Reviews

The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones

beaver313's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced

5.0

kalkn's review against another edition

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1.0

The inaccuracies in this are evidence of why historians, not journalists, are best for writing a history book. This novel makes for a sad viewing of an alternate existence of America that never did and still doesn't exist. Links below countering themes found in the book. It's interesting that The NY Times (publisher of the book) has so many links debunking their own book.

It's sad to see a book so filled with ideology, instead of accuracy, is appearing in so many schools as mandatory reading.

Links debunking book below:
Historians (black and left-leaning) call out book for being inaccurate - https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/20/magazine/we-respond-to-the-historians-who-critiqued-the-1619-project.html

Refusal to correct historical inaccuracies - https://www.nas.org/blogs/article/pulitzer-board-must-revoke-nikole-hannah-jones-prize

Debunking points made by author - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/09/opinion/nyt-1619-project-criticisms.html

Slavery still existed in British Empire 50 years after American Revolution - https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/slavery-abolition-act-1833

Economy of the south held back by slavery -
https://www.historycentral.com/CivilWar/AMERICA/Economics.html
https://www.amazon.com/Big-Lies-About-America-Destructive/dp/0307394077
https://www.amazon.com/Race-Culture-World-Thomas-Sowell/dp/0465067972

360,000+ soldiers from the north died to free 4,000,000+ slaves -
https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/c/costs-major-us-wars.html

US is overcoming racism -
Vote on the Civil Rights Act of 1964 - https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/88-1964/s409
Rates of Africans immigrating to the US are rising - https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2017/02/14/african-immigrant-population-in-u-s-steadily-climbs/

kdawn999's review against another edition

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4.0

This is a very good re-centering of US history around the far-reaching legacy of slavery and a fair indictment of the false narrative of “progress” often fed to us in what passes for high school history class. Part of the energy of this work comes from the various voices in the essay anthology, which often overlap in referencing the same events from different lenses—from health care to music. However, I sometimes found myself wishing for a more comprehensive history text without the leaps and gaps across certain decades. This book does well what it sets out to do, which is ultimately to make the case for reparations to descendants of enslaved Africans.

veebeepham's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative slow-paced

4.25

This book should be required school text book

kasper99's review

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challenging emotional informative

5.0

stelhan's review against another edition

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4.0

An essential read

teriboop's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

Nikole Hannah-Jones, along with seventeen African American authors, historians, and journalists, delves into microscopic topics, discussing the rippling effects of slavery on US history. The title is named for the date that enslaved Africans were brought to Jamestown, Virginia.  The date is controversial among historians who debate when the first enslaved Africans arrived in the New World.  Considered to be a work of revisionist historiography, this book, the New York Times article that preceded introducing the topic, and the companion documentary are also controversial in our current polarized political climate, with some believing that the story and the facts of slavery in America are being rewritten, and rewritten incorrectly. In contrast, others feel the project is being used to supplement school curriculums, pushing an agenda of further racial disparity in our society.  

These articles challenge readers' knowledge and understanding of racism in America and the ebb and flow of civil rights. As one author mentions, there seem to be trends throughout history of "two steps forward, and one step back" (Ibram X. Kendi's chapter on Progress, pages 422-423, Kindle) that are generally ignored. The authors are bringing this type of disparity to the forefront in their individual articles.  

The book consists of eighteen chapters that examine the effects of slavery and racism in detail and include such topics as music, healthcare, punishment, church, capitalism, politics, and reparations.  Each article is followed by a short historical biography of events in history, along with pictures, poems, and narratives that bring some powerful clarity to the topics.

I think this is a really good book that needs to be read, critically analyzed, and discussed. Some topics and details are fodder for debate, so I understand the controversy surrounding this text in the political and historical communities.  It is worth the read to consider the long-term effects of racism.

cozycactus's review against another edition

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challenging
The ugly history everyone needs to read at least once.

rothney14's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

akilahrs's review against another edition

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5.0

Wow.

There is no excuse to not know history, our history, the history of the United States of America. I implore you to read this book.