Feeding the Ghosts

by Fred D'Aguiar

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Description

Returning from its last African mission, the slave ship Zong falls prey to disease which quickly spreads through the human cargo. Captain Cunningham orders 132 slaves to be thrown overboard. One woman, Minta, survives to tell a story which reclaims the lives of those drowned without ceremony.

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2 reviews
It did not take long to realize that this book is not worth spending time reading. For some reason, I did anyway, though. Why in the World it was short-listed for the James Tait Prize, or how the author could have possibly be an English professor is beyond me.
The way in which it is written is bad enough; it does not even build up to the plot. The only background information it provides before the crew starts throwing the slaves overboard is that the doctor had expired a few weeks prior from the epidemic---in no way at all does it describe what the epidemic was, symptoms or otherwise.
Moreover, why do all authors try to associate women with earthiness? Mintah (the heroine of the story) goes on & on about how she “is wood, she is one show more with the wood”, or she was “one with the water, the water she is.” If I wanted to read that, I would have chosen to read a book on Paganism instead. show less
½

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29+ Works 615 Members

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Common Knowledge

Original title
Feeding the Ghosts
Original publication date
1997
People/Characters*
Mintah; Simon Dobbs; first mate Kelsal; Captain Cunningham
Important places
Guyana
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.

Classifications

Genres
Fiction and Literature, General Fiction, Historical Fiction
DDC/MDS
813Literature & rhetoricAmerican literature in EnglishAmerican fiction in English
LCC
PR9320.9 .D34 .F44Language and LiteratureEnglishEnglish LiteratureEnglish literature: Provincial, local, etc.

Statistics

Members
98
Popularity
328,846
Reviews
2
Rating
½ (3.46)
Languages
English, German
Media
Paper
ISBNs
8
ASINs
2