White Gold by Giles Milton (2005, Hardcover)

Milton writes history for the general reader. He researches episodes in history and writes them up to read like a novel. This one is about the Barbary Pirates and their kidnapping and enslaving of Europeans and Colonial Americans in the 16th century. They were made to work unbelievably hard and held in unspeakably harsh conditions. It's a fascinating window into another age and a very readable story.