Slaves for Peanuts

Winner, James Beard Foundation Book Award for Reference, History, and Scholarship 2023, Food

Winner, Harriet Tubman Prize 2023

Slaves for Peanuts is described as 'a complex story crossing time and oceans' (National Public Radio). This prizewinning book by Jori Lewis deftly weaves together the natural and human history of a crop that transformed the lives of millions. 'With elegant prose and engaging details' (National Book Award-winner Imani Perry), Lewis reveals how the demand for peanut oil in Europe ensured that slavery in Africa persisted well into the twentieth century, long after the European powers had officially banned it in the territories they controlled.

'This informative and compassionate account unearths a little-known chapter in the history of slavery and European imperialism' (Publishers Weekly), recreating a world on the coast of Africa that is breathtakingly real and unlike anything modern readers have experienced. Slaves for Peanuts is 'told in rich detail through the eyes of West African men and women' (Civil Eats), from an African-born French missionary harbouring runaway slaves, to the leader of a Wolof state navigating the politics of French imperialism, challenging our most basic assumptions of the motives and people who supported human bondage.

At a time when Americans are grappling with the enduring consequences of slavery, here is a new and revealing chapter in its global history.

Slaves for Peanuts plumbs a fascinating and disturbing slice of history, shining a light on another glaring example of Western hypocrisy and oppression. NPR Books