Trade in 1860, making him just a teenager when he arrived in Alabama to begin working. He was placed on the ship Clotilda. Lewis was held as an enslaved man for 5 and half years in Plateau-Magazine, AL, enduring intensive work. Hurston interviewed Lewis, documenting his accounts for her book. She began her interviews with Lewis in 1927, but all his accounts date back to the late 1800’s, in the post Civil War era.