Blood on the River: A Chronicle of Mutiny and Freedom on the Wild Coast

In 1763, a massive slave rebellion in the Dutch colony of Berbice in Guyana almost succeeded in establishing the first Black republic. Blood on the River by Marjoleine Kars reconstructs the event based on long-buried Dutch interrogation transcripts, providing a rare look at the political vision of enslaved people at the dawn of the Age of Revolution.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 384 pages
Publication date: 03 November 2022
Publisher: Profile Books Ltd

The Untold Story of the Berbice Slave Rebellion


Winner of the 2021 Cundill History Prize and the 2021 Frederick Douglass Prize, this gripping tale delves into the profound human yearning for freedom. Written by acclaimed historian Marjoleine Kars, Blood on the River offers a captivating and empathetic account of the forgotten 1763 slave rebellion in the Dutch colony of Berbice, now Guyana.


NPR has praised the book for its impressive detail, stating that it "provokes the reader into seeing the many sides involved in this bloody and desperate struggle with empathy and pity." Actor and author of The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho, Paterson Joseph, also lauded it as a masterpiece, describing it as a story that will endure for ages.


Elizabeth Fenn, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Encounters at the Heart of the World, praised Blood on the River as a "masterpiece." She noted that it provides a rare glimpse into the political vision of enslaved people at the dawn of the Age of Revolution. Kars reconstructs the events of the rebellion through a rich day-by-day account, drawing on long-buried Dutch interrogation transcripts. This original work of history offers a transformative perspective on revolutions, slavery, and the pursuit of freedom in the New World.


By shedding light on this forgotten revolution, Blood on the River challenges our understanding of historical events and underscores the resilience and determination of enslaved people in their quest for liberation. It is a testament to the power of history to reveal new truths and inspire change.

Weight: 314g
Dimension: 130 x 199 x 34 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781800812284
Edition number: Main