Through a successful blend of research and abundant imagination, the author tells the story of a girl's and, later, a woman's life through the horrors of slavery and her growth and battles in the attainment of self liberty. Ama is as much about the violence of colonialism, patriarchy, female sexuality or gendered reproduction, economic production and the site of imperial contest, racial difference, as it is about resistance. Ama's journey allows us to read the complexities and contradictions of a time, where all classes, free and slave, women and men, black and white are interrelated in a complex dynamic that results from relations of power.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Review
A monumental work, epic in scope and design . . .a panoramic story, with vividly realised characters and heroic action. -- Africa Book Centre, London
Ama is a story of struggle, resistance and inner strength. . . the descriptions are atmospheric and sensual. Rayda Jacobs -- Rapport June 29, 2002 (In Afrikaans)
An engrossing and powerful story of a woman of courage, intelligence, and strength. India Edghill -- HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW, May 2002
Ama is a story of struggle, resistance and inner strength. . . the descriptions are atmospheric and sensual. Rayda Jacobs -- Rapport June 29, 2002 (In Afrikaans)
An engrossing and powerful story of a woman of courage, intelligence, and strength. India Edghill -- HISTORICAL NOVELS REVIEW, May 2002
From the Author
GLASGOW HERALD April 25th, 2002
E-book debut wins writer top prize
LYNNE ROBERTSON
AN e-book, the debut work of a retired civil and structural engineer, charting the life of an eighteenth-century African slave, last night scooped a prestigious literary prize at an awards ceremony in Edinburgh. Manu Herbstein, 66, took 10 years to complete the novel, the first internet-only work to be recognised by a major book award. Mr Herbstein opted for early retirement to allow him to pursue his literary dream of a historical work graphically capturing the plight of an African slave. The father of two was born in South Africa and has worked all over the world, including Scotland, but now lives in Ghana, where his wife runs a furniture factory. He was presented with the £3000 best first book prize at the Commonwealth Writers' Awards ceremony at the Palace of Holyroodhouse last night. The Princess Royal presented the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and a £10,000 cash award to Richard Flanagan, an Australian novelist, for his work Gould's Book of Fish. It was singled out by a panel of judges chaired by the Rt Rev Richard Holloway, former bishop of Edinburgh, for the prize that was last year scooped by Zadie Smith for White Teeth.
E-book debut wins writer top prize
LYNNE ROBERTSON
AN e-book, the debut work of a retired civil and structural engineer, charting the life of an eighteenth-century African slave, last night scooped a prestigious literary prize at an awards ceremony in Edinburgh. Manu Herbstein, 66, took 10 years to complete the novel, the first internet-only work to be recognised by a major book award. Mr Herbstein opted for early retirement to allow him to pursue his literary dream of a historical work graphically capturing the plight of an African slave. The father of two was born in South Africa and has worked all over the world, including Scotland, but now lives in Ghana, where his wife runs a furniture factory. He was presented with the £3000 best first book prize at the Commonwealth Writers' Awards ceremony at the Palace of Holyroodhouse last night. The Princess Royal presented the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and a £10,000 cash award to Richard Flanagan, an Australian novelist, for his work Gould's Book of Fish. It was singled out by a panel of judges chaired by the Rt Rev Richard Holloway, former bishop of Edinburgh, for the prize that was last year scooped by Zadie Smith for White Teeth.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Marshall Lord
TOP 100 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
Brings home the ugly reality of slavery without falling into the trap of romanticising any of the white or black societies who were responsible for treating anyone who looked different, or came from another tribe, or was female, like a thing to be exploited rather than a human being.
At the start of the book Nandzi, the heroine, is looking after her little brother and is complaining to herself about the daft and inconvenient marriage practices of her tribe. But then a raiding party from another tribe attacks her home and she soon has much worse things to worry about.
Carried off as a slave, Nandzi is not even allowed to keep her name: the title of the book, Ama, is the first of the new names imposed on her by successive owners to suit their convenience. Nandzi is given the name Ama by an African princess to whom she is given as a present and who is one of the few owners of any race who treats her with any decency or compassion. Later a Dutchman renames her Pamela.
The first 116 pages of the book tell the story of the rapes, beatings, and injustices inflicted on the heroine by her fellow africans, and her repeated narrow escapes from being murdered by them: the remainder of the book tells of the sexual abuse, beatings and injustice inflicted on her by white men after the regent of the African kingdom where she has been enslaved decides to sell her to the Dutch.
But through her ordeals at the hands of successive slavers both white and black, on both sides of the Atlantic, Nandzi/Ama/Pamela retains her intelligence, courage, and a love of freedom.
A number of chapters in the book begin with short factual statements which are well chosen to illustrate how the crimes against humanity in the novel reflect those in real history.
At the start of the book Nandzi, the heroine, is looking after her little brother and is complaining to herself about the daft and inconvenient marriage practices of her tribe. But then a raiding party from another tribe attacks her home and she soon has much worse things to worry about.
Carried off as a slave, Nandzi is not even allowed to keep her name: the title of the book, Ama, is the first of the new names imposed on her by successive owners to suit their convenience. Nandzi is given the name Ama by an African princess to whom she is given as a present and who is one of the few owners of any race who treats her with any decency or compassion. Later a Dutchman renames her Pamela.
The first 116 pages of the book tell the story of the rapes, beatings, and injustices inflicted on the heroine by her fellow africans, and her repeated narrow escapes from being murdered by them: the remainder of the book tells of the sexual abuse, beatings and injustice inflicted on her by white men after the regent of the African kingdom where she has been enslaved decides to sell her to the Dutch.
But through her ordeals at the hands of successive slavers both white and black, on both sides of the Atlantic, Nandzi/Ama/Pamela retains her intelligence, courage, and a love of freedom.
A number of chapters in the book begin with short factual statements which are well chosen to illustrate how the crimes against humanity in the novel reflect those in real history.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.3 out of 5 stars
7 reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Another Holocaust
27 Jan 2009
By Edith C.
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The author takes us on an incredible journey with the slave Ama from her life in her own village, through several captivities and to her life in South America. What is fascinating to me about this novel is that it looks at the Middle Passage through the eyes of one woman. While Ama is a fictional character, and we don't know what happed specifically to an individual slave the book makes the reader think, really think about what could happen about the march to the sea, and the perilous middle passage. Worth reading!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Powerful story of man's inhumanity to woman
31 May 2008
By Marshall Lord
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Brings home the ugly reality of slavery without falling into the trap of romanticising any of the white or black societies who were responsible for treating anyone who looked different, or came from another tribe, or was female, like a thing to be exploited rather than a human being.
At the start of the book Nandzi, the heroine, is looking after her little brother and is complaining to herself about the daft and inconvenient marriage practices of her tribe. But then a raiding party from another tribe attacks her home and she soon has even more serious things to worry about.
Carried off as a slave, Nandzi is not even allowed to keep her name: the title of the book, Ama, is the first of the new names imposed on her by successive owners to suit their convenience. Nandzi is given the name Ama by an African princess to whom she is given as a present and who is one of the few owners who treats her with any decency or compassion. Later a Dutchman renames her Pamela.
The first 116 pages of the book tell the story of the rapes, beatings, and injustices inflicted on the heroine by her fellow africans, and her repeated narrow escapes from being murdered: the remainder of the book tells of the sexual abuse, beatings and injustice inflicted on her by white men after the regent of the African kingdom where she has been enslaved decides to sell her to the dutch.
But through her ordeals at the hands of successive slavers both white and black, Nandzi/Ama/Pamela retains her intelligence, courage, and a love of freedom.
A number of chapters in the book begin with short factual statements which are well chosen to illustrate how the crimes against humanity in the novel reflect those in real history.
At the start of the book Nandzi, the heroine, is looking after her little brother and is complaining to herself about the daft and inconvenient marriage practices of her tribe. But then a raiding party from another tribe attacks her home and she soon has even more serious things to worry about.
Carried off as a slave, Nandzi is not even allowed to keep her name: the title of the book, Ama, is the first of the new names imposed on her by successive owners to suit their convenience. Nandzi is given the name Ama by an African princess to whom she is given as a present and who is one of the few owners who treats her with any decency or compassion. Later a Dutchman renames her Pamela.
The first 116 pages of the book tell the story of the rapes, beatings, and injustices inflicted on the heroine by her fellow africans, and her repeated narrow escapes from being murdered: the remainder of the book tells of the sexual abuse, beatings and injustice inflicted on her by white men after the regent of the African kingdom where she has been enslaved decides to sell her to the dutch.
But through her ordeals at the hands of successive slavers both white and black, Nandzi/Ama/Pamela retains her intelligence, courage, and a love of freedom.
A number of chapters in the book begin with short factual statements which are well chosen to illustrate how the crimes against humanity in the novel reflect those in real history.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Ama God...this is a good read
26 Nov 2001
By Kevin M Burns
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Ama is a book aimed at dispelling the racist myths that have infiltrated our Modern Society (the period from 1500 to present). It focuses on the humanity of the individual slave, rather than slavery as a whole.
Slave life becomes more real to the audience, and beyond that, very emotionally gripping. See Ama get raped and all the ones she loves killed. Every aspect of her life is so transient and depressingly fleeting.
I gave it a 3 because some of the writing is very silly and cliche, and a little longwinded, but it's definately a good read. It pegs right into the historical fiction category and contrary to the title, focuses a lot of energy and time in intra-African slave trading. This is an aspect many ignore when approaching the topic of slave trade from a US vantage.
This book will sensitize people to the plights of long ago, that Herbstein suggests contine today, as he says the story does not end...
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Go to Amazon.com to see all 7 reviews
4.3 out of 5 stars
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