Little Brown and Company
How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America
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This "important and timely" (Drew Faust, Harvard Magazine) #1 New York Times bestseller examines the legacy of slavery in America--and how both history and memory continue to shape our everyday lives.
Beginning in his hometown of New Orleans, Clint Smith leads the reader on 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 more than four hundred people. 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, a former plantation-turned-maximum-security prison in Louisiana that is filled with Black men who work across the 18,000-acre land for virtually no pay. And it is the story of Blandford Cemetery, the final resting place of tens of thousands of Confederate soldiers.
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, where the brutal history of the trade in enslaved men, women, and children has been deeply imprinted.
Informed by scholarship and brought to life by the story of people living today, Smith's debut work of nonfiction is a landmark of reflection and insight that offers a new understanding of the hopeful role that memory and history can play in making sense of our country and how it has come to be.
Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction
Winner of the Stowe Prize
Winner of 2022 Hillman Prize for Book Journalism
A New York Times 10 Best Books of 2021
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Book Details
ISBN:
9780316492935
EAN:
9780316492935
Binding:
Hardcover
Pages:
352
Authors:
Clint Smith
Publisher:
Little Brown and Company
Published Date: 2021-01-06
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It took me a long time to get through this book. I had to stop after each chapter and sit with it for a while to process both the information and my own feelings. As a history teacher, I know that there are topics, people, and events that are not included in the standards we are required to teach. I also know there is no way we can teach them all. But this is a part of our history that still affects people, and sweeping it under the rug so we don’t hurt anyone’s feelings is not the way to go. I plan to keep at least one copy of this book in my classroom for any student who wants to read it.
Eye opening account of Clint’s visit to a number of tourist destinations to understand the real story and tragedy of slavery and discrimination. It is important to be mindful of the hate and prejudice that was used to exploit other humans and the consequences that are still here today. Thank you for writing this book.
This book should be a must read for any American to better understand where we are in this country. It stands at the top of the list along with “The 1619 Project” . Although I was familiar with most of Smith’s history, his presentation brought these six episodes to life. History is so important today and Smith helps us understand a part of our history that is unknown to too many of our fellow Americans.
First time I read a paragraph that made me emotional. When writing about 2 individuals who received the death penalty that were mentally challenged, I read this:“Dobie Gillis Williams-another manwho suffered from intellectual disability—was killed on January 8, 1999. For his final meal he ate twelve candy bars and a bowl of ice cream.”There’s a lot more to this book than just that though. His illustration of the personal affect slavery had on the people subjected to slavery was valuable information. The amount of family separation, and the propaganda pro-slavery advocates started that you can recognize in language today.
With facts that have been hidden from me for 73 years. I am so grateful to now know the reckoning comes in the story and the inheritance.
