Ron Soodalter

This book was exactly what history should be: engaging, relevant, well-researched and well-written. It discusses the life, trial and death of Nathaniel Gordon, the only person in American history who was ever executed for trafficking in slaves. Soodalter's writing makes the various characters in his account feel alive again, and he was able to provide a decent background on the history of slavery in America. I would recommend this for pleasure reading for history buffs, or as a supplementary text in a Civil War class.… (mere)