'A horrific tale of the slave trade destined to become a classic' New York Times * The New
York Times 100 Notable Books of 2025 * Time's 100 Must Read Books of 2025 * The New Yorker
12 Essential Non-Fiction Reads From the New York Times bestselling author of Cobalt Red
discover the incredible true story and page-turning account of the 18th century slave ship
often known as the Zong yet actually named the Zorg - ironically meaning 'care' - that sparked
the human rights campaign to end the slave trade. Perfect for fans of David Grann's The Wager
and The Wide Wide Sea by Hampton Sides. 'Remarkable riveting' Adam Hochschild historian
and bestselling author of King Leopold's Ghost and Bury the Chains In 1781 the Zorg set off
from The Netherlands to West Africa and from there onto the Caribbean. The fateful voyage would
alter the course of history forever. By the time its journey ends the Zorg would become the
first undeniable argument against slavery. When a series of unpredictable weather events and
navigational errors led to the Zorg sailing off course and running low on supplies the ship's
captain threw more than a hundred slaves overboard in order to save the crew and the most
valuable slaves. The ship's owners then claimed their loss on insurance a first for slaves who
had not been killed due to insurrection or died of natural causes. The insurers refused to pay
due to the higher than usual mortality rate of the slaves on board leading to a trial which
initially found in their favour in which Chief Justice Mansfield compared the slaves to
horses. Thanks to the outrage of one man present in court that day a retrial was held. For the
first time concepts such as human rights and morality entered the discourse on slavery in a
courtroom case that boiled down to a simple yet profound question: Were the Africans on board
people or cargo? In his riveting new book bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize finalist
Siddharth Kara brings history to life showcasing how the Zorg 's fateful voyage exposed the
harsh reality of the slave trade. The case catapulted the emerging anti-slavery movement to
one of the most consequential moral campaigns that changed the course of history. The Zorg
is the astonishing yet little-known true story of one of the most consequential ships that ever
crossed the Atlantic.
