Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019
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- Create Date：2021-02-04 04:18:25
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Ibram X. Kendi
- ISBN：9780593134047
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Editor Reviews
01/04/2021
Bestseller Kendi （How to Be an Antiracist） and historian Blain （Set the World on Fire） present an engrossing anthology of essays， biographical sketches， and poems by Black writers tracing the history of the African American experience from the arrival of the first slaves in 1619 to the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement。 Highlights include journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones， creator of the New York Times’s 1619 Project， on the erasure from American history of the first slave ship to arrive on U。S。 soil; University of Kentucky English professor DaMaris B。 Hill’s lyrical reimagining of how tobacco was cultivated in Jamestown， Va。; and political commentator Heather C。 McGhee on the desire to believe that Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676 was a “class-based， multiracial uprising against slavery， landlessness， and servitude，” despite evidence of the plotters’ “anti-Native fervor，” Stanford University history professor Allyson Hobbs explores racial passing by fugitive slaves in antebellum America， while historian Peniel Joseph looks at the rise of the Black Power movement in the 1960s。 With a diverse range of up-and-coming scholars， activists， and writers exploring topics both familiar and obscure， this energetic collection stands apart from standard anthologies of African American history。 （Feb。）
Reviews
Richard P
，
The stories in "Four Hundred Souls" begin to unfold in the year 1619， a year before the Mayflower when the White Lion disgorges "some 20-and-odd Negroes" onto the shores of Virginia。 This would be the inaugurating of the African presence to what would become the United States and it serves as the starting point to this epic project co-edited by Ibram X。 Kendi， acclaimed author of "How to Be An Antiracist，" and Keisha N。 Blain， author of "Set the World on Fire。" What follows is truly epic， a one-volume history， abbreviated of course， celebrating the history of African Americans。 90 writers。 Each writer takes on a five-year history of the four-hundred-year span。 Each writer approaches their five-year-period differently ranging from poetry to historical essays to short stories to fiery polemics to social calls to action to personal testimonies and more。 Each writer uses a different lens to tell stories both familiar and remarkably unfamiliar。 We learn about historical icons and unsung heroes， ordinary people and collective movements。 There are names you might expect to read that nary make an appearance， while other names will have you exploring and researching and digging deeper wondering how this is a person or a place or an event of which you've never heard。 You will feel the passion of years of resistance and ache with the years of oppression and abuse and discrimination。 You will vibrate with the hope of a community that is alive and relentless and vast in its expression of ideas and beliefs and humanity。 As always seems to be true in a collective of essays， some are more likely to resonate than others yet there's truly no weak link here。 There's also， I'd dare say， none that outshine the others。 This is truly a collective， a collective masterpiece of historical literature。 The voices who participate in this effort are known and unknown， brilliant and creative and astute and remarkable。 They are the essential Black voices of now， academics and artists， historians and journalists and others。 I found myself deeply moved by "Four Hundred Souls，" but I also found myself called to action and called to greater understanding。 I found myself informed yet called to seeking greater knowledge。 I found myself convicted， convicted of ignorance and even willful blindness of truth and history and joy and sorrow。 I did， indeed， find myself searching for more than what was contained within these pages， these essays often serving to challenge me to discover more truths and broader knowledge and to discover the undiscovered stories and voices of past and present。 It's difficult to describe this feeling having completed "Four Hundred Souls，" a literary journey that has ended yet in many ways has just begun。 There are books that change your reality and change your perspective。 "Four Hundred Souls" is such a book。 For now， I sit with it。 Not particularly restfully。 I am more aware， it seems， yet also more aware of how unaware I really am。 This is not the white man's history of African America nor is it a simple glossing over for Black History Month。 It is a community history of African America brought to life by essential Black voices telling essential Black stories through a Black lens and perspective with a fullness and a deep， soulful appreciation of what it has meant， does mean， and will mean to be Black in America。 Both epic and intimate， "Four Hundred Souls" is a remarkable achievement。
Moses Martha Julian
，
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Susan
，
Wow！ There is so much contained in this book I am amazed the binding doesn't burst open from trying to hold it all。 Ninety individual contributions， each with the theme of a 5 year period between 1619 and 2019。 Some are straight history， usually that wasn't included in our high school or college curriculum， some are almost more memoir despite being link to a time well before the author's， and some are a bit more free-handed essay about the topic of slavery or racism。 This book is a lot to take i Wow！ There is so much contained in this book I am amazed the binding doesn't burst open from trying to hold it all。 Ninety individual contributions， each with the theme of a 5 year period between 1619 and 2019。 Some are straight history， usually that wasn't included in our high school or college curriculum， some are almost more memoir despite being link to a time well before the author's， and some are a bit more free-handed essay about the topic of slavery or racism。 This book is a lot to take in。 A lot。 And with each section only a few pages， it would be easy to read through the book as a whole and not get the benefit of each contribution。 I would suggest taking the book in small parts。 With 10 sections， each ending with a poem， that might make logical sense， but I would suggest taking it in even smaller sections。 Maybe a single decade at a time。 Sure it will take you a month to read the book。 But this isn't a who-done-it suspense thriller someone is going to spoil the ending on。 This is the intimate history of Blacks in America。 Their history deserves the time。Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for a copy of the book。 This review is my own opinion。 。。。more
Brooke
，
This powerful book should be required reading。 The format is innovative， and the content helps remediate for all that we didn’t learn in history class here in the US。Told in vignettes covering five year increments from 1619 to 2019， 90 Black writers come together to tell a community history of the multifaceted experience of African Americans in the US， from the diaspora and enslavement to Black Lives Matter。Many thanks to the authors， the publisher， and to NetGalley for sharing this book with me This powerful book should be required reading。 The format is innovative， and the content helps remediate for all that we didn’t learn in history class here in the US。Told in vignettes covering five year increments from 1619 to 2019， 90 Black writers come together to tell a community history of the multifaceted experience of African Americans in the US， from the diaspora and enslavement to Black Lives Matter。Many thanks to the authors， the publisher， and to NetGalley for sharing this book with me。 All thoughts are my own。 。。。more
Never Without a Book
，
Beginning with the first slave ship that brought Africans to America in 1619， Four Hundred Souls， is an essential collection that brings lesser-known historical events to the forefront， with noteworthy contributions from a range of writers， historians， journalists， activists， and more—these ninety leading Black voices bring us a unique history lesson that successfully balances historical and personal context。 I’m telling you， the stories you will discover in this gem， is quit extraordinary。 Fo Beginning with the first slave ship that brought Africans to America in 1619， Four Hundred Souls， is an essential collection that brings lesser-known historical events to the forefront， with noteworthy contributions from a range of writers， historians， journalists， activists， and more—these ninety leading Black voices bring us a unique history lesson that successfully balances historical and personal context。 I’m telling you， the stories you will discover in this gem， is quit extraordinary。 For example; Elizabeth Freeman， also known as MumBet， was the first enslaved African American to file and win a freedom suit in Massachusetts。 What？！ Oh and let’s not forget， In 1775， David George， founded the Silver Bluff Baptist Church， this was the first Black Baptist church in the United States， mind blown！ The endless resilience of Black people in history goes on and on。 Overall， this epic piece of work proves that African American history is American history。 Many thanks to One World Books / Random House for this gifted copy。 。。。more
Rebecca Graham
，
I read most of FOUR HUNDRED SOULS electronically thanks to an advanced copy from Netgalley， & then I finished it via audio thanks to an advanced copy from Libro。fm。 it was so good that I plan to purchase a print copy， too。 。。the editors Ibram Kendi & Keisha Blain are the best of the best historians currently。 I had the privilege of interning for them when they co-edited the blog ‘Black Perspectives’ in 2017。 。。FOUR HUNDRED SOULS includes contributions from so many leading activists & scholars of I read most of FOUR HUNDRED SOULS electronically thanks to an advanced copy from Netgalley， & then I finished it via audio thanks to an advanced copy from Libro。fm。 it was so good that I plan to purchase a print copy， too。 。。the editors Ibram Kendi & Keisha Blain are the best of the best historians currently。 I had the privilege of interning for them when they co-edited the blog ‘Black Perspectives’ in 2017。 。。FOUR HUNDRED SOULS includes contributions from so many leading activists & scholars of our time: Martha Jones， Annette Gordon-Reed， Clint Smith， Jamelle Bouie， Isabel Wilkerson， Alicia Garza， Nikole Hannah-Jones， Imani Perry， Wesley Lowry， Brandon Byrd， & so。 many。 more。 。。each contributor covers exactly 5yr through essay， journalistic commentary， and/or literature/poetry。 the 5yr increments add up to 400yr between the start of Black America in 1619 & the year in which they drafted this book， 2019。 title FOUR HUNDRED SOULS references this span of 400yr。 。。even as a historian & history teacher w/ significant exposure to Black history， I learned so much。 FOUR HUNDRED SOULS would be ideal for a high school or undergraduate history classroom， & I plan to bring it there。 。。its interpretation of chronology & themes = cutting-edge。 I plan to read FOUR HUNDRED SOULS every year till I remember all the names & events。 Black history matters。 Black Lives Matter。 many thanks to these Black writers for producing FOUR HUNDRED SOULS 。。。more
Ivy
，
Four Hundred Souls offered me an insightful look into myself as well as the history of my country。 The stories and perspectives in it taught me things I didn't know， and reminded me of things I'd forgotten， but most importantly it clarified many facets of what it means to be Black， and what it should mean to be human。 It's a call to action as well as a history of actions， and I hope to be a better ally and advocate for change going forward。 Four Hundred Souls offered me an insightful look into myself as well as the history of my country。 The stories and perspectives in it taught me things I didn't know， and reminded me of things I'd forgotten， but most importantly it clarified many facets of what it means to be Black， and what it should mean to be human。 It's a call to action as well as a history of actions， and I hope to be a better ally and advocate for change going forward。 。。。more
Brittany
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What it’s about: Four Hundred Souls dialogues four hundred years of African American history in 5 year spans from 1619 to 2019 through essays， short stories， poems and more。 Kendi and Blain have curated a series of honest， difficult， and eye-opening content。。。。What I liked: I add anything by Ibram X。 Kendi to my TBR， and this book is no exception。 I loved the way this work is organized with a series of essays telling African American history from 1619 through 2019。 Four hundred years of history What it’s about: Four Hundred Souls dialogues four hundred years of African American history in 5 year spans from 1619 to 2019 through essays， short stories， poems and more。 Kendi and Blain have curated a series of honest， difficult， and eye-opening content。。。。What I liked: I add anything by Ibram X。 Kendi to my TBR， and this book is no exception。 I loved the way this work is organized with a series of essays telling African American history from 1619 through 2019。 Four hundred years of history that is missing from the history I was taught。 Each essay draws from the past and connects it to present day。 I was astonished， appalled， and yet not surprised that there was so much African American history that I did not know。 Essay one about the ship the White Lion was 100% new information to me， and I knew immediately that this work was going to be one of the most important books I'll read in 2021。 Learning about the history of African Americans from those in the community is profound and very eye opening。 I highly highly recommend this work。 It is one you will always， and should always， remember。。。。What I didn’t like: There was nothing I didn’t like abut this work。 What I don’t like is how unknown this information was to me previously， and still is to so many。 。。。more
Traci at The Stacks
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I was really impressed with the overall scope of this book。 Wildly ambitious。 I loved how the book dealt with major known events and then minor characters all but lost to history。 The different styles kept the book fresh。 With 80+ voices it was a great way to be introduced to new to me writers and a great way to discover which things I want to dive deeper into。 My criticism comes from the sometimes disjointed feel because some contributors wrote history some wrote memoir and that left the book f I was really impressed with the overall scope of this book。 Wildly ambitious。 I loved how the book dealt with major known events and then minor characters all but lost to history。 The different styles kept the book fresh。 With 80+ voices it was a great way to be introduced to new to me writers and a great way to discover which things I want to dive deeper into。 My criticism comes from the sometimes disjointed feel because some contributors wrote history some wrote memoir and that left the book feeling like it didn’t always know who/what it was。 。。。more
Sahitya
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I would have definitely added this book to my tbr anyway because it has Dr。 Kendi’s name attached to it， but it was the whole concept of a collection of Black voices coming together to create a community history that captured my attention immediately and I was so happy when I received the ARC。 In a way， this is like a follow up or companion to the 1619 project because that is the year the history in this book starts， with the tale of the first 20 or so Black people who were brought to the shores I would have definitely added this book to my tbr anyway because it has Dr。 Kendi’s name attached to it， but it was the whole concept of a collection of Black voices coming together to create a community history that captured my attention immediately and I was so happy when I received the ARC。 In a way， this is like a follow up or companion to the 1619 project because that is the year the history in this book starts， with the tale of the first 20 or so Black people who were brought to the shores of this land， with the author wondering what must they have been feeling about their situation as well as their new home。 From there， each writer focuses on a five year period， talking about something that they found significant about that particular time period in history - whether it be a movement or rebellion that was crushed and erased from our collective memory， or a prominent Black voice of the time， or many other rebels and pioneers who paved the way for their future freedoms even if they have been forgotten by history。 The book or project （as it should rightfully be called） is epic and ambitious， but the execution is perfect。 Through poems and essays and profiles and testimonies， these 90 Black intellectuals from various fields come together to create such a wonderful volume of history that speaks to the feeling of community。 The writing will make you angry and hopeful and emotional， and I ended up crying a few times。 Sometimes， it also leaves you feeling sad because there’s so much that is lost to history， and how much we don’t know about the African American ancestors who suffered horribly for decades and centuries。 This book is in a way a tribute to them， making us aware of how they fought for the right to be treated equally， and also motivate us to continue the fight till true equality is achieved。 The book ends with a final essay by Alicia Garza about the Black Lives Matter movement and it felt like a fitting conclusion - a lot of strides have been made on the path to achieve the true ideals enshrined in the constitution but a lot is left to do， as all the BLM protests in 2020 and the recent insurrection on the capitol have shown。 This community history is an inspiration and I hope it encourages many more of us to fight for a fair and just world。 。。。more
Raymond
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In Four Hundred Souls， Ibram Kendi and Keisha Blain have assembled a great group of 90 writers and poets to tell the history of African Americans from 1619-2019。 Each writer wrote an essay for every 5 years in Black history。 The collection begins with Nikole Hannah-Jones's essay on the 1619 arrival of 20 Africans in Virginia and ends with an essay by Alicia Garza on the Black Lives Matter movement。 The essays in this book flow and connect together well， unlike most edited volumes that I have rea In Four Hundred Souls， Ibram Kendi and Keisha Blain have assembled a great group of 90 writers and poets to tell the history of African Americans from 1619-2019。 Each writer wrote an essay for every 5 years in Black history。 The collection begins with Nikole Hannah-Jones's essay on the 1619 arrival of 20 Africans in Virginia and ends with an essay by Alicia Garza on the Black Lives Matter movement。 The essays in this book flow and connect together well， unlike most edited volumes that I have read。 Readers will learn from this book， even those who are well versed in Black history。 Many of the writers in the book focus on topics that do not receive a lot of attention in mainstream Black history books。 Some examples include: Elizabeth Keyes who was the first Black woman in the American colonies to petition for her freedom， Lucy Terry Prince the poet who argued for her family's freedom before the Supreme Court， David George who established the first Black Baptist church， Black queer sexuality in the 1800s， Freedom's Journal the first Black owned and operated newspaper， etc。Even though this book is a collection of essays with a chronological focus it does not necessarily have to be read from beginning to end。 You will not get lost if you skip around; although I recommend that you do read it chronologically。 Coming into the book I thought the writers were going to cover what happened in each of the five years they wrote about， instead they picked a major theme/topic from those five years and wrote on that。 I do think the book could have been better if it had been written just by Kendi and Blain and it was a straightforward history like Jill Lepore's These Truths: A History of the United States。 I was also not a big fan of the poems and ultimately did not find them memorable; however I did like how the poems complemented the essays and would reference some of the subjects in the prior essays。 My favorite writers in this collection include: Nikole Hannah-Jones， Jemar Tisby， Christopher Lebron， Kai Wright， Sasha Turner， Wesley Lowery， Donna Brazile， Robert Jones Jr。， and Michael Harriot。 Overall this is a creative way to tell history， coming from a diverse group of Black writers。Thanks to NetGalley， One World， Ibram Kendi， and Keisha Blain for a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review。 This book will be released on February 2， 2021。 。。。more
Keytelynne
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Where do I even begin with this book？ I 100% think this is a necessary novel and that it should be a core component of the education system。 Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America， 1619-2019 edited by Ibram X。 Kendi and Keisha N。 Blain is absolutely essential reading to begin understanding the long history of oppression in the United States and the deliberate structures put in place to maintain the exploitation of human beings。When reading this work， I really appreciated the Where do I even begin with this book？ I 100% think this is a necessary novel and that it should be a core component of the education system。 Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America， 1619-2019 edited by Ibram X。 Kendi and Keisha N。 Blain is absolutely essential reading to begin understanding the long history of oppression in the United States and the deliberate structures put in place to maintain the exploitation of human beings。When reading this work， I really appreciated the format。 Each contributor covers a five year period in American history， starting with 1619。 In terms of readability， this helped me in digesting the book。 I could read a few chapters and then sit and digest what I had read。 Each author in the novel has a unique perspective and writing style which helped maintain engagement throughout the book。 The overall book can be intimidating in terms of size， but it’s formatted in such an accessible way。 I could read and not lose the continuity if I set down the book。This work really made me realize how very deliberate the entrenchment of slavery in American society was。 Every law that was passed， every action that had a reaction， led to the dehumanizing of Africans in the United States。 Every law in the 1600s， 1700s， and 1800s had a direct impact on policy and culture in the 1900s and 2000s。 It was both insidious and at the forefront。 Slavery and laws evolved and were cultivated by those in power to maintain a system for hundreds of years that is still being struggled with today。 It’s one thing to know the laws that existed and know that slavery was legal。 It’s another to watch as lawmakers crafted laws to say that even if someone is Christian， it’s ok to hold them in bondage and deny them freedom。 The way this book was written helped me understand the history of the United States in a new way。 When this novel comes available in print， I will be buying a physical copy as I think this is a book that needs to be in the library of every American。 We can’t address 2021 without understanding the complex 400 year history that led to these moments。Please be advised that I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Brittany Baker
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Wow， just wow。 The very existence of this book， with its ninety extraordinary contributing voices （Kendi calls it a choir） is such an accomplishment。 On top of that， its brilliantly written and edited， and African America's enormous 400-year history is broken down into eighty five-year chunks that， at 3-6 pages each， are fascinating， accessible and addictive short reads。 I wish this could have been part of my AP US History class， and I hope it will be a part of future ones。 Wow， just wow。 The very existence of this book， with its ninety extraordinary contributing voices （Kendi calls it a choir） is such an accomplishment。 On top of that， its brilliantly written and edited， and African America's enormous 400-year history is broken down into eighty five-year chunks that， at 3-6 pages each， are fascinating， accessible and addictive short reads。 I wish this could have been part of my AP US History class， and I hope it will be a part of future ones。 。。。more
Sue
，
It is a testament to this book that I read it in just over one week given that I usually take much longer than this for a lengthy non-fiction book that， through four hundred souls， covers four hundred years of history。 Not only did I learn so much， but the fact that it uses a different author for each five year section kept it interesting and fresh， and I loved the poetry throughout。 This book is educational， emotional， and inspirational。 We really need it right now， it is time for our country t It is a testament to this book that I read it in just over one week given that I usually take much longer than this for a lengthy non-fiction book that， through four hundred souls， covers four hundred years of history。 Not only did I learn so much， but the fact that it uses a different author for each five year section kept it interesting and fresh， and I loved the poetry throughout。 This book is educational， emotional， and inspirational。 We really need it right now， it is time for our country to face reality and move forward with a true focus on change。 Unfortunately， what happened yesterday at the US Capitol and what led up to it could already be added to this compedium。 。。。more
Don
，
Releases 2/2/2021， I read an advanced copy。 A “community history” of the African American experience form 1619-2019。 For each 5-year time period a different author writes about an event or general circumstance within that era， most times connecting to the present or current era。 All are relatively short and generally well written。 Some are more interesting than others。 With 90 （！） authors some of the writing is better than others， all very different。 If you have read the 1619 Project， you will f Releases 2/2/2021， I read an advanced copy。 A “community history” of the African American experience form 1619-2019。 For each 5-year time period a different author writes about an event or general circumstance within that era， most times connecting to the present or current era。 All are relatively short and generally well written。 Some are more interesting than others。 With 90 （！） authors some of the writing is better than others， all very different。 If you have read the 1619 Project， you will find this as interesting。 This is a read that you need to synthesize with all your other readings， both fiction and nonfiction， in order to form and inform your own knowledge。 。。。more
Brooke
，
This anthology of the Black experience in the US takes the reader through history in five-year chunks， with each brief chapter authored by a different person。 The result is a rich tapestry of academic history， memoir， biography， political and social analysis， and poetry （poems bookend each larger division， or "part"， of the book）。 The book does not attempt to be an all-encompassing history -- I doubt the feasibility of such an inclusive project that would also be this accessible to a variety of This anthology of the Black experience in the US takes the reader through history in five-year chunks， with each brief chapter authored by a different person。 The result is a rich tapestry of academic history， memoir， biography， political and social analysis， and poetry （poems bookend each larger division， or "part"， of the book）。 The book does not attempt to be an all-encompassing history -- I doubt the feasibility of such an inclusive project that would also be this accessible to a variety of readers -- and each reader will be drawn to or moved by some chapters more than others。 When reading large sections of the book at a time， it felt like I was getting somewhat shallow and/or repetitive information and it was frustrating that the chapters with subjects I wanted to know more about were over in a few pages。 I do think this book would function well as a textbook， not only in providing an introductory exploration of themes in African American history but also serving as a springboard for discussions about interdisciplinary projects， intersectionality， memory and the interpretation of history， etc。 。。。more
Sara Broad
，
"Four Hundred Souls" is a compilation of short pieces by authors both well-known and unknown （to me） about racism in American history and often how it ties into current racial events。 The book is split into several time periods， and within each time period， there are multiple pieces each taking place within a specific sub-time period。 While I found the writing to vary in each piece， I thought the overall concept of the book and hearing from many different voices who often wrote about lesser know "Four Hundred Souls" is a compilation of short pieces by authors both well-known and unknown （to me） about racism in American history and often how it ties into current racial events。 The book is split into several time periods， and within each time period， there are multiple pieces each taking place within a specific sub-time period。 While I found the writing to vary in each piece， I thought the overall concept of the book and hearing from many different voices who often wrote about lesser known moments in America's racist history was extraordinary。 As a fan of Ibram Kendi's work， I decided to read this book without actually looking at the summary， and what I got what more than I expected。 I recommend this book！ 。。。more
Joshunda Sanders
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An introductory collage of significant and important milestones in the African American journey in America with fantastic writers， poets and scholars providing context on everything from movements to Supreme Court decisions。 There are ten parts， and some contributions are personal， others are third-person and read a little more distant。
Brandon Westlake
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This book is a great overview of African American history and the struggle for equality。 Each chapter is a different perspective and voice， but collectively tells a larger narrative。 Definitely a new way of thinking about writing history， but one that is very useful nonetheless。 This is a great resource for someone who might be new to the subject， I am thinking of white people whose education may not have exposed them to the stories and the characters in African American history。 This is an acce This book is a great overview of African American history and the struggle for equality。 Each chapter is a different perspective and voice， but collectively tells a larger narrative。 Definitely a new way of thinking about writing history， but one that is very useful nonetheless。 This is a great resource for someone who might be new to the subject， I am thinking of white people whose education may not have exposed them to the stories and the characters in African American history。 This is an accessible beginning to see the complete story， not just the "Uncle Tom" history （ala Baldwin） of Frederick Douglass and Martin Luther King。 This doesn't necessarily have to be read in a specific order， and one could read some chapters that speak to them。 In any case， I would suggest not skipping the first chapter on 1619， it really sets the tone of the book and introduces readers to the dilemma of history writing and perspective。 A great all around collection of perspectives that will help Americans understand their history more fully。 。。。more
Tina
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FOUR HUNDRED SOULS: A Community History of African America， 1619 - 2019 edited by Ibram X。 Kendi and Keisha N。 Blain is such an outstanding book！ I truly loved it！ I loved the unique way this history was delivered in eighty chapters each a five year segment told chronologically by a different writer。 I learned a lot throughout this whole book。 I also really enjoyed how each part ended with a work of poetry。 Upon finishing this book I was crying。 It was really moving to read about this history。 T FOUR HUNDRED SOULS: A Community History of African America， 1619 - 2019 edited by Ibram X。 Kendi and Keisha N。 Blain is such an outstanding book！ I truly loved it！ I loved the unique way this history was delivered in eighty chapters each a five year segment told chronologically by a different writer。 I learned a lot throughout this whole book。 I also really enjoyed how each part ended with a work of poetry。 Upon finishing this book I was crying。 It was really moving to read about this history。 This is one of the best history books I’ve ever read！。Thank you to Random House via NetGalley for my advance review copy！ 。。。more
Jamie G
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I love how Kendi and Bain were able to assemble so many talented writers and poets。 This is a truly fascinating read。 The narratives are informative， striking， painful， and beautiful。 I learned so much without realizing I was learning。 This is the type of history I wish I’d learned in school。 The poetry adds so many layers， and I will no doubt to back and re-read them many times。
Richard Propes
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