An international debate would rage for two years regarding whether the Africans were indeed property or whether they were to be considered free. Led by the charismatic Cinque, the proud sojourners had not only endured the hellish Middle Passage and survived the harrowing revolt, but they would confront a hostile foreign culture -- and the prospect of being deported to a changed Africa.

A gripping account of a noble and bittersweet struggle, "Amistad" is a story never to be forgotten. Echoing a cry for freedom that can still be heard around the world today, Helen Kromer's work preserves the dignity and agony of the lonely, frightened handful of slaves who overthrew their captors and embarked on a long trip toward liberty in a world that aimed to deny them justice.