Sufferings in Africa: The Astonishing Account of a New England Sea Captain Enslaved by North African Arabs

Rating:
Summary: An incredible will to survive
Review: In the world of survival stories, this one is an outstanding classic. Captain James Riley's account of his shipwreck and subsequent enslavement by nomadic Arabs will amaze you beyond belief. I cannot began to imagine how anyone could survive under these conditions...naked, sunburned, starving, beaten and driven across the buring desert as slaves. It was encouraging to me that throughout it all, he kept his faith in God and somehow endured with the hope he would eventually be a free man once more. He also exhibited great leadership as he urged his fellow shipmates not to give up. Somehow they would make it! Written in the early 1800's this story has been an inspiration to millions over the years. It's a great addition to any library.

Rating:
Summary: Makes you think twice about wasting water.
Review: Our lives today are easy beyond compare to the lives the desert nomads lived, the Africans who enslaved the crew of the wrecked ship Commerce back in 1815. The way water was treasured to every last drop makes me feel guilty about how little thought we generally give to where our water comes from. This is an enthralling tale, one I could not stop reading until I was finished. To realize that I am reading a book that my great great grandfather may have read back in his days makes it that more special.

Rating:
Summary: Makes you think twice about wasting water.
Review: Our lives today are easy beyond compare to the lives the desert nomads lived, the Africans who enslaved the crew of the wrecked ship Commerce back in 1815. The way water was treasured to every last drop makes me feel guilty about how little thought we generally give to where our water comes from. This is an enthralling tale, one I could not stop reading until I was finished. To realize that I am reading a book that my great great grandfather may have read back in his days makes it that more special.

Rating:
Summary: Brig Commerce
Review: This is a fine entry into the literature of true adventure stories and the literature of suffering. The jacket notes indicate this volume was very popular in the early 19th century and influenced a young Abraham Lincoln. I am surprised that this book does not enjoy wider fame.

Rating:
Summary: Before Shackleton, there was Riley
Review: This is a fine entry into the literature of true adventure stories and the literature of suffering. The jacket notes indicate this volume was very popular in the early 19th century and influenced a young Abraham Lincoln. I am surprised that this book does not enjoy wider fame.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: This is an engaging and entertaining adventure. This is definitely a book you should have in your library. It gives a very humanistic view of Africa and its people without resorting to stereotypes.

Rating:
Summary: Brig Commerce
Review: We should all be grateful that his book was reissued. It is truly a remarkable account of the danger of seafaring merchants during the early 19th C. Written in the style and the variable spelling of that period, the book prompted me to search out a map of northwestern Africa so I could follow the plight of Riley and his crew. Given that this narration was one of the few books owned by the young Abe Lincoln, one can already see the seeds of the abolition movement after the slavery tables were turned (English speaking whites being enslaved by Africans). One detail not in the book is that a cousin, Justus Riley, from Weathersfield, Connecticut, owned the brig Commerce along with his partners, the Savages of Hartford. Ship insurance would have paid the owners for the loss of the ship, but not the master of the ship, in this case James Riley. It is fortunate James wrote his account as it permitted him to move to Ohio during the US western expansion. Anyone who loves the O'Brien books will love this book -- I keep hoping it will be made into a screenplay.