Zoellner, Tom

"For five horrific weeks after Christmas in 1831, Jamaica was convulsed by an uprising of its enslaved people. What started as a peaceful labor strike quickly turned into a full-blown revolt, leaving hundreds of plantation houses smoking ruins. By the time British troops had put down the rebels, more than a thousand Jamaicans lay dead from summary executions and extrajudicial murder. While the rebels lost their military gamble, their sacrifice accelerated the larger struggle for freedom in the British Atlantic. The daring and suffering of the Jamaicans galvanized public opinion throughout the empire, resulting in a decisive turn against slavery. For centuries bondage had fed Britain's appetite for sugar. Within two years of the Christmas rebellion, slavery was formally abolished. Island on Fire is a dramatic day-by-day account of this transformative uprising. [The author] goes back to the primary sources to tell the intimate story of the men and women who tasted liberty for a few brief weeks and evokes the sights and sounds of the Caribbean in the 1830s, provides the first full portrait of its enigmatic leader Samuel Sharpe, and gives a poignant glimpse of the dreams of the many Jamaicans who died for liberty"--Provided by publisher.

Details the history of uranium from the middle ages through the twenty-first century, and discusses the element's uses, potential, and value to mankind.

Follows the author across fourteen nations and six continents to research the mythology and fascination with diamonds, how they have been used to fund civil wars, and the exploitation of diamond workers in India and Africa.

Follows the author across fourteen nations and six continents to research the mythology and fascination with diamonds, how they have been used to fund civil wars, and the exploitation of diamond workers in India and Africa.