Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by realadhdoug
The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones
4.75
As many other reviewers have noted, the fact that this book (or the NYT project that preceded) was at all controversial is utterly absurd. At its root, this is simply an untold history of the United States—namely, that as it pertains to Black Americans. It overs many facets of American life leading up to its founding, in the years following the revolution, the Civil War, Reconstruction, the Civil Rights Era, and all the way up to the Black Lives Matter movement of recent years—all with a focus centered on both the effect these periods had on Black Americans and the impact that Black Americans had on these events.
As for the legitimacy of the scholarship—I'm not a historian, but stories covered seem just as thoroughly researched, sourced, and corroborated as any other history book I've read. There are so many anecdotes that fill in gaps that have existed in my understanding of American history based on the narrative I was raised with as native-born Ohioan—which minimized the brutality of slavery as something we didn't know was wrong at the time and painted racism as a southern phenomenon that ended in the 1960s. So many aha moments. Like, oh okay that's why things are the way they are today!
In terms of the presentation, this work is thoroughly engaging. The historical research is interposed with poems, short reflective essays, and rich stories from a variety of prominent Black voices of our time. Listening to the audiobook made this come through even more powerfully. It was a whole experience!
I highly recommend this book as a primer on American history, because as much as anything you'll learn in a classroom, that's exactly what it is.
As for the legitimacy of the scholarship—I'm not a historian, but stories covered seem just as thoroughly researched, sourced, and corroborated as any other history book I've read. There are so many anecdotes that fill in gaps that have existed in my understanding of American history based on the narrative I was raised with as native-born Ohioan—which minimized the brutality of slavery as something we didn't know was wrong at the time and painted racism as a southern phenomenon that ended in the 1960s. So many aha moments. Like, oh okay that's why things are the way they are today!
In terms of the presentation, this work is thoroughly engaging. The historical research is interposed with poems, short reflective essays, and rich stories from a variety of prominent Black voices of our time. Listening to the audiobook made this come through even more powerfully. It was a whole experience!
I highly recommend this book as a primer on American history, because as much as anything you'll learn in a classroom, that's exactly what it is.