Review: The Republic of Pirates, by Colin Woodard
by
Stuart Holland
“Poor Stede Bonnet.”
This is a great book, a real historical account of four key figures in the history of piracy in the Bahamas. It’s been enlightening to pick apart some parts of fact and fiction of the myths around the Golden Age of Piracy.
As the above quote shows, this isn’t a completely dry retelling of the facts. The author editorializes and conjectures, but I think reasonably so. And equally it isn’t just a narrative tale about swashbuckling piracy, it’s a researched and academic piece about what we can truly know about what happened and what is most likely.
It’s also very amusing to see a historical account that mentions so many places I’ve seen in person. The importance of Potters’ Cay comes up a few times, and I’ve been there! Plus other islands and small landmarks in the Bahamas.
I find this book is the right balance of education and researched facts, without feeling like I’m reading a textbook.
