Bright Leaf, an imprint of the University of Massachusetts Press, strives to publish accessible and entertaining books about New England history, culture, and environment. In this volume from Bright Leaf, Hardesty (Western Washington Univ.) delivers a highly readable, comprehensive history of slavery in New England that will appeal to lay historians and early-career academic historians alike. The author highlights the many connections between New England slavery and the global slave trade, beginning in the 1630s and continuing until the early 19th century. He draws upon a variety of historical sources to paint a picture of how New England slavery developed and functioned in this context. Readers learn where the slaves came from and how that shaped the institution, the laws that developed around slavery, the religious justifications for slavery, and ultimately how abolition in the region was unique to New England. The volume includes a notes section, an index, and a list of suggested further readings for lay historians. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers through upper-division undergraduates. --Anne P. Hancock, Emmanuel College