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The Zorg
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  • Published: 3 February 2026
  • ISBN: 9781529964332
  • Imprint: Doubleday
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 304
  • RRP: $36.99
Categories:

The Zorg

A Tale of Greed, Murder and the Abolition of Slavery

  • Siddharth Kara
Formats & editions
Tr. Paperback
3 Feb 2026
EBook
16 Oct 2025
Audiobook
16 Oct 2025
Hardback
16 Nov 2025
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The riveting tale of the 18th century slave ship voyage of the Zorg that led to the abolition of slavery.

'A horrific tale of the slave trade, destined to become a classic' New York Times

* PEN Literary Award Finalist 2026
* New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2025
* Time’s 100 Must Read Books of 2025
* The New Yorker 12 Essential Non-Fiction Reads 2025

From the author of New York Times bestseller and Pulitzer Prize Finalist Cobalt Red, discover the incredible true story and page-turning account of the 18th century slave ship that sparked the human rights campaign to end the slave trade.

Perfect for fans of David Grann’s The Wager and The Wide, Wide Sea by Hampton Sides.


In 1781, the Zorg set off from The Netherlands to West Africa and from there onto the Caribbean. The fateful voyage would alter the course of history forever. By the time its journey ends, the Zorg would become the first undeniable argument against slavery.

When a series of unpredictable weather events and navigational errors led to the Zorg sailing off course and running low on supplies, the ship's captain threw more than a hundred slaves overboard in order to save the crew and the most valuable slaves. The ship's owners then claimed their loss on insurance, a first for slaves who had not been killed due to insurrection or died of natural causes.

The insurers refused to pay due to the higher than usual mortality rate of the slaves on board, leading to a trial which initially found in their favour, in which Chief Justice Mansfield compared the slaves to horses. Thanks to the outrage of one man present in court that day, a retrial was held. For the first time, concepts such as human rights and morality entered the discourse on slavery in a courtroom case that boiled down to a simple yet profound question: Were the Africans on board people or cargo?

In his riveting new book, bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize finalist Siddharth Kara brings history to life, showcasing how the Zorg’s fateful voyage exposed the harsh reality of the slave trade.

The case catapulted the emerging anti-slavery movement to one of the most consequential moral campaigns that changed the course of history.

The Zorg is the shocking true story of one of the most consequential ships that ever crossed the Atlantic.
  • Published: 3 February 2026
  • ISBN: 9781529964332
  • Imprint: Doubleday
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 304
  • RRP: $36.99
Categories:

Praise for 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