If I have to decide to save three books from a sinking ship, Ama would unquestionably be one of them.
A very intense story about an African girl, who was kidnapped, raped and enslaved at the age of 14, and then was sold in different markets, where she had lived the cruelty of slavery and had borne the burdens of her cultural believes.
Her love to her secret boyfriend and her dream to return back home and to her mother, gave her the strength to endure the pain of whips, humiliation and nostalgia, while her courage, high self esteem and sharp intelligence, made her grow stronger and wiser.
The storyline is beautifully written and well plotted, taking you in a journey inside the African world, where you will be stunned by the untold stories about it’s culture and history, and you will be moved by the fateful events that Ama had experienced.
The book was written by Manue Herbestein.
The Cube 
Ali, thanks for those kind words. Brave Music of a Distant Drum, a sequel to Ama, has just been published in Canada by Red Deer Press.
http://www.amazon.ca/Brave-Music-Distant-Drum-Herbstein/dp/0889954704/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324072649&sr=1-1