The Zorg

This remarkable, riveting book about a famous event of nearly two and a half centuries ago finds a raft of new information that generations of historians (myself included) have missed. And the episode involved was not just one more atrocity onboard a slave ship at sea; it was the spark that helped ignite the greatest human rights movement of all time.

Adam Hochschild, author of King Leopold's Ghost, Bury the Chains, and American Midnight

The history at the heart of The Zorg is urgent, unflinching, and utterly essential. Siddharth Kara brings overdue attention to stories that demand to be known.

Anthony Delaney, author of Queer Georgians

Mass murder aboard a slave transport, half-forgotten today but an iconic event...A vivid historical footnote, but also a milestone.

Kirkus Reviews

A compelling, meticulously researched tale told with compassion and clarity, The Zorg reveals the horrors of the Atlantic slave trade and the humanity that led to its demise.

Hallie Rubenhold, author of The Five and Story of a Murder

This enthralling and elegant history … is both a harrowing glimpse of slavery’s horrors and an incisive investigation into one of history’s most reviled crimes.

Publishers Weekly Starred Review

Siddharth Kara has uncovered a story of profound historical and moral importance. The Zorg shines a piercing light on one of the darkest chapters of human history, tracing the harrowing voyage that forced courts and society to confront the fundamental question of whether enslaved Africans were human beings or mere cargo. By unearthing new material and bringing it vividly to life, Kara reminds us that the fight for justice, dignity, and human rights is never won once and for all but must be defended in every generation. This is an essential and powerful book.

Cherie Blair CBE KC

Kara blends Grisham-esque thriller elements with the propulsive quality of David Grann’s The Wager and Sophie Elmhirst’s A Marriage at Sea; as a writer he is every bit their equal. There’s a buffet of savory anecdotes; cameos by Benjamin Franklin; Virginia Woolf’s great-grandfather; and the trader-turned-abolitionist composer of Amazing Grace... An epic in miniature, The Zorg is one of this year’s superlative nonfiction books.

Hamilton Cain, Minnesota Star Tribune

Mr Kara's book stands as a testament to the Africans who perished on the Zorg and to all who endured centuries of exploitation during the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

Wall Street Journal

Kara’s book reads like a thriller, narrative nonfiction at its finest.

Time Magazine, Must Read Books of 2025

The Zorg effectively illuminates one of the darkest chapters in our history, using powerful storytelling and documented fact to assemble a portrait that haunts the reader long after finishing it.

Guardian

Harrowing history.

The New Yorker, Essential Reads of 2025

A book of great importance and one that will likely become a classic.

New York Times, Notable Book of 2025