NCLA Review -In the 18th and part of the 19th centuries, Africans of all ages were kidnapped and transported to various islands owned by European countries in the Caribbean and South America. There they worked the fields and labored until death came as a welcomed relief from the brutality, poor food, unsanitary conditions and diseases that shortened their lives. In 1787 William Wilberforce introduced what became the first of many parliamentary bills to stop the slave trade and to abolish slavery in Great Britain. This book covers Wilberforce's profound Christian conversion and his obsession to abolish the slave trade. It also covers the political campaign and the twenty year plus struggle to achieve that goal. Stephen Tomkins, a journalist and author, provides an excellent biography of a complex and very contradictory man. The reader is introduced to an age of conflict, upheaval, conflicting interests and political behind the scenes action. The book was published as part of the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the Anti Trade Act in conjunction with the release of the movie Amazing Grace. If your church library provides historical biographies, then this book would be a great choice. It is a well written, researched biography containing endnotes, bibliography and index. Perhaps not everyone's cup of tea, but I found it a worthwhile read. Rating: 3 —BS ( )