Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by New York Times Company, Nikole Hannah-Jones

37 reviews

readandfindout's review against another edition

challenging informative medium-paced

4.5

Style/writing: 4.5 stars
Themes: 4.5 stars
Perspective: 4.5 stars

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Slavery, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Hate crime, Torture, War, Physical abuse, Death, Murder, Colonisation, Violence, Sexual violence, Rape, and Sexual assault

guinness74's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

Anything that I would write about this book would grossly underestimate and, truthfully, tarnish the reality of its importance. It would be impossible to read this book and not see that Black America (and make no mistake that there is definitely a different nation for Black people) has been denied, again and again, the right, the ability, the power, to make itself equal on any terms that White America sets forth. More often than not, it is White America that places the stumbling blocks, rather than the stepping stones. I urge you to read this book, particularly if you are White, so that you understand the whys and hows of Black America and the inability of this nation to say that it has achieved anywhere near racial equality. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Slavery, and Violence

3littlewordz's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective slow-paced

4.75

This work was a necessary undertaking, and I am glad that the New York Times backed Nikole Hannah Jones in bringing this work to fruition. I read this with a book club, and the discussions we had on each chapter were enlightening, even when we had to calm ourselves from getting angry because of the subject matter. The essays provide a comprehensive introduction to race and racism in the United States and how it is baked into nearly every institution in the country (it’s also been exported worldwide, but that’s another topic entirely.). I will say that I don’t think readers should stop at this work, but explore the references provided at the end of the book. Also, I think near the end, several of the chapters were waaaaay too short for their subject matter (Traffic and Healthcare, for example). The poems and short stories could have also been a separate book entirely. They were amazing pieces that deserve shine! Highly recommend.  

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Police brutality, Slavery, Sexual assault, Rape, Racism, Violence, and War

Moderate: Pregnancy, Medical trauma, Classism, Gun violence, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, and Gaslighting

passionatereader78's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

A journey through African American history in the United States.  Starting with slavery up until present.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Slavery

lilacs_book_bower's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

4.25

This is a collection of essays that are well worth reading, and cover the many contributions made by enslaved people and later by the freed Black people to America, whether economic, medical, religious, and the arts.  It is really unfortunate that a lot of this will be new information to people due to the white washing of history that is taught in a lot of schools.  Some of the essays are very hard to read due to the content, but it is important to know what really happened with the horrible ways Black people were enslaved, punished, or killed just for "succeeding" in life, because without understanding and acknowledging that, we cannot begin to move forward in reconciliation and reparations.  The ramifications of what happened in 1619 are still echoing down through the centuries today and influencing vast aspects of American life.  Some of the early history essays covered familiar ground for me (Government BA with a lot of History classes), so I personally enjoyed more the topics on Medicine, religion, art, etc, but there are some excellent essays there for people less familiar with that early history.  And even so, I still learned from those early essays.  The only reason I don't give this a full 5 stars is that a few of the essays did feel a bit repetitive, covering essentially the same ground.  A few essays felt a bit too short and I wished they had been expanded. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Genocide, Slavery, Trafficking, Cultural appropriation, Classism, Grief, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual assault, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Gun violence, and Sexual violence

xwritingstoriesx's review against another edition

dark emotional informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Death, Grief, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Slavery, Violence, Police brutality, and Racism

hunkydory's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Death, Hate crime, Murder, Racism, Slavery, Violence, and Police brutality

meganpbennett's review

challenging emotional informative reflective slow-paced

5.0

Started as a special edition in the the New York Times to commemorate the 400 year anniversary of the first African captives sold against their will as chattel slaves in Virginia, the 1619 Projects aims to be the framework for critical race theory, which looks at American history and adds back in the truths previously deemed unnecessary and to remove various beliefs about slavery. It's a devastating and necessary read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexism, Trafficking, Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Vomit, Misogyny, Police brutality, Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Racism, Medical trauma, Gun violence, Death, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, and Racial slurs

andsoitgoes's review against another edition

5.0

This is an excellent history of America. It's content and frame of reference are unique in the historical literature and it expertly fills a long-timeline black history void that has been missing from the core reading cannon for upper high school / lower college. If you are a history teacher looking for a sub section, or someone who doesn't want to read all in one go, each chapter is self contained and covers a timeframe from 1619 to modern day. The chapters are by topic. I recommend Race, Sugar, Citizenship, and Justice if you are looking for topics not often covered elsewhere.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Colonisation, Xenophobia, Violence, Racism, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Slavery, Police brutality, Sexual assault, and Rape

Moderate: Kidnapping

bryelle's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

Very informative and interesting. Telling about past, present, and future ways that American slavery has affected people and society. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Police brutality, and Slavery