Slaves for Peanuts

The winner of the James A. Beard Foundation Book Award and Harriet Tubman Prize “Slaves for Peanuts plumbs a fascinating and disturbing slice of history, shining a light on another glaring example of Western hypocrisy and oppression.” —NPR Books Winner, James Beard Foundation Book Award for Reference, History, and ScholarshipWinner, Harriet Tubman Prize “A complex story crossing time and oceans” (National Public Radio), Jori Lewis’s prizewinning Slaves for Peanuts deftly weaves together the natural and human history of a crop that transformed the lives of millions. “With elegant prose and engaging details” (National Book Award–winner Imani Perry), Lewis reveals how demand for peanut oil in Europe ensured that slavery in Africa would persist well into the twentieth century, long after the European powers had officially banned it in the territories they controlled. “This informative and compassionate account unearths a little-known chapter in the history of sl