Synopsis

Updated to reflect the local impact of current events such as global recession as well as the latest scholarly studies, this fascinating work shows how global events have affected people's lives over the past eight centuries in Niumi, a little-known territory located on the north bank of the Gambia River in West Africa. Drawing on written and oral testimony, the author locates this tiny place in Africa's smallest country within the history of the modern world.

Library Journal

Wright (history, SUNY) blends detailed local history with global systems theory to illuminate the changing economic and political fortunes of a small group of people in Niumi, a small area at the mouth of the Gambia river in West Africa (now called The Gambia). Over a period of 450 years, Niumi has increasingly merged with ever-wider economies. Wright traces how the state adapted over time to both opportunity and exploitation. As Niumi was the homeland of the central character in Alex Haley's Roots, the book may find a wider readership than most academic studies. Recommended for larger public and academic libraries.-Bill Rau, Takoma Park, Md.