Structure

Richard Grant challenges readers to gauge how much Natchez has changed since the eighteenth century by alternating the story of his own adventures with the story of Prince Ibrahima's ongoing misery as a slave and later as a driver (an African American overseer). The episodic nature of the book allows for constant reflection on the cruelty of slavery. Readers anticipate that a chapter of Grant's interviews will be followed by a chapter detailing the everyday indignities of Prince Ibrahima, and this deep structure allows for maximum suspense in the narrative. The moment of Ibrahima's freedom (by the hand of John Quincy Adams) should be the joyous climax of Grant's meticulously reported history, but the fact that his children and grandchildren remain enslaved in Natchez brings only bitter sadness.

Perspective

Grant's first-person reporting invites readers to come along on his Natchez adventure. He provides lush detail of every...