How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America
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- Create Date：2021-08-05 08:51:23
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Clint Smith
- ISBN：0349701172
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Summary
Poet and contributor to The Atlantic Clint Smith’s revealing， contemporary portrait of America as a slave owning nation
Beginning in his own hometown of New Orleans， Clint Smith leads the reader through an unforgettable tour of monuments and landmarks-those that are honest about the past and those that are not-that offer an intergenerational story of how slavery has been central in shaping our nation's collective history， and ourselves。
It is the story of the Monticello Plantation in Virginia， the estate where Thomas Jefferson wrote letters espousing the urgent need for liberty while enslaving over 400 people on the premises。 It is the story of the Whitney Plantation， one of the only former plantations devoted to preserving the experience of the enslaved people whose lives and work sustained it。 It is the story of Angola Prison in Louisiana， a former plantation named for the country from which most of its enslaved people arrived and which has since become one of the most gruesome maximum-security prisons in the world。 And it is the story of Blandford Cemetery， the final resting place of tens of thousands of Confederate soldiers。
In a deeply researched and transporting exploration of the legacy of slavery and its imprint on centuries of American history， How the Word Is Passed illustrates how some of our country's most essential stories are hidden in plain view-whether in places we might drive by on our way to work， holidays such as Juneteenth， or entire neighborhoods—like downtown Manhattan—on which the brutal history of the trade in enslaved men， women and children has been deeply imprinted。
Informed by scholarship and brought alive by the story of people living today， Clint Smith’s debut work of nonfiction is a landmark work of reflection and insight that offers a new understanding of the hopeful role that memory and history can play in understanding our country。
Beginning in his own hometown of New Orleans， Clint Smith leads the reader through an unforgettable tour of monuments and landmarks-those that are honest about the past and those that are not-that offer an intergenerational story of how slavery has been central in shaping our nation's collective history， and ourselves。
It is the story of the Monticello Plantation in Virginia， the estate where Thomas Jefferson wrote letters espousing the urgent need for liberty while enslaving over 400 people on the premises。 It is the story of the Whitney Plantation， one of the only former plantations devoted to preserving the experience of the enslaved people whose lives and work sustained it。 It is the story of Angola Prison in Louisiana， a former plantation named for the country from which most of its enslaved people arrived and which has since become one of the most gruesome maximum-security prisons in the world。 And it is the story of Blandford Cemetery， the final resting place of tens of thousands of Confederate soldiers。
In a deeply researched and transporting exploration of the legacy of slavery and its imprint on centuries of American history， How the Word Is Passed illustrates how some of our country's most essential stories are hidden in plain view-whether in places we might drive by on our way to work， holidays such as Juneteenth， or entire neighborhoods—like downtown Manhattan—on which the brutal history of the trade in enslaved men， women and children has been deeply imprinted。
Informed by scholarship and brought alive by the story of people living today， Clint Smith’s debut work of nonfiction is a landmark work of reflection and insight that offers a new understanding of the hopeful role that memory and history can play in understanding our country。
Reviews
Janet Morrison
，
I learned so much from this book！ Every chapter contained eye-opening surprises。
Beth Honeycutt
，
Interesting。 Powerful。 Lyrical。 An important read。
Kelly Lam
，
Beautifully written， a must read for everyone
Morris
，
Clint Smith's book is a must-read。 I determined this only after a few pages。 Smith's detailed visits of Jefferson's Monticello， several plantation prisons， the sudden history lesson on Central Park， among many others， add up to a thoroughly engrossing read。 I learned much and continue to learn as I read and re-read books on similar topics， but now from a different perspective。 Smith asks great questions and follows them up。 He encourages those with contrasting opinions to present them at length。 Clint Smith's book is a must-read。 I determined this only after a few pages。 Smith's detailed visits of Jefferson's Monticello， several plantation prisons， the sudden history lesson on Central Park， among many others， add up to a thoroughly engrossing read。 I learned much and continue to learn as I read and re-read books on similar topics， but now from a different perspective。 Smith asks great questions and follows them up。 He encourages those with contrasting opinions to present them at length。 This book is not like the civics class I received in high school， and Smith's book explains why。 。。。more
Jessica Rogers
，
“The history of slavery is the history of the United States。 It was not peripheral to our founding; it was central to it。 It is not a relevant to our contemporary society; it created it。 This history is in our soil， it is in our policies， and it must， too， be in our memories。”This was a phenomenal wire of research and of soul searching as the author takes us on a journey of the history of slavery and how it has shaped our nation。 A beautiful tribute to his own family and ancestors， it acknowledg “The history of slavery is the history of the United States。 It was not peripheral to our founding; it was central to it。 It is not a relevant to our contemporary society; it created it。 This history is in our soil， it is in our policies， and it must， too， be in our memories。”This was a phenomenal wire of research and of soul searching as the author takes us on a journey of the history of slavery and how it has shaped our nation。 A beautiful tribute to his own family and ancestors， it acknowledges how wide are the gaps in what we truly know about our history because of who has been writing it。 Full of primary sources and his own personal accounts， this is a work of art。 。。。more
Cait
，
Lyrical （of course; I love Smith's poetry）， well researched， broad， thoughtful， educational。 The personal narratives and historical facts were woven together flawlessly。 Beautifully done， and incredibly important。 Lyrical （of course; I love Smith's poetry）， well researched， broad， thoughtful， educational。 The personal narratives and historical facts were woven together flawlessly。 Beautifully done， and incredibly important。 。。。more
Julia
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I will be thinking about this one for a while and may need a revisit。 Like Isabel Wilkerson， I think Clint Smith should be required reading。 Excited to read more of his stuff。 Highly recommend。
Danielle Mccoy
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A hard book to listen to！ It takes a sharp look at our country's past with slavery and our current habit of not facing the facts。 We beautify the past and slavery and the author takes us right up into the facts of slavery from the expected places - plantation， prison， to the unexpected New York。 I'm glad I listened to this book but I definitely needed to mix my listening up with lighter fare。 A hard book to listen to！ It takes a sharp look at our country's past with slavery and our current habit of not facing the facts。 We beautify the past and slavery and the author takes us right up into the facts of slavery from the expected places - plantation， prison， to the unexpected New York。 I'm glad I listened to this book but I definitely needed to mix my listening up with lighter fare。 。。。more
Stuart Miller
，
An excellent， insightful， moving and extremely well-written account of how slavery is presented， memorialized， commemorated， minimized or ignored at several historic sites in the U。S。 （Monticello， Whitney Plantation， Angola Prison， Blandford Cemetery， Galveston Island， New York City） and Goree Island in Senegal。 Without rancor， Smith's book looks at slavery in an "up close and personal" way （Smith is African-American descended from slaves） that humanizes our continuing arguments about slavery's An excellent， insightful， moving and extremely well-written account of how slavery is presented， memorialized， commemorated， minimized or ignored at several historic sites in the U。S。 （Monticello， Whitney Plantation， Angola Prison， Blandford Cemetery， Galveston Island， New York City） and Goree Island in Senegal。 Without rancor， Smith's book looks at slavery in an "up close and personal" way （Smith is African-American descended from slaves） that humanizes our continuing arguments about slavery's toxic legacies （for both blacks and whites）--in much the same manner as Isabel Wilkerson's "The Warmth of Other Suns" makes the struggles of African Americans in the Jim Crow South vividly alive。 Anyone who is concerned about race relations in this country today--no matter what your point of view--should read this book。 。。。more
David Rosenthal
，
Enlightening and disheartening at the same time。 The story needs to be told or we will never understand。 The North was not as innocent as I was taught in school and there was much more going on in the South and with the founding of the US that was also not taught。
Adrienne
，
Incredibly important perspective to understand why the US is in the situation it is in in 2021。 The author is an exceptional writer， painting every exchange in such a way as if you do feel you’re right there， listening in on a conversation。 Beautiful attention to details of surroundings and nuances。 Looking forward to reading more of his writing。
Katie
，
Incredible。 Smith's choices for locations were so deliberate， and his writing style is captivating。 He weaves together the personal and historical really beautifully and reminded me of Michael Twitty's （also must-read） memoir， The Cooking Gene。 This book should be required reading for students。 Incredible。 Smith's choices for locations were so deliberate， and his writing style is captivating。 He weaves together the personal and historical really beautifully and reminded me of Michael Twitty's （also must-read） memoir， The Cooking Gene。 This book should be required reading for students。 。。。more
Catherine
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I kinda want to make all my friendships contingent on whether or not they’ve read this book。 It’s THAT required reading。 Easily one of the best books I’ve ever read。 More than just thoroughly researched content， Smith’s writing is careful and succinct and still manages to be beautiful in his telling of his experience as a black man trying to understand how we have gotten to where we are today。 The epilogue…。 I listened to it three times。 Powerful stuff。
Maggie
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This is the kind of stuff I love about public history。 The way Smith picks apart how we remember history is fascinating and important， and wonderfully written
Tom Allen
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This country was founded on genocide and slavery。 Clint Smith brings the reader on a tour of an America that has minimized the role slavery played in the development of the United States。 He shows us the ways America has continued to celebrate white supremacy。 He shows us how the history of this country has quite literally been whitewashed。 Smith lays out the argument that for this country to progress， for this country to become fully。 realized we must honestly confront our history。 We must look This country was founded on genocide and slavery。 Clint Smith brings the reader on a tour of an America that has minimized the role slavery played in the development of the United States。 He shows us the ways America has continued to celebrate white supremacy。 He shows us how the history of this country has quite literally been whitewashed。 Smith lays out the argument that for this country to progress， for this country to become fully。 realized we must honestly confront our history。 We must look at how that history continues to be played out every day。 We must teach the true history of the United States。 。。。more
Carol El Hawary
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Absolutely brilliant book， I couldn't put it down。 Absolutely brilliant book， I couldn't put it down。 。。。more
Karin Kaerwer
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Everyone needs to read this book。
Michael Schafer
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Poetic。 Clint Smith examines how places grapple with slavery。
Ian Bond
，
Dr。 Clint Smith's book is remedial history education for most American students。 His ever questioning exploration of our nation's history goes deep into the pain， violence， trauma， and even joy of America Please read this and then continue reading his many sources。 Dr。 Clint Smith's book is remedial history education for most American students。 His ever questioning exploration of our nation's history goes deep into the pain， violence， trauma， and even joy of America Please read this and then continue reading his many sources。 。。。more
Sue
，
Everyone， and I mean EVERYONE should read this book！ It is a history like no other。 It’s part memoir， part history lesson， and part wake up call for The United States。 Author Clint Smith does an excellent job of researching and presenting the facts regarding the tough topic of slavery in the United States。 History can be reality， memory， antidote， nostalgia， or a little bit of all of these things。 Clint Smith takes his readers into this history and makes readers ruminate about what transpired du Everyone， and I mean EVERYONE should read this book！ It is a history like no other。 It’s part memoir， part history lesson， and part wake up call for The United States。 Author Clint Smith does an excellent job of researching and presenting the facts regarding the tough topic of slavery in the United States。 History can be reality， memory， antidote， nostalgia， or a little bit of all of these things。 Clint Smith takes his readers into this history and makes readers ruminate about what transpired during slavery as well as what continues to happen due to this history。 Each chapter in the book represents a location。 All of these locations except one are in The United States and tell stories of Black lives and the way history is deceptive when it comes to these lives。 Read this book and become enlightened as to what it truly means to be an American。 There is a side that is shameful and it must be corrected！ 。。。more
Mary
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A deeper analysis of a handful of historical locations/ events。 Interesting but didn't hold my attention the way other nonfiction books on racial/ social justice did。 A deeper analysis of a handful of historical locations/ events。 Interesting but didn't hold my attention the way other nonfiction books on racial/ social justice did。 。。。more
Sarah Lane
，
This is a must read， and I am not just saying this is a really good book。 （Which it is）。 You MUST read this book。
Sarah Lane
，
Run。 Do not walk to pick up a copy of this book。 It should be required reading。
Tracy
，
Must read。
Sarah
，
If you have anyone in your life who insists on believing the history of America isn’t racist or that American slavery wasn’t inherently racist， ask them to read this book。
Sarah
，
So much hidden history that needs to become common knowledge。 Through the diversity of the places he visits， perspectives he includes， and questions he asks， Clint Smith provides a balanced and undeniable view of America's history with reference to slavery and oppression of Black Americans， and the intentional miseducation that has spread like a plague since the Civil War。 So much hidden history that needs to become common knowledge。 Through the diversity of the places he visits， perspectives he includes， and questions he asks， Clint Smith provides a balanced and undeniable view of America's history with reference to slavery and oppression of Black Americans， and the intentional miseducation that has spread like a plague since the Civil War。 。。。more
Patti
，
Such an important work。 Clint Smith sets out to show that “the history of slavery is the history of the United States” and succeeds。 “It was not peripheral to our founding; it was central to it。 It is not irrelevant to our contemporary society; it created it。 This history is in our soil， it is in our policies， and it must， too， be in our memories。” This book was beautifully written as well as informative。 One example is a description of the author’s grandmother。 “Her voice is the front porch of Such an important work。 Clint Smith sets out to show that “the history of slavery is the history of the United States” and succeeds。 “It was not peripheral to our founding; it was central to it。 It is not irrelevant to our contemporary society; it created it。 This history is in our soil， it is in our policies， and it must， too， be in our memories。” This book was beautifully written as well as informative。 One example is a description of the author’s grandmother。 “Her voice is the front porch of a home with everyone you love waiting inside。” Continue passing the word; this book should be on everyone’s reading list。 。。。more
Jeremiah Henderson
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Absolutely required reading
Meaghan
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Easily accessible， deeply informative and incredibly written。
Zach
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