The Algerine Captive

The Algerine Captive: or the Life and Adventures of Doctor Updike Underhill: Six Years a Prisoner among the Algerines by Royall Tyler

A boy struggles with what to do with his life. He comes from an American family of some means, so he is sent off to college. He takes well to his studies, but runs into social problems. Even after learning medicine, he still runs into issues with the people and finds talking nonsense can be just as impressive as knowledge. He ends up being challenged in a duel, which he narrowly escapes by following appropriate protocol. (You are supposed to show you have character, but not actually kill somebody.) He encounters slaves in the south and later finds himself working a ship involved in the slave trade. As a doctor, he beseaches the crew to treat the Africans better, but it is to no avail. Later, he finds himself captured in Algiers and he becomes a slave. He details his treatment as well as the Islamic culture. He is able to practice medicine, however, people are reluctant to be treated by an infidel. They try to convert him to no avail.

This is one of the earliest American novels. It is also an early anti-slavery novel. It portrays the evils of African slavery. Then it flips things to show the evil that Americans experience when they are enslaved themselves. This makes it more relatable. The novel itself is easy to read and relatable to modern audiences, even though it is close to two and a half centuries old. The first part about academic training and usefulness (or lack thereof) is also a bright spot.