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SKELETONS ON THE ZAHARA relates the adventure and tragedy of 12 American sailors who were washed ashore in North Africa in 1815. Their ship traveled down from New England all the way over to Africa in order to pick up a supply of salt. All of the sailors left behind families and friends; yet, they were looking forward to the trip. With the war just recently over, all of the men needed the money this trip would pay in order to recover from their losses. In addition, this was a frequent trip made several times a year; therefore, it would normally hold no danger. Unfortunately this trip did not go as planned. With their ship half sunk on the breakers and no supplies, the men did their best to survive off the land. This plan was unsuccessful. They quickly found a band of nomadic travelers and their own starvation and dehydration caused them to surrender. The crew were broken up and become slaves of various families. Captain Riley did his best to keep as many of his men together as possible. In addition, he convinced one of the nomads to transport his men to the nearest British colony in order to be ransomed. Riley's amazing determination to survive, and for his men to survive, is the driving force of the book and probably the only reason the any of his men survived this harrowing adventure. SKELETONS ON THE ZAHARA was simply fascinating. Beyond the obvious difficulties facing the American sailors and the harshness of this strange land, it gave an interesting look at slavery in other countries and international politics. America did not have a colony or embassy in Africa; hence, Riley was forced to rely on a British consul for his freedom. This could have been a problem since the British were just recently the enemy in the war. Luckily for everyone concerned this did not become an issue; however, it could have been disastrous. SKELETONS ON THE ZAHARA: A TRUE STORY OF SURVIVAL is well written and informative. Any fan of shipwrecks, Africa and general non-fiction should rush out and read this book.
Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, January 2004
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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