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If the Steven Spielberg version left something to be desired, maybe a factual account can better satisfy: Finding a nail, Sing-gbe hid it under his arm. Later, he picked the lock in the iron collar around his neck, and those of the 52 Africans chained in the hold. Around 4 a.m., they came on deck with machetes intended for cutting sugarcane in Cuba, startling the Spanish crew. The captain misunderstood and cried, “Throw some bread at them!” Yes, they were hungry, but hungry for freedom. Mutiny on the Amistad recounts the 1839 revolt in which Africans took their freedom and returned to their Mende homeland. Although author Howard Jones doesn’t point out the importance of the rebellion as a symbol of black resistance to oppression, he does discuss how the most famous U.S. Supreme Court case before Dred Scott became a catalyst for abolitionists and the debate over slavery. He’ll discuss and sign copies of his book at 4 p.m. at Barnes & Noble, 12089 Rockville Pike, Rockville. Free. (301) 881-0237. (Ayesha Morris)