Product Description

In 1485 the Portuguese Crown and Catholic Church began to kidnap Jewish children, forcibly convert the young conscripts, and ship them to Sao Tome Island off the African equator to work the government sugar plantations. The collision of slavery, sugar agriculture, and discovery of The Americas transformed this island colony into the nidus of the wholesale black slave trade that infected Africa and Western commerce for the next 350 years. Sao Tome reveals the Medieval Churchs complicity in the business of human bondage.

This little-known chapter of the Diaspora tells the story of young Marcel Saulo and his sister Leah abducted with other children from their synagogue in Lisbon and shipped by caravel 4,000 miles to the West-African island where they bear witness to the holocaust of African slavery. This is a historical novel that chronicles one mans courageous struggle against religious and racial persecution, torture, and disease, and explores the abyss of Inquisition, Portuguese and Spanish world expansion, and the blight of slavery fueled by the calamitous growth of sugar commerce.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #264376 in Books
• Published on: 2005-12-31
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 340 pages

From the Publisher

Stellar Pre-Publication Reviews for Paul Cohn's São Tomé

"São Tomé... a powerful story... I admired the strength and confidence in the writing. The setting and characters are richly drawn, and I especially enjoyed the vivid details that make the unfolding events resonate sharply with the reader... riveting." --Michael Peitsch, Sr. Vice President/Publisher, Little, Brown & Co.

"A potent mix of characters and action, Paul Cohn's São Tomé is historical fiction at its finest." --Sid Gustafson, Prisoners of Flight

"São Tomé... great research, emotionally powerful, the drama is terrific. I got hooked!" --Carl Lennertz, Vice President, HarperCollins Publishers

"...truly a fascinating story, so well-researched. The details are transfixing." --Stacey N. Barney, Editor, Amistad Books/HarperCollins

"São Tomé is rich and potent, depicted with impressive authority throughout." --Leigh Feldman, Darhansoff, Verrill, Feldman Literary Agency

From the Author

About the Author

Paul Cohn became intrigued with the story of São Tomé Island after viewing Luc Cuyveres' PBS series Into the Rising Sun which chronicled the 15th and 16th Century Portuguese voyages of exploration. His research revealed the compelling history of this equatorial, West-African island colony: The beginnings—and then the centerpiece—for wholesale African slave trafficking, the kidnapping of Jewish children from the Portuguese mainland to work the Tomé sugar plantations, and the corrosive influence of sugar commerce on both Europe and the Americas. This was a tale to be shared with the reading public.

Customer Reviews

Sao Tome
Paul D. Cohn has written a fine novel that details a unique period of history. "Sao Tome's" complex and intriguing characters seem to walk off the pages, into your heart, and take you on a compelling journey of sacrifice and bravery. This thoroughly researched novel provides praiseworthy insight into the Medieval cultures, politics, and people of Europe and Africa in the late 1400s.

"Sao Tome" begins with the kidnapping of Jewish children from their Lisbon synagogue by the Portuguese Crown and Catholic Church and their shipment to Sao Tome Island off the West-African Equator. There the children are expected to convert to the Catholic faith, work as virtual slaves on the Crown sugar plantations, and participate in the growing African slave trade. The main character, a young teenager named Marcel Saulo, rebels against the slave trade and defies the island's church and governance. Through many trials, he becomes a successful farmer and mason, yet always struggles to hold on to his Jewish traditions and mitigate the horrors of slavery. His family grows and prospers despite many tragedies.

As the reader nears the end of his journey to Sao Tome, Saulo pays a terrible price for his opposition to slavery. Even so, "Sao Tome" culminates with a hopeful and remarkable conclusion, healing important bonds that were shattered years before when he was kidnapped in Lisbon.

Five Stars and Not Much Sleep
"Sao Tome" by Paul D. Cohn is a page-turner with compelling characters and a great story line. The setting, people, and events in 15th century Portugal and Africa came to life from the moment I opened the book and found myself caught in the story. Then, I couldn't put the book down, and read late into the evening. Next, trying to sleep, I could not get the characters out of my mind and kept wondering what would happen next.

The main character, a Jewish kid of fifteen or so, Marcel Saulo, gets kidnapped along with his friends and sent to work on the Crown sugar plantations on the island of Sao Tome. After many terrifying and potentially deadly experiences he becomes a successful sugar farmer. Then he opposes the growing slavery activity on the island and becomes embroiled in the regional politics. I like the way the author keeps the reader in touch with events in Europe (which eventually affect Tome) through letters with his family.

The book's ending is a genuine surprise, although it remarkably fits in with the story.

"Sao Tome" is a thoroughly enjoyable novel, and in addition is full of informative history. I definitely recommend it.

SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN...
This work of historical fiction, which is based upon actual events, was an eye-opener for me, as I was unaware that in the late fifteenth century, while Spain was at the height of its Inquisition, Portugal was also targeting its Jewish population. Its methods were insidious, as Jewish children were forcibly removed from their families, forced to convert to Catholicism, and then shipped to Sao Tome, an island off the African equator. There, those that survived the perilous journey were forced to work in the Portuguese government sponsored sugar plantations under abominable conditions.

The author based his book upon the Saulo Chronicle, written by a Marcel Saulo in 1491. The chronicle covers a period of five years, and it is this document that forms the basis for the events in this book, which begins with the sundering of Marcel Saulo and his sister, Leah, from their family. The story describes the heartbreak of man's inhumanity to man. Set against a backdrop of religious fanaticism and slavery, it is a story that, while well-researched, is hampered by one dimensional characters and dialogue that leaves something to be desired in terms of skillful writing. Still, for those who are interested in reading about the Diaspora, this book provides an introduction into a little known chapter of history.