Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo"

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of racism, bullying, graphic violence, and death.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Hurston’s other notable work, Their Eyes Were Watching God, also centers on giving voice to marginalized experiences through vernacular storytelling. How does Barracoon compare to other works you’ve read that preserve personal testimony from historically silenced voices? What makes Kossola’s account particularly powerful or unique?

2. What did you find most surprising about Kossola’s story? How did learning about his experiences from childhood in Africa through his final years in Alabama affect your understanding of the Middle Passage and its aftermath?

3. The book presents both devastating trauma and remarkable resilience throughout Kossola’s life. How did you react to the balance between these difficult truths and moments of joy or hope in his narrative?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Kossola insists he can’t tell his own story without first discussing his grandfather and father, saying he must explain his ancestors before explaining himself. How does your own sense of identity connect to previous generations? Do you feel you need to understand your family’s history to understand yourself?

2. What significance does storytelling hold in your own life? Kossola becomes a keeper of memories and oral traditions after being separated from his homeland. How do you preserve and share important stories from your own family or community?

3. When Hurston calls Kossola by his African name rather than “Cudjo Lewis,” he expresses deep joy, saying no one from “cross de water” had called him that name (54). Have you ever experienced the power of someone using your preferred name or acknowledging an important part of your identity that others overlook?

4. Kossola and his wife intentionally gave each of their children both African and American names to preserve their heritage. What traditions, names, or cultural practices have been important for you to maintain or pass down? How do you balance honoring your background with adapting to your current environment?

5. The residents of Africa Town faced ridicule from other Black Americans who mocked their African customs and dances. How do you respond when you encounter unfamiliar cultural practices or when others dismiss traditions that matter to you?

6. Kossola outlives his entire family and speaks repeatedly of his loneliness in his final years. What role does community play in your own life? How do you think about the importance of maintaining connections across generations?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. The book reveals how African kingdoms like Dahomey actively participated in capturing and selling people into enslavement. How does this history complicate common narratives about the trade in enslaved people? What does this suggest about the importance of understanding historical events from multiple perspectives?

2. Kossola’s son is shot by a deputy sheriff who is never prosecuted and later becomes a pastor. How does this incident connect to contemporary discussions about police violence and accountability? What parallels do you see between the injustices Kossola’s family faces and current social issues?

3. Africa Town was founded by formerly enslaved Africans who created their own community with chosen leaders and established customs. What does their example suggest about the importance of self-determination and community-building for marginalized groups? How might their approach inspire contemporary efforts toward social justice?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. What role does Hurston’s framing narrative play in shaping your reading experience? How does her presence as interviewer and friend affect the way you understand and connect with Kossola’s story?

2. Hurston chose to preserve Kossola’s vernacular speech patterns rather than translating them into standard English. How did reading his dialect affect your experience of the text? What do you think would have been lost if Hurston had standardized his language?

3. The book contains multiple layers of embedded narratives—Hurston’s story, Kossola’s life story, and the folktales he shares. How do these different narrative levels work together? What effect does this polyvocal approach have on the overall impact of the book?

4. How does the structure of the book, moving from Kossola’s childhood in Africa through his final years in Alabama, affect the emotional experience of the book? How does the structure work to convey the book’s themes? 

5. Family appears as both a central theme and recurring symbol throughout Kossola’s narrative. How does his understanding of family evolve from his grandfather’s polygamous household in Africa to his own nuclear family in America? What does family represent for him beyond biological relationships?

6. Hurston prioritizes memory over history in constructing this narrative, focusing on Kossola’s personal recollections rather than formal historical documentation. What are the strengths and potential limitations of this approach? How does centering memory change the way we understand historical events?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine you could visit Kossola’s garden in Africa Town and share a meal with him. What questions would you ask him that Hurston didn’t explore? What stories from your own life might you share in return?

2. If you were designing a memorial or museum exhibit based on Kossola’s story, what elements would you include to honor both his African heritage and his American experiences? How would you help visitors understand the complexity of his identity and journey?

3. The folktales in the appendix reveal Kossola’s gift for storytelling and moral instruction. Create your own parable or story that captures an important lesson from Kossola’s life experience? What wisdom from his journey would you want to pass down to future generations?

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