Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America
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- Create Date：2023-10-23 00:21:58
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Michael Harriot
- ISBN：B097HRBF2Y
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Reviews
Darren Beck
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Great stuff。 Hard， but essential history。
Jenna ❤ ❀ ❤
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The United Statian holiday of Thanksgiving is coming up so I will use this space to explain to the rest of the world about Thanksgiving。Way back in the day， a bunch of white people who weren't yet calling themselves white people came to this land that wasn't yet the United States of America （though some think it has always been the USA and it's where the Garden of Eden was located）。 These squatters neglected to think ahead and plant food during the summer。 Then， a long， harsh winter set in and t The United Statian holiday of Thanksgiving is coming up so I will use this space to explain to the rest of the world about Thanksgiving。Way back in the day， a bunch of white people who weren't yet calling themselves white people came to this land that wasn't yet the United States of America （though some think it has always been the USA and it's where the Garden of Eden was located）。 These squatters neglected to think ahead and plant food during the summer。 Then， a long， harsh winter set in and they suddenly realized there wasn't yet a Dollar General or Walmart in sight。 There were， however， all the people who had lived on this land for thousands of years， some of whom felt sorry for these odd people whose skin looked like sugar cookies。 When he heard they'd resorted to cannibalism， Chief Wahunsenacah （whom the white people called Powhatan because his name was too long or they couldn't pronounce it or something） sent food to get them through the winter。You'd think they'd have been grateful and， I don't know， maybe not forced the original tenants off their land or not massacred them。 But no， if they felt any gratitude at all， they expressed it in very strange ways。Because of this， we have the Thanksgiving holiday so we can pretend that everything was hunky-dory and these brave and good women and men who came to this land befriended the "Indians" （that's another story about how they thought they were in India。 No wonder we United Statians have such terrible geography skills; we inherited it）。 Our children learn in school that the natives were so happy to have white neighbors that they did all they could to make them feel welcome and help their colony succeed。 After all， it increased the property value to have whites in the neighborhood。 Some people （meaning a lot of white people） believe this fairy tale and that's why we continue to celebrate Thanksgiving。 We pretend we didn't steal this land or that Europeans didn't kill off 95% of the indigenous people of the Americas through infectious disease and warfare。We celebrate Thanksgiving to belatedly express gratitude to Indigenous Americans after they saved our asses and we slaughtered them。That's far from the only fairy tale and myth we've created about our country in order for white people to feel good about ourselves rather than admit to the atrocities our ancestors reigned down upon people of color。 Not just during that first year， but every year since。 We have whitewashed history and patted ourselves on the back。 As the author of this book says， "It isn’t simply a counterfeit version of history， it is a fable that erases the reflection of an entire people to ensure that the mythology of the heroes lives happily ever after。"In Black AF History Michael Harriot gives us a real history lesson， beginning with those first people at Jamestown， who had to resort to cannibalism until Chief Wahunsenacah helped them out。I usually find history boring。 This book is anything but boring！ Michael Harriot is funny even though a lot of this is anything but funny。 He keeps it real and he entertains and he makes sure we know the truth about our country， how we built it and all its wealth from stolen land and stolen people。 He doesn't just give us the low-down on the colonizers and slaveholders。 He also writes about Black heroes， men and women who did remarkable things in spite of what they were born into。 I especially loved the chapter "So Devilish a Fire" which is about the Black women who started the Civil Rights Movement: Ida B。 Wells*， Mary Church Terrell， Amelia Boynton， Aurelia Browder， and more。 These women， some of whom I'd never heard of， were so kick-ass and awesome and should be heroes to us all。 （*"Ida B。 Wells had one gift， it was that she was born with what scientists have now identified as the genetic marker IDGAF。"And then there was the woman who brought about rock 'n roll - Sister Rosetta Tharpe。 Wow！！I also loved the Unit Reviews at the end of each chapter - they made me laugh every time。 They consist of three multiple choice questions and usually an activity。 Very tongue-in-cheek。A lot of the things in this book I've read in other books， like Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America and How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America but there was also a lot of new material for me in it。 I is very much worth reading， especially if you， like me， are tired of history being whitewashed and want to see things how they really were。 It's time we grow up and stop believing in fairy tales。It's not about hating America or white people。 It's about being honest。 。。。more
Me， My Shelf， & I
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The audiobook is delightfully narrated by the author and packs a whole lot of sass。Often overlooked historical stories， personal anecdotes， recipes， and reframing devices are all put to excellent use here。 I found the writing to be very personable and relatable and fun， while dealing with subject matter than can often be demoralizing to read about。My one complaint is "Racist Baby" being used as a strawman to explain ELI5 concepts to。 But it's minor in light of the overall work， so I'll definitel The audiobook is delightfully narrated by the author and packs a whole lot of sass。Often overlooked historical stories， personal anecdotes， recipes， and reframing devices are all put to excellent use here。 I found the writing to be very personable and relatable and fun， while dealing with subject matter than can often be demoralizing to read about。My one complaint is "Racist Baby" being used as a strawman to explain ELI5 concepts to。 But it's minor in light of the overall work， so I'll definitely be recommending this read to everyone。Audiobook Notes: Exceptional and sassy。 Go listen to it now。 。。。more
Leslie
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Audiobook read by author who is charming and has gentle sense of humor。 Started with early exploration by Spanish and Portuguese across the Atlantic。 Things were not quite what we were taught as kids in our American History books。 This part is short， and I had read revisions of this in other books。 From the get go we learn that a whole lot of American History as taught and celebrated in this country is fiction/myth。 Oops。 My phone I have to answer this call。
John
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（4。5）Lots of great and important info。 Many familiar stories， but they always bear repeating。 The jovial tone will likely make the content more approachable for some readers。 The comedy wasn’t exactly to my taste as I found it a bit corny， though never distractingly so。
WILLIE PEREZ
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This is the most informative Black History book I’ve had the pleasure of reading。 Read about people I never knew existed。 Exciting， humorous super interesting。
Raymond
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A serious and funny Black history book that is heavily researched。 It is structured like a textbook with questions at the end of each chapter， activities， and supplemental reading。 You will definitely learn something new even if you are mostly familiar with Black American history。 I was unfamiliar with the specific names of Black people （i。e。 Juan Garrido and others） who came to America before 1619。 Also enjoyed the chapter on slave resistance （Forest Joe， Kwaku & Kwamina）。 Michael Harriot also A serious and funny Black history book that is heavily researched。 It is structured like a textbook with questions at the end of each chapter， activities， and supplemental reading。 You will definitely learn something new even if you are mostly familiar with Black American history。 I was unfamiliar with the specific names of Black people （i。e。 Juan Garrido and others） who came to America before 1619。 Also enjoyed the chapter on slave resistance （Forest Joe， Kwaku & Kwamina）。 Michael Harriot also has a podcast called Drapetomania that dramatizes some of the material in the book （specifically the supplemental sections）。 。。。more
Jackalacka
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Some sarcastic humor scattered throughout this short read。 Should be required reading for all Americans。
Caroline
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Early in the chapter on Reconstruction， Harriot says （the book is not in front of me so I may get a word or two wrong here）: "But that's what was being done to us。 It's not what we were doing。" That seems to me to be a good statement of the purpose of this book。 And despite his sharp wit， he's not making shit up - pages and pages of footnotes to sources。 The list of places to look for the history of black Americans is a great summary of the places he found information。If you've been reading reas Early in the chapter on Reconstruction， Harriot says （the book is not in front of me so I may get a word or two wrong here）: "But that's what was being done to us。 It's not what we were doing。" That seems to me to be a good statement of the purpose of this book。 And despite his sharp wit， he's not making shit up - pages and pages of footnotes to sources。 The list of places to look for the history of black Americans is a great summary of the places he found information。If you've been reading reasonably widely in histories of racism in America， a lot of this story will be familiar， but Harriot fills it out with specific examples of people and their actions at every period he covers。 And he IS very funny。 I think the time I laughed the loudest was when he said that Ida B。 Wells had the recently identified genetic mutation IDGAF。He makes a pretty good case that most of the early European colonies in the US would have failed if they hadn't brought in some captive Africans who really knew how to work the land。 He makes it pretty clear that most of the wealth generated in the country prior to 1900 was created by the unpaid labor of black people， and reviews how the New Deal and the GI Bill were organized to exclude as many black people as possible， which if you didn't know， you should。 And his review of the possible ways reparations could work was interesting - he points out that if it is handled solely by documented lineage descending from an enslaved person， white people would swoop down and take all the benefits， because so many people who identify as white have an African ancestor through white men abusing black women。 And he takes a quick excursion of the development of political parties to explain why it's BS when today's republicans say they're the party of Lincoln， and how the Republican party became the party of white people。I'd recommend this to just about anyone who's got a corner of their mind open to the idea that American history isn't what we've been taught in school。 You have GOT to plan ahead， if you're unfamiliar with this literature and tend to be a delicate snowflake， and NOT GET MAD when the author says "white people。" Because no matter what your involvement in or benefit from racism， white people were doing these things and it's better to just accept that fact and keep reading。 If your brain shuts off the minute white people are described doing something horrendous， you will NEVER LEARN ANYTHING。 Don't be like that。 。。。more
Roslyn Bell
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I discovered Michael Harriott from Twitter。 His twitter threads taught me more about history than all of my years of schooling。 Reading the Twitter post was like watching a movie。 I devoured each one which led me to gathering more information on each topic he posted about。 When I heard about Black AF History I eagerly anticipated the release。 I was not disappointed。 Mr。 Harriott's book should be in every classroom。 The book is a solid TEN！ I encourage everyone to get this book today。 Thanks so m I discovered Michael Harriott from Twitter。 His twitter threads taught me more about history than all of my years of schooling。 Reading the Twitter post was like watching a movie。 I devoured each one which led me to gathering more information on each topic he posted about。 When I heard about Black AF History I eagerly anticipated the release。 I was not disappointed。 Mr。 Harriott's book should be in every classroom。 The book is a solid TEN！ I encourage everyone to get this book today。 Thanks so much to #netgalley for the ARC。 #BlackAFHistory 。。。more
Kevin Carter
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This book should be required reading in all high schools。 I'm so ashamed that I didn't know a majority of the history in here。 I'm probably gonna have to re-read this every couple of years to keep all these facts present in my mind。 The book is fascinating， disheartening， heartening， funny， angry， joyful。 White parents， share these stories with your children。 I can't recommend this book highly enough！ This book should be required reading in all high schools。 I'm so ashamed that I didn't know a majority of the history in here。 I'm probably gonna have to re-read this every couple of years to keep all these facts present in my mind。 The book is fascinating， disheartening， heartening， funny， angry， joyful。 White parents， share these stories with your children。 I can't recommend this book highly enough！ 。。。more
Myles Willis
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Stories Matter！ White supremacists understood this， which is why they invested so heavily in promoting a society that enforced white supremacy through the dehumanization and humiliation of black people。 Michael Harriot's Black AF History is a middle finger to the myths and lies told about our race and the best part is， he did it by just stating the real history of America。 Harriot's writing style resonated with me better than any other work I've ever read。 Humor， history， and unapologetic realne Stories Matter！ White supremacists understood this， which is why they invested so heavily in promoting a society that enforced white supremacy through the dehumanization and humiliation of black people。 Michael Harriot's Black AF History is a middle finger to the myths and lies told about our race and the best part is， he did it by just stating the real history of America。 Harriot's writing style resonated with me better than any other work I've ever read。 Humor， history， and unapologetic realness combine to make this easily one of the greatest books I've ever read and one I can't wait to share with my family for generations。 。。。more
Megan
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*I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。*Building off of books like The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story and Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America， 1619-2019， Black AF History works to add more detail into the history that US school children are taught in their social studies classes。 Michael Harriot writes his chapters in relatable prose full of jokes and humorous asides that makes learning history fun。 He ends each chapter with unit reviews and a *I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。*Building off of books like The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story and Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America， 1619-2019， Black AF History works to add more detail into the history that US school children are taught in their social studies classes。 Michael Harriot writes his chapters in relatable prose full of jokes and humorous asides that makes learning history fun。 He ends each chapter with unit reviews and activities like a textbook would have and has supplementary material for some topics。 The aim is to center Black voices in moments of history that historically have only been told with white main characters。 For example， in the chapter on the US Civil War， he writes about Harriet Tubman as a soldier in the Combahee Ferry Raid and he also talks about Robert Smalls， who freed himself by commandeering a Confederate ship and sailing out of Charleston and eventually became a Congressman， and Mary Louvestre， who delivered Confederate plans to overhaul a captured ship that led to the first ever ironclad battle。This book was a delight to read despite the horrors and tragedies that it recounts。 I think it slowed down a little when it hit the modern times。 He writes about the advent of redlining and the evolution of slavery to Jim Crow to the for profit prison system; however， I would have preferred more on the time between 1970 and now。 Although， the lesser focus on modern history does mimic what I remember of social studies classes in school。Overall I highly recommend， and will be picking up a copy for myself to reference and to use the bibliography for further reading。 。。。more
Joyce
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America’s true exceptionalism is its perfection of slavery: inherited， race-based， and enshrined in the constitution （only partially abolished by the 13th amendment）。 No other civilization managed it。Harriot exposes the ways that our country’s history has been hijacked by those in power。 The original Jamestown settlers were not resourceful; they failed three years running to plant enough crops for their survival and didn’t manage to establish viability until their most crucial import arrived: en America’s true exceptionalism is its perfection of slavery: inherited， race-based， and enshrined in the constitution （only partially abolished by the 13th amendment）。 No other civilization managed it。Harriot exposes the ways that our country’s history has been hijacked by those in power。 The original Jamestown settlers were not resourceful; they failed three years running to plant enough crops for their survival and didn’t manage to establish viability until their most crucial import arrived: enslaved Africans。 The ‘race riots’ of the early 20th C were white aggression on Black communities。 Rosa Parks didn’t unilaterally and spontaneously refuse to relinquish her seat - she was a carefully chosen candidate to start the bus protest。He brings to light the contributions of Black women to the struggle for equality and the fact that Black people resisted lynching and other oppression with arms and solidarity。 He tells the story of many forgotten heroes。 It wasn’t all MLK and peace marches。He embellishes the narrative with family vignettes， including my favorite （described in a letter to an incarcerated cousin）， an account of his pre-teen summer spent with 3 other boy cousins in Aunt Janey’s big house in South Orange， NJ。 They had the run of the in-law suite on the top floor where they ate French toast， watched HBO， played Atari， knocked each other around with boxing gloves， and made mischief with Aunt Janey’s matchbook collection。 She was afraid they’d be sucked in by the emerging crack epidemic， so they were not allowed out of the house。 They ran away from ‘the French toast house’ in protest。 When they were discovered miles away at an uncle’s house， they sullenly protested that they left because “we ain’t all the way free。” The slow deflation of Twitter has diminished Harriot’s fascinating contribution there。 Glad to read his more extensive account of Black history。 。。。more
Liz McSpadden
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Fantastic
Andre
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When you go beneath the surface of American history and you employ a comic’s wit with genius research centering Black people you get Black AF History。 This is a must read book， not because it breaks new ground， but it unearths the underground so that you may see clearly the truth behind the sanitized version of history that has been mainstreamed during our lifetimes。 If you truly examine any success that happened in the colonies from planting crops to inoculation， when you go deep enough you wil When you go beneath the surface of American history and you employ a comic’s wit with genius research centering Black people you get Black AF History。 This is a must read book， not because it breaks new ground， but it unearths the underground so that you may see clearly the truth behind the sanitized version of history that has been mainstreamed during our lifetimes。 If you truly examine any success that happened in the colonies from planting crops to inoculation， when you go deep enough you will find an African responsible for by any weight and measure the so-called “success。” And those worm deep stories are consistently uncovered in these pages， making this a revelatory read while also providing you with side splitting moments。 There is an imagined conversation with RB（Racist Baby） that brings the discussion of racism to a level that even a baby could grasp。 When we start to tell the unvarnished truth about America， only then can the healing begin。 Perhaps Black AF History can be the starting point， because hard truths are more digestible with doses of humor and Black AF History delivers greatly on that maxim。 。。。more
Darique Rodriquez
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Ti esrever dna ti pilf nwod gnaht ym tup i （Hint: it's a Virginia thing。） I love the flow of this book。 It is real， unapologetic， and poses the same dilemmas that "I， too，" share as a black man in the United States。 I like the sarcasm， the humor， and the cultural and hip-hop references that made it relatable。 Michael Harriot。 Brotha， you did that there。 You put your thang down， flipped it， and reversed it。 😜 I will often revisit your book to take in as much unfiltered knowledge as possible。 If y Ti esrever dna ti pilf nwod gnaht ym tup i （Hint: it's a Virginia thing。） I love the flow of this book。 It is real， unapologetic， and poses the same dilemmas that "I， too，" share as a black man in the United States。 I like the sarcasm， the humor， and the cultural and hip-hop references that made it relatable。 Michael Harriot。 Brotha， you did that there。 You put your thang down， flipped it， and reversed it。 😜 I will often revisit your book to take in as much unfiltered knowledge as possible。 If you are light in the feels， this book is probably not for you。 There are a multitude of historical references and truth bombs that don't quite fit the homogenized narrative of American mythology。 But if self-aware critical thinker can put away their biases， they would find this book worthy of the time。 。。。more
D。
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I would recommend this book。 I thought Black AF History was an enjoyable read but I stop short of saying it was great one。 The first five or so chapters， I was thinking 'sarcastic AF' because there is a lot of sarcasm。 I enjoy Harriot's humor but since he is introducing a lot of information that isn't well known about the time period （pre-colonial and colonial US history）， I thought there were parts where his humor was a distraction。 Nothing inappropriate， just overused。 If you want to sell the I would recommend this book。 I thought Black AF History was an enjoyable read but I stop short of saying it was great one。 The first five or so chapters， I was thinking 'sarcastic AF' because there is a lot of sarcasm。 I enjoy Harriot's humor but since he is introducing a lot of information that isn't well known about the time period （pre-colonial and colonial US history）， I thought there were parts where his humor was a distraction。 Nothing inappropriate， just overused。 If you want to sell the book though， chapters 7 and chapters 10 （and any portion of the book written from the perspective of Uncle Rob） is what to use。 These portions really highlight US/American history with the black perspective in mind。 Harriot makes a strong argument that there really hasn't been a period where those in charge have looked to elevate black people because it was the right thing to do but rather it served other interests。 If black people benefited， great， but that wasn't the primary concern。 Much of the gains was driven by black people pushing for better treatment and demonstrating that elevating black people did not require suppressing other groups。 The middle portion of Black AF History， I enjoyed because it delved into US history and then chronicled the black perspective throughout the period。In the final third of the book， Harriot makes the case that America is a racist country and has always been。 His argument is spirited and has merit but I thought Harriot went off course。 Here he is covering history but only discussing it as it demonstrates a system of inequality or rather a system of preferential treatment for white men。 I don't think that's incorrect but up until this section of his book， to demonstrate his arguments， he'd explain it from the perspective of black people while in this section， I thought he explained it from a societal level and then mentioned how black people fit into the history。 It was more a top-down argument versus an in-out perspective if that makes any sense。 Informative， interesting， but I'm not sure it stuck to the original thesis。 Then again， it is consistent with the theme that black people have been treated as second class people throughout American/US history。 Good book， I'd recommend it。 Overall， a 3。5/5 stars with anything featuring Uncle Rob being a 5/5。 。。。more
Kristin
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Warning to Glen Youngkin and others worried about hurting the feelings of white people: this book may disturb you！ If you’re white and you believe that American is a country with liberty and justice for all， I have a spoiler alert for you—Michael Herriot will disabuse you of that idea， and he will do it with a rollicking， thorough， fact-based history that will teach you truths you may not like and somehow make you laugh at the same time。 Herriot's take on Black American history is not milquetoas Warning to Glen Youngkin and others worried about hurting the feelings of white people: this book may disturb you！ If you’re white and you believe that American is a country with liberty and justice for all， I have a spoiler alert for you—Michael Herriot will disabuse you of that idea， and he will do it with a rollicking， thorough， fact-based history that will teach you truths you may not like and somehow make you laugh at the same time。 Herriot's take on Black American history is not milquetoast。 What you will learn is not just about the White Supremacy at the core of this nation's history—something many of us have read and heard a lot about—but also how Black talent and Black resistance have been a prevalent force throughout that history。 This is a story of an ongoing struggle， with an emphasis on the warriors （many unfamiliar names） who pushed back and changed history。Herriot uses many creative techniques to tell this story。 From the start， he introduces characters from his own extended family， people like Uncle "Junior" and Uncle Rob， to add color to the commentary and state things in ways Herriot himself might not。 Interspersed with the chapters are Supplements—small pieces of history that shed light on the larger story—and sections like "Three Little Questions" that bitingly emphasize the points made in the previous chapter。 One example:What is the biggest myth in American history？a。 White supremacy。b。 America is a democracy。c。 "Liberty and justice for all。"d。 The "history" part。This is a book you need to take a little time with。 Harriot understands this， and provides "breathers" about food （you will learn， for instance， about the difference between chicken bog and chicken perlo and the difference between soul food and southern food） faith， and family， but even these lighter moments have core truths to absorb about a culture that is so fundamental to America and yet so undermined and despised。 There are some aspects of the book that I personally struggled with。 The chapter called "Thug Life" strongly advocates for a more forceful resistance than the much-lauded peaceful protests of the civil rights movement in the 50s and 60s。 He often celebrates resistors who successfully protected themselves from violence through violence， which is understandable in the Reconstruction era。 But is that a path to advocate today？ He says， "The truth is， peaceful protest was just one tactic used by a small arm of what we call the civil rights movement。" I'm not sure I agree that it was as marginal as he seems to think。 But I'm also aware that， as far as the movement went， it was not far enough by a long shot。 And we are in a movement of such whitelash now that I can understand the sense of fury and frustration that runs through this book。 I especially enjoyed his question-and-answer sessions with a character called Racist Baby， who spouts all the usual tropes about why reparations （a word Racist Baby can never get quite right）。 I read these dumb arguments in the comments section of my local， Richmond-based newspaper， and it's helpful to see such wise and truthful answers。This book is important， eminently readable， and worthy of much thought and discussion。 I hope it is on every library shelf across this nation and I hope many people open their minds to its truths。 。。。more
Erin
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"You start out in 1954 by saying Nigger， Nigger， Nigger。 By 1968 you can't say Nigger that hurts you backfires。 So you say stuff like forced busing， states rights now you're getting abstract。 Now you're talking about cutting taxes and all these things you're talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is blacks get hurt worse than whites。 We want to cut this is so much more abstract than even busing and a hell of a lot more abstract than Nigger Nigger。" - Lee Atwater Black "You start out in 1954 by saying Nigger， Nigger， Nigger。 By 1968 you can't say Nigger that hurts you backfires。 So you say stuff like forced busing， states rights now you're getting abstract。 Now you're talking about cutting taxes and all these things you're talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is blacks get hurt worse than whites。 We want to cut this is so much more abstract than even busing and a hell of a lot more abstract than Nigger Nigger。" - Lee Atwater Black AF History is the type of book that keeps racist white folks like those who wanna ban books up at night。 This book is Ron Desantis' worse nightmare。 Americans love being racist but they hate being called racist。 I truly don't understand why。 I love Beyonce but I don't get mad when people call me a Beyonce lover。 America was built on racism。 That isn't some woke conspiracy theory。 It's just a fact。 This country was founded on genocide。 This country's Founding Father's were human traffickers。 And our entire economy was built on the proceeds from genocide and human trafficking。 These facts shouldn't hurt your feelings。。。。if you don't support genocide and human trafficking。。。if they do hurt your feelings。。。。。The thing I enjoyed most about this book was the humor。 I truly believe Black folks invented "Dark Humor" we can make any situation no matter how dark， funny。 Michael Harriot mixes stories of rape， human trafficking and lynching with funny stories of his family in South Carolina （ or what my great great aunt called her home state Sous Corolina）。 Levity is definitely needed when telling the TRUE STORY of America。 I haven't worked up the courage to read the 1619 Project or Medical Apartheid yet。 As a Black person who deals with racism everyday I really need to space out my continued exploration of the racist origins of America。 Black AF History will have you raging， laughing and hating America but loving Black folks。 This book isn't just about the South either， lots of people would have you believe that white supremacy is a southern thing but it's not。 As Mr。 Harriot so truthfully states， it's an American thing。 New York and California are just as racist as Mississippi and Alabama。 White people talk about "safe spaces" but Black people have no safe spaces。 A couple more facts: 1。 Most churches and that includes the Catholic church participated in the transatlantic slave trade。 2。 Black neighborhoods have fewer grocery stores than white communities。 3。 Black women have the highest maternal death rate of any citizen of a First World Nation。 4。 Black newborns are 3x more likely to die when they are cared for by a white doctor。 5。 Black people pay higher water bills but have less clean water than their white counterparts If any of these facts make you angry at the injustice。。。Good。。。They should。 If these facts make you angry because it makes white sound bad。。。。。you might a racist。 I loved this book and I recommend as essential reading for all white people。 Black folks we should also read it but take care。 Other people of color you guys should also read it。 Books like this are revolutionary and important。 Books like this scare the people in power。。。why else would they want to ban them。 If you don't know the true history of America than the people in power can continue stripping people of their rights。 I think with the overturning of Roe， alot of white women realized that rights stripping isn't just something that happens to people of color。 What's that old saying first they came for the niggers and I didn't give a shit but now they're coming for me。。。。。it's something like that。 Read this book while you're still allowed to。 。。。more
Brandon Neiger
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I love the authors sarcastic sense of humor that you find through out this book。 I'm not typically interested in history but the authors writing style had me hooked on this book from the moment he mentioned that "he didn't want to say earth wind and fire is the greatest band ever because white people might be reading and get offended that he didn't say the Beatles" 😂。 I really liked that the writing style varied between chapters， some chapters are written simply as a historical piece， other chap I love the authors sarcastic sense of humor that you find through out this book。 I'm not typically interested in history but the authors writing style had me hooked on this book from the moment he mentioned that "he didn't want to say earth wind and fire is the greatest band ever because white people might be reading and get offended that he didn't say the Beatles" 😂。 I really liked that the writing style varied between chapters， some chapters are written simply as a historical piece， other chapters were written in the style of an interview with an imaginary racist baby， and other chapters were written from the perspective of a distant relative。 The historical pieces were well researched and I learned a lot of interesting facts that I didn't know prior to reading。 。。。more
Shannon Schmoll
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I received a copy as part of the good reads promotion。This was a fantastic book that was as entertaining as it was informative。 It is well known the standard history of America is one that is。。。。lacking。 If you have taken any effort to educate yourself on the history of America that has not been sanitized and bleached， then you might not learn much new。 But this is not presented as Black history。 It is not a book about Black historical figures in the US。 It takes a lot of beats you would find in I received a copy as part of the good reads promotion。This was a fantastic book that was as entertaining as it was informative。 It is well known the standard history of America is one that is。。。。lacking。 If you have taken any effort to educate yourself on the history of America that has not been sanitized and bleached， then you might not learn much new。 But this is not presented as Black history。 It is not a book about Black historical figures in the US。 It takes a lot of beats you would find in an abridged history of the USA， but Harriot refuses to put white folks on a pedestal and includes all bits we have tried to hide as a nation for so long。 It is a more honest and truthful telling of US history。 And it's all done with humor without pulling punches。 It's a great read and should be required reading in school。 。。。more
Michael Rhoda
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I learned a ton from reading this book， and found it to be very informative and thought provoking。 I'm about as white a male as you can be， but if I can learn and change from this book， so can anyone。 I learned a ton from reading this book， and found it to be very informative and thought provoking。 I'm about as white a male as you can be， but if I can learn and change from this book， so can anyone。 。。。more
Terry Wisecarver
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Funny， brilliant & eye opening！
James
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DNF at 6% want to try again later
Susan
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Michael Harriot's book hits every emotion: anger， rage， sadness， despair， joy， pride， all sprinkled with sections that had me laughing out loud。 Here are historic figures we should have heard about in school but didn't （too numerous to list here so let's just name Mary Church Terrell， Mary Ellen Pleasant， Ella Barker to get started）。 Eminently readable because of his choosing to intersperse what he calls "supplements" to break up his delivery。 "The Top-Secret Recipe to Aunt Phyllis's Fried Chick Michael Harriot's book hits every emotion: anger， rage， sadness， despair， joy， pride， all sprinkled with sections that had me laughing out loud。 Here are historic figures we should have heard about in school but didn't （too numerous to list here so let's just name Mary Church Terrell， Mary Ellen Pleasant， Ella Barker to get started）。 Eminently readable because of his choosing to intersperse what he calls "supplements" to break up his delivery。 "The Top-Secret Recipe to Aunt Phyllis's Fried Chicken" and the "The Difference Between Soul Food and Southern Cuisine" beg to be shared out loud。 I also liked very much each chapter's ending with questions and an activity， riffing from high school history texts。 Here's just one example （[age 227） from the many terrific ones:3。 Which one of these is not part of a lynch mob？ a。 The person who falsely accuses a lynching victim？ b。 A Klansman who has never participated in an extrajudicial killing。 c。 A person who watches a lynching？ d。 A law enforcement officer who does not arrest a person who lynched someone。I highly recommend this to readers who are not only students of American history but also to those who care about contemporary matters in America。 。。。more
Cher
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5 stars = Utterly incredible。 One of the best books I've read this year。History is written by the victors， but it is made by the rebellious。This book contains the information that your Social Studies and History textbooks intentionally omitted。 While they still teach American children lies about Christopher Columbus discovering America， this book tells you about the actual first non-indigenous people that came to America’s shores。 Forget the lies you were told about “state’s rights”， this book t 5 stars = Utterly incredible。 One of the best books I've read this year。History is written by the victors， but it is made by the rebellious。This book contains the information that your Social Studies and History textbooks intentionally omitted。 While they still teach American children lies about Christopher Columbus discovering America， this book tells you about the actual first non-indigenous people that came to America’s shores。 Forget the lies you were told about “state’s rights”， this book teaches you the real reason the Civil War was fought， as well as how the Revolutionary War was in large part due to protecting the practice of slavery。Slavery existed in Africa before white people showed up， but human beings were not commodified or chattel。 In pre-colonial Africa， enslaved people had legal rights， their status was not passed down to their children， and they did not serve as a major labor force。 In fact， most of the previous iterations of human bondage around the world offered a path to freedom。 To be fair， it is much easier to refer to America’s unique institution as “slavery” than it is to call it the “perpetual， race-based， constitutional， human trafficking enterprise that legally reduces human beings to chattel through the means of violence or the threat thereof。”I could go on all day with examples， but you should just read the book to learn more about how our country was founded to how the GOP’s overt bigotry and fear mongering with imaginary threats continues to be effective today。 And according to Trump， America is the greatest country on earth， despite what the numbers say。 We are a beacon of freedom and liberty even though we rank first in the world’s prison population。 We are the smartest nation in the world， despite ranking fourteenth in education and second in ignorance。 We believe in equality and tolerance， despite ranking number one on the list of the most racist countries in the world。 It is amazing and a great compliment to the author’s writing， that while discussing such vile and incomprehensible parts of history， he somehow makes you laugh。 He manages to keep heavy topics light， even as your heart breaks and your temper flares。 I found the inclusion of random childhood and family stories along with his digressions about food and music to be welcomed breaks that allowed your mind to consolidate and digest what you just took in。 From its inception， America was always a pyramid scheme where the wealthy benefited from the labor of the poor。Perhaps because my spouse and I are in the process of emigrating out of the USA， or perhaps because like a privileged fool I did not pay attention to politics until several years ago when I was shocked to see the brazen bigotry and corruption that had always been there， this book really hit home。 I highly recommend it to all Americans as well as everyone else。 Whiteness is not a social construct， nor is it as eternal or as confident as it seems。 Whiteness is fleeting。 It is a ghost; a shadow of an imaginary thing。 It is the result of an insecurity that not only justifies man’s inhumanity to man， it reinforces the subconscious doubt in one’s own inferiority。 Superiority does not require subjugation。 A superior human being has no need。You cannot fight oppression and discrimination， if you do not stay informed and vigilantly pay attention。 In America， we must educate ourselves on our factual history， because you are not taught it in school nor any other inconvenient truths。 Give me the painful truth every time， as I have no use for comfortable lies。 Like its history， this nation is a mirage。 Its greatness is a figment of a collective white imagination that envisions a bright， shining star where there is only a dumpster fire。 America is a con artist。 It is a counterfeit farce of a white country convinced of its own supremacy。 It is a boot on every Black throat and noose on every negro neck。 -------------------------------------------First Sentence: I remember when I discovered America。Favorite Quote: The lesson of Reconstruction is us。 That we exist and breathe and love and sing and laugh and are still here is not a miracle or a revelation。 It is a simple， unignorable fact that we cannot be extinguished。 All the evil that the world has ever had to offer has been lobbed in our direction。 They enslaved。 They brainwashed。 They lynched us separately and massacred us by the hundreds。 They enslaved us by the boatload and sold our families in pieces。 They mined our muscles and our minds for their profit and built an empire from it。 And when we did the same without their help， they set it on fire。tThis is America - a floor slick with blood。tBut that is not who we are。 。。。more
Jerrika Rhone
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WHEEEEEEEEEW！ Hot out the gate！
Faith
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The author did a tremendous amount of research to present history that has not so much been forgotten， but has been ignored or intentionally distorted。 This is a comprehensive presentation of African American history。 It discusses many familiar events and people， as well as the unfamiliar， and offers a new way of looking at them。 The author also includes family anecdotes， most of them humorous。 Each chapter ends with a few very wry and pointed “study questions”。 If you think the Civil War wasn’t The author did a tremendous amount of research to present history that has not so much been forgotten， but has been ignored or intentionally distorted。 This is a comprehensive presentation of African American history。 It discusses many familiar events and people， as well as the unfamiliar， and offers a new way of looking at them。 The author also includes family anecdotes， most of them humorous。 Each chapter ends with a few very wry and pointed “study questions”。 If you think the Civil War wasn’t about slavery， or the civil rights protests in the 1960s were “unnecessary”， or the Confederate flag represents anything other than white supremacy you need to read this。 But I doubt that will happen。The audiobook was narrated by the author。 It personalized the book， but he’s not a great narrator。 I wish that authors would acknowledge that narration takes talent， skill and experience - and leave it to the pros。 I received a free copy of this book from the publisher。 。。。more
Heather Szramiak
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