Common Sense Media Review
By Regan McMahon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Gripping biography of enslaved man who never gave up.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 7+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
PRINCE OF SLAVES begins with the birth of Abdulrahman, son of the king in the West African kingdom of Fouta Djallon, in 1762. Then it follows his education in Timbuktu, where he became a scholar fluent in Arabic and four other African languages. He continues to practice his Muslim faith, marries, and has a son. But at age 26, while on patrol with his soldiers, he is captured by a rival tribe that delivers him in chains to a ship carrying enslaved Africans to Natchez, Mississippi. The terrible journey takes eight months and lands in Natchez in 1788. There he is sold to a cotton plantation owner named Colonel Thomas Foster, who mockingly names him "Prince" after Abdulrahman tries to explain in broken English that he is the son of an African king. In 1795, Foster buys five more people to enslave, among them a woman named Isabella, and together Abdulrahman and Isabella have five sons and four daughters. The rest of the story is Abdulrahman's determined, frustrating quest for freedom for himself, Isabella, and their children, with a dream to one day return to his home in Africa.
Is It Any Good?
This riveting true story gives readers a feel for what it was like for people stolen from their homeland and forced into slavery in the United States. Prince of Slaves is a dramatic biography of someone who was a privileged, educated member of an African royal family and a devout Muslim suffering the indignities and oppression of slavery. Twists and turns in the story include those who help Abdulrahman—like the one-eyed Irish surgeon he met in 1781 in his hometown in Africa, who then reunites with him in Natchez in 1807—and those who seem like they'll help but don't, like President John Quincy Adams. Master storyteller N.H. Senzai skillfully weaves an amazing, cinematic tale full of action and heart. And illustrator Anna Rich brings that story to life in her rich, realistic, emotion-packed illustrations.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Abdulrahman's struggle to free himself, his wife, and their children in Prince Among Slaves. How risky was it for him to give anti-slavery speeches to raise money to buy his children's freedom?
It took great self-control and perseverance for Abdulrahman to survive the hardship and indignity of U.S. slavery. Why are these important character strengths for everyone?
Did this book help you understand what it was like for enslaved workers in the late 1700s and early 1800s in the American South? What did you learn that you didn't know before?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Anna Rich
- Genre : Biography
- Topics : Activism , History
- Character Strengths : Communication , Courage , Integrity , Perseverance , Self-control
- Book type : Non-Fiction
- Publisher : Nancy Paulsen Books
- Publication date : January 14, 2025
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 7 - 10
- Number of pages : 48
- Available on : Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Award : Common Sense Selection
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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