The Zorg: A Tale of Greed and Murder That Inspired the Abolition of Slavery
By Siddharth Kara
$19.00
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Publication Date: September 29, 2026
| Availability: | Out of stock, but more on the way Pre-orders ship after the publication date. |
"A book of great importance and one that will likely become a classic." -New York Times Book Review
One of The New York Times' 100 Most Notable Books of 2025
A New Yorker Essential Read
In late October 1780, a slave ship set sail from the Netherlands, bound for Africa’s Windward and Gold Coasts, where it would take on its human cargo. The Zorg (a Dutch word meaning “care”) was one of thousands of such ships, but the harrowing events that followed were unique.
After reaching Africa, the Zorg was captured and came under British command. With a new captain and crew, the ship was crammed with 442 slaves and departed for Jamaica. But a series of unpredictable weather events and mistakes in navigation left the ship drastically off course and running out of water. A proposition was put forth: Save the crew and the most valuable of the slaves—by throwing dozens of people, starting with women and children, overboard.
What followed was a fascinating legal drama that turned the brutal calculus of slavery into front-page news--sparking the abolitionist movement in both England and the young United States.
Siddharth Kara utilizes primary-source research and gripping storytelling to uncover the Zorg’s journey, the lives and fates of the slaves on board, and the mysterious identity of the abolitionist who finally revealed the truth of what happened on the ship.
A New Yorker Essential Read
In late October 1780, a slave ship set sail from the Netherlands, bound for Africa’s Windward and Gold Coasts, where it would take on its human cargo. The Zorg (a Dutch word meaning “care”) was one of thousands of such ships, but the harrowing events that followed were unique.
After reaching Africa, the Zorg was captured and came under British command. With a new captain and crew, the ship was crammed with 442 slaves and departed for Jamaica. But a series of unpredictable weather events and mistakes in navigation left the ship drastically off course and running out of water. A proposition was put forth: Save the crew and the most valuable of the slaves—by throwing dozens of people, starting with women and children, overboard.
What followed was a fascinating legal drama that turned the brutal calculus of slavery into front-page news--sparking the abolitionist movement in both England and the young United States.
Siddharth Kara utilizes primary-source research and gripping storytelling to uncover the Zorg’s journey, the lives and fates of the slaves on board, and the mysterious identity of the abolitionist who finally revealed the truth of what happened on the ship.
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