For a brief, glorious period in the early 1700s, the Bahamas was ruled by a gang of some of the most famous pirates the seas had ever seen. Edward "Blackbeard" Teach, "Black Sam" Bellamy, and their associates banded together to form a pirate cooperative, culminating in a form of government in which blacks were equal citizens, the rich were imprisoned and common sailors could veto their captain's orders. At the height of their power the gang served Britain, France, and Spain from their New World empires. The Royal Navy went from being unable to catch the pirates to being afraid to encounter them at all, and the public embraced the pirates as folk heroes.
Reviews
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This long work describes the short-lived pirate "republic" that existed in the Caribbean and around the Bahamas in the early eighteenth century. This "cooperative," as it has also been called, was led by a trio of buccaneers, one of whom was Edward "Blackbeard" Teach. In order to regain control of their colonies, the authorities hired a former privateer to retake the Bahamas and put down the pirates. This amazing tale is adroitly narrated by Lewis Grenville. While his deep, somewhat gravelly yet resonant voice never wavers, his easygoing understated manner, at times, becomes monotonous. M.T.F. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine
The Boston Globe...
A tremendous reporter . . . and [a] strong, impassioned writer as well.
About the Author
Colin Woodard writes for the Chronicle of Higher Education and is the author of The Lobster Coast and Ocean’s End. He lives in Portland, Maine.
