Schama, Simon. Rough Crossings: Britain, the Slaves, and the American Revolution.

SCHAMA, Simon. Rough crossings: Britain, the slaves, and the American Revolution. Read by the author. 10 cds. 11.5 hrs. Harper Audio. 2005/2006. 0-06-113702-2. $39.95. Cardboard; content, author notes. A

Faced with the prospect of the Revolutionary War, the British government offered freedom to colonial slaves who would join their forces. After its defeat, for reasons more complicated than altruistic, the Crown honored its promise. Does this mean that African Americans would have fared better had Britain won the war? To answer that--a qualified "no." Schama details the beginning of the emancipation movement, taking the reader back and forth across the Atlantic from America to England, to a disastrous experimental colony in Nova Scotia and on to a temporarily more successful one in Sierra Leone.

The sweeping scope of this work, the political and legal intricacies of the British system and a large cast of unfamiliar heroes and villains, both black and white, make this book inaccessible to any YA other than a highly motivated advanced student reader. However, for the educator, there are facts as surprising as they are fascinating. Schama is a talented narrator with a clear, pleasant and highly expressive voice. He makes the hopes, fears and disappointments of the emancipated slaves and their champions come fully alive. Francine Levitov, Attorney, New York, NY

A--Recommended for advanced students and adults. This code will help librarians and teachers working in high schools where there are honors and advanced placement students. This also will help extend KLIATT's usefulness in public libraries.