Book Review: Run for It by Marcelo D'Salete

Run for It: Stories of Slaves Who Fought for Their Freedom by Marcelo D'Salete

The plight of African slaves in the New World is starkly told in this collection of four stories. These particular stories describe the fight some slaves made against their owners. Some resistance was simple, like putting no effort into work. Other resistance was more active, like fleeing or even taking arms against the slave owners. All of these are shown here, as are the reasons for rejecting the horrible life of slavery. Beatings are shown and hinted at--everyone has scars on their backs. Slave women have children because their masters raped them. The horrors go on. But so does hope, especially of escape to settlements called mocambos, areas in the Brazilian hinterland (the stories are all set in South America). The humanity of the slaves shines through even in the inhumanity of their conditions. This is a serious and unhappy but important testimony to history. More importantly, it shows the need to treat human beings as human beings.

Recommended.