The Two Princes of Calabar, written by Randy L. Sparks, is a book about two African American brothers who were kidnapped and sold in to slavery and written in much more detail than a regular history book. This is largely due to the fact that two brothers who were captured as slaves, named Ephraim and Ancona Robin John, documented a story that showed what is was really like to be a slave and to be handled as property during the eighteenth century. This book is written in the first person which gives it an extra edge in not only sharing information with the reader, but realistically portraying the emotions of the two slaves. The book goes into detail on how Africans used to capture other Africans and sell them for profit by detailing the journey of these two brothers. Many people believe that slavery was controlled by the white man. Historically, it is believed that the white community had complete power over both the transportation and selling of slaves. According to “The Two Princes of Calabar, Africans were much more involved in selling their own kind than once believed.
Once the two brothers traveled from the coast of
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The conditions of the ships the slaves were on and the minds of the slaves are detailed most effectively in this first person documentary. Sharing the story of the enslavement and subsequent freedom of the brothers and their probable return to the slave trade gives a better insight into the journey of slavery from the eyes of the enslaved and those doing the enslavement. Sparks story helps the reader understand that the same Africans that were sold as slaves, were also involved in the selling of slaves. He also defends the brothers decision to enslave others explaining that since this was part of their culture, they didn’t know anything else or how to live any other way than to enslave others as they once were