The price for their pound of flesh : the value of the enslaved from womb to grave in the building of a nation

This book is not an easy read, deeply engaging with the darkest period of US history and the development of economies and a society built on human commodification across the lifespan. Following that lifespan, starting at pregnancy and ending in the corpse trade that persisted into the late 1800s, Berry combines chilling accounts with macro analyses to demonstrate the depths of these practices. This is an essential American history. Highly recommend