A 6-star book. Truly an exquisite work of American history and personal narrative.

This is a worthwhile read throughout. All the chapters are excellent but the chapters describing Smith's visit to the Whitney Plantation, Blandford Cemetery, and New York City are real stand-outs. Smith's discussion of how slavery permeates American history is both very personal and very illuminating. How white America can want a history that fails to put slavery and caste into its proper historical context is beyond me. And while Smith's descriptions of historical sites that were the primary locations for slavery are all good, it's the epilogue with the firsthand experiences of his maternal grandfather and paternal grandmother in the deep South that really brings this book into focus. Highly recommended for all Americans.

This book was phenomenal. So thankful to Libro.fm for giving me book as part of their educators program!
I felt like this book did for me what 13th on Netflix did when I first watched it. It sparked a want to learn. Many of the things we are taught in school mute or negate the stories of the people who suffered. They sugarcoat Presidents and prisons. They make slavery seem like a mutual relationship. They really don’t dive into the hurt that happened as a result of slavery. And so the only way to get this history is to ask. And to hope your family isn’t too scarred to share. We found out that our great-mother was part of the slave trade in the West Indies… no one wants to tell any more. It leaves you feeling a little empty that you don’t know exactly where you began, but it definitely makes you want to learn more. This book has lit that spark again! Thank you so much Clint Smith for taking us on this journey!

“[That] if you give young people the tools to make sense of their history, you are giving them the tools to make sense of themselves, this fundamentally changing how they navigate the world.”

“If there’s anything I can leave you with, question everything… Don’t believe anything if it makes you comfortable.”

“When we talk about memory, we have to stand in the principle. One slave is too much.”

“We shouldn’t forget slavery, but we can forgive.”

Seldom do I read a piece of non fiction that terrifies me in a way such as this has. You begin to doubt everything you’ve heard. Everything you’ve been taught. Everyone should read this book. This is American History.

I’ve come to realize that there’s a difference between history and nostalgia, and somewhere between those two is memory,” he said. “I think that history is the story of the past, using all the available facts, and that nostalgia is a fantasy about the past using no facts, and somewhere in between is memory, which is kind of this blend of history and a little bit of emotion…I mean, history is kind of about what you need to know…but nostalgia is what you want to hear.
Clint Smith writes beautifully about the terrible history of slavery in America. He exposes so many truths and I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from him. Highly recommended.