I became fascinated by the Amistad incident after seeing the Steven Speilberg movie (which is long on emotion but plays fast and loose with the facts). I have read all the available books on this subject, and while "Munity on the Amistad" by Jones should be considered the definitive non-fiction account it is far too academic in its presentation. Pesci's "Amistad" is a close second with its marshalling of the facts but second to NONE in their presentation. Though there are some composite charcters here, and the dialogue is imagined (no records exist of what was said outside of court), Pesci weaves the incident's many complex threads together while bringing to the forefront the humanity (or lack thereof) of everyone involved -- all while maintaining a increasingly escalating pace. One can only hope that he finds another historical event to treat in the same manner. This generation may have found its Gore Vidal. A gripping, outstanding read.

I became fascinated by the Amistad affair after seeing the Steven Speilberg movie (which is long on emotion but plays very fast and loose with the facts). While "Mutiny on the Amistad" by Jones is the definitive non-fiction account of this incident (factual, but very academic), I would put Pesci's novel "Amistad" a close second on its treatment of the facts, and second to NONE in its telling. There are some composite characters here and Pesci created most of the dialogue as there is no account of what was said outside of the court proceedings. However, Pesci sticks very close to the facts as they unfolded and uses history weave a tale that brings to life the human elements of this amazing event. Here's hoping that he turns his talents to some other historical episode. A gripping, thrilling read from start to finish.

If you're looking for an anti-slavery tome, read "Uncle Tom's Cabin". Harriet Beecher Stowe did a better job of writing her story and she did not confuse her readers by mixing historical fact with fiction.

Frankly, the writer does the slaves no service at all by their stereotyped portrayal. While the main character Cinque (sp?) is breathlessly described again and again as the noble ebony Adonis, the other slaves seem to suffer a bipolar disorder-- either they are sitting on the deck muttering among themselves, or they are jumping around hysterically, shrieking and waving their arms. Surely a more human portrait of the slaves would have been the more accurate.

Too often, authors who aspire to promote a noble cause wind up editorializing instead of writing and the resulting work becomes stale and lifeless. I'm sorry to say that Pescis book is more in this vein. "A Tale of Two Cities" it is not.

Mr. Pesci, isn't just a writer, he is an artist who creates, through his words a manipulation of the senses. Amistad, took me into the belly of a slave ship, next to a dying child, to the height of rebellion. This man must not be overlooked as one of the great writers of our time.

This book is an interesting and well told account of the famous Amistad mutiny and trial. It is NOT the book the movie was based on, and I think Pesci does a better job of telling the story than Spielberg did. I picked it up in a small bookstore shortly after it was published and was presently surprised. However, there were typographical errors and sloppy editing which I found very distracting.