If Not This Dream

More about the book

Set against the backdrop of early 19th-century Nigeria and the transatlantic slave trade, the narrative follows Zaki, a chieftain who sacrifices his son to protect his village from Oyo slave raiders. Captured and transported aboard the ship Na'imah, Zaki's journey unfolds as he and other Hausas are sold to a South Carolina plantation owner, William Biggs. The story explores themes of sacrifice, family legacy, and the brutal realities of slavery, chronicling the intertwined lives of the Biggs and Zaki families over generations.