Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America

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How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith

19 reviews

crybabybea's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective sad

4.25

I loved the perspective author Clint Smith chose to take in this book. By combining historical research, journalistic-style interviews, and personal reflections, he exemplifies the theme of How the Word is Passed; that we need to get the facts of our history from those who lived it.

In doing so, he also explores the damage done by systemic repression of the true history of the United States. He skillfully critiques the education system, America's legal and political system, the medicine industry, and everything in between. It's truly astounding just how much history has been altered in the United States to preserve the sparkling image of freedom and justice our country claims to represent. It's equally harrowing to realize that the sheer amount of information here barely touches the surface of what the United States has swept under the rug, how many more places the author could have visited, how many more interviews could have been had (and how many possible interviewees have been lost), how many more organizations and people could have been implicated. Staggering.

Clint Smith is also very clearly a skilled writer, and is able to weave in beautiful prose and breath-taking moments of self-reflection.

It's probably trite at this point to call books like this a "must read", but this is absolutely a must read.

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mnatale100's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

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lizziaha's review against another edition

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4.5

Prose written by a poet is just so lovely. And it was interesting to see how a story takes shape: the twists and turns, the reconstructions and the lies. The way that place holds such a deep meaning, and that place is imbued with history. The way that we are still molding history, that our current actions are both informed by history and become history. This book is part of that story that we tell about history. One particular section that I (a white southerner educated in the public school system) plan to revisit is Smith’s discussion of the South’s rallying cry of States Rights and how the story diverges from the history.

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rmperezpadilla's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

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brynalexa's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Poetic, powerful, and thought-provoking. Filled in some gaps in my education while inspiring me to seek out more information on the world’s cruel history.

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jaiari12's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

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heatherilene's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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leahkarge's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

4.0

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rachbake's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Stunning. Should be required reading.

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sydapel's review against another edition

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dark informative reflective slow-paced

Part history compilation, part piece of journalism and partly the authors own reflections, but primarily I was fascinated by how Smith keeps coming back to how we teach others about slavery, both in America and abroad. A lot of the images described in this book, as well as the writing, will stick with me for a long time.

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