Rate this book

The Sugar Barons (2011)

by Matthew Parker(Favorite Author)

3.85 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0091925835 (ISBN13: 9780091925833)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Hutchinson Radius

review 1: Listened to this on Audible. At times I thought it dragged (I had some trouble keeping up with the various oil baron scions) but I learned quite a bit about the atrocious conditions in the West Indies (especially for the poor slaves) during the Sugar boom. When the islands weren't ravaged by war, they were ravaged by disease. The Sugar Barons were the oil barons of their day (17th - 18th century). Those who survived and prospered wisely returned to England to enjoy their great wealth before dying. The descriptions make the US Colonies (with their own mortality rates) sound like an absolute paradise. Some fun Rhode Island (or "Rogue Island" as it was known) bashing in the book for their trading with the enemy in the Seven Years War (and others).
review 2: The Su... moregar Barons is a fascinating account of "white gold" in the Caribbean. Living here in Trinidad and Tobago, a backwater and late-comer to the British Empire, I was inspired to read this account of life in Barbados, Jamaica and Antigua after a recent trip to Barbados. The history of this island, of the entire region actually, is appalling. The riches earned by the "Sugar Barons" was based on slave labor and its horrifying practice. This book is not for everyone, but I needed to read it to understand where I currently live, an area of the world I know little about. Today, most of the region depends on the "white gold" of tourism, although here in TT it is black gold that fuels the economy, the currently coveted commodity of oil (gas, too). It is disturbing to realize food insecurity has existed in this region for 350 years, ever since the first Europeans killed off the Caribs and Arawaks and imported slaves to profit from England's voracious sweet tooth. Of course, the story is far more complex, and it involves the American colonies which adds an interesting angle on American independence. The main reason I did not give this book five stars is that the horrors of slavery are detailed so graphically, over and over by the diarists of the time, I was tempted to spare my psyche and shut the book. I understand the author's need to leave no stone unturned. Still, it made for rough going, though I am happy I persevered because my perspective on the Caribbean has been forever changed. less

Download links for: The Sugar Barons

Advertising