Mississippi in Africa: The Saga of the Slaves of Prospect Hill Plantation and Their Legacy in Liberia Today by Alan Huffman

I just finished reading Mississippi in Africa by Alan Huffman, a book about the author's quest to learn the true story about the freeing of slaves from the Prospect Hill Plantation and their fate in Liberia. As is often the case with book writing research, the author discovers other stories. In this case, he even becomes part of the story.

I remember that when I was in school back in the 1960s and 1970s, my textbooks always touted Liberia as an American success story. There seemed to be pride expressed that a good thing had been done sending African-Americans back to Africa. The civil war there in the 1980s came as a surprise to many Americans raised on a rosy story. Huffman's book tells how Liberia had modelled itself on the American South and for a time had many of the trappings of success, but there was always a supression of civil rights, and violence and injustice were ever present.

Maggie of Maggie Reads recommended the book. She wrote a terrific review a couple of weeks ago, which emphasizes the parallels between the American South and Liberia.

Should you seek more slave legacy stories after reading Mississippi in Africa, I recommend Slaves in the Family by Edward Ball and My Confederate Kin by Thulani Davis. If you want to know more about Liberia, try Liberia: Portrait of a Failed State by John-Peter Pham.

Huffman, Alan. Mississippi in Africa: The Saga of the Slaves of Prospect Hill Plantation and Their Legacy in Liberia Today. New York: Gotham Books, 2004. ISBN 1592400442