Books like Island on Fire by Tom Zoellner

From Slavery to Freedom chronicles the rise of slavery, the blending of European and African cultures in the New World, and the development of a distinct Black culture and resistance in the United States.

The eruption of Laki is one of history's great untold natural disasters. The eruption, spewing out a poisionous fog, lasted for eight months, but its effects lingered across Europe for years, causing the death of people as far away as the Nile, and creating famine that may have triggered the French revolution. 'Island on Fire' is the story not only of a volcano but also of the people whose lives it changed. It is the story, too, of modern volcanology, and looks at how events might work out should Laki erupt again in our time.

When San Francisco shipping magnate Mitchell Williams is shipwrecked and left to the mercy of the South Pacific islander Espri, a forbidden romance ignites, challenging his preconceptions about love and destiny.

In this book, John Hope Franklin and Loren Schweninger demonstrate that, contrary to popular belief, significant numbers of slaves did in fact frequently rebel against their masters and struggle to attain their freedom. By surveying a wealth of documents, such as planters' records, petitions to county courts and state legislatures, and local newspapers, this book shows how slaves resisted; when, where, and how they escaped; where they fled to; how long they remained in hiding; and how they survived away from the plantation. Of equal importance, it examines the reactions of the white slaveholding class, revealing how they marshaled considerable effort to prevent runaways, meted out severe punishments, and established patrols to hunt down escaped slaves. Reflecting a lifetime of thought by our leading authority in African American history, this book provides the key to truly understanding the relationship between slaveholders and the runaways who challenged the system - illuminating as never before the true nature of the South's "most peculiar institution."