Unveiling the Legacy of Slavery in America: A Reflection on How the Word is Passed

cmg298: This is the best book I have read this year. The writing is brilliant and feeling uncomfortable with what is there is so important to the work. The amazing connections between the places he wrote about and similarities while being very distant from each other strengthened the story. I highly recommend this work.

United States on Nov 02, 2023

Brian Halma: Clint Smith is examining how the history of American slavery is portrayed, and he uses his experiences on visits to 7 sites (Monticello, Whitney Plantation, Angola Prison, Blandford Cemetery, Galveston Island, New York City, and Goree Island) to examine this through different lenses - each site/chapter offering a different perspective.
In each of the chapters, Smith discusses the connection of the site to the story of slavery of African-Americans in the US, its position, and then relates his perspectives and interactions with people at each site - ranging from tour guides educating tourists about the history of slavery in NYC to people looking to learn more about Thomas Jefferson to Sons of Confederate Veterans.
Each chapter was interesting for its perspective, but I found his final chapter where he discusses a grandparent on his mother and father's side of the family to have the greatest impact. Here, for him, the story of slavery becomes both very personal and very real as he relates stories from his grandparents.
One other note - I don't often read books by poets, so I was not prepared for many of Smith's rhetorical flourishes...
"She moved with a dexterity that...

United States on Oct 07, 2023

Amazon Customer: QOTD: What's a book you wish were required reading?

How the Word is Passed was phenomenal. In my opinion, it is essential and should be required reading. It was an easy five star read, and my top ten nonfiction book of all time. From the first page to the very last, I was in awe of Smith's ability to blend his own insight, research, writing, and history. It was poetic. I felt like I was next to him as he traveled to the different historical sites throughout.

Earlier this year, Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson took booksta by storm. I couldn't help but feel they pair well together.

Quotes that stood out:
“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..."

"We can't continue to view enslaved people only through the lens of what happened to them... We have to talk about who they were, we have to talk about their resiliency, we have to talk about their resistance, we have to talk about their...

United States on Jul 28, 2023

Claudia González Rodriguez: Excellent book, totally recommend it

Mexico on Jul 27, 2023

An American in London: I learned so much despite having previously read a lot about the US Civil War and visiting some of these sites. I loved Smith’s tone and style throughout.

United Kingdom on Jun 18, 2023

John Doyle: The writer effectively uses stories to present his thesis. While the subject is something that has its roots in the time of colonization, the personal experiences of the author provide a picture of the current effect. Easy to read and follow.

Canada on Sep 07, 2022

Arabella Grün: Eine interessante Zusammenstellung verschiedener geschichtlicher Aspekte, wie Sklaverei wirklich war und welche Rolle sie bei der Entwicklung der USA spielte. Besonders die Vorkommnisse in New York State sind dabei wichtig. Was mich etwas gestört hat: Die meisten Fakten sind seit langer Zeit bekannt (z. B. dass Jefferson mit einer Sklavin mehrere Kinder hatte, die er nicht freigab), auch Ausländern, die sich für das Thema interessieren. Nicht in allen Ländern kann und sollte die Sklaverei im Mittelpunkt der Geschichtsschreibung stehen. Und manche Infos stimmen einfach so nicht, z. B. dass in Deutschland ein Jahr lang im Geschichtsunterricht die Geschichte der USA besprochen wird, dabei aber die Geschichte der Black Americans kaum vorkommt.

Germany on Jan 17, 2022

Samit Ghosh: The book in its unique approach to history was an eye-opener. The hidden history of slavery & racism in America has been brought out to light. I was devastated at the plight of African Americans, whose slave labour contributed to the building of America. The free land and natural resources were robbed from the American Indians, who were systematically decimated created the base of affluence for this country. Their championing freedom, democracy and equality of all human beings rings hollow in view of this background. Mahatma Gandhi's racism against native Africans, while he championed the cause of Indians in South Africa was shocking. The only redeeming feature was that he evolved into a better human being after he returned to India and took up the cause of all the downtrodden across the world including native Africans, Americans & Dalits in India. Overall an excellent book and changed my perspective of American history and understanding of African Americans.

India on Jan 07, 2022

StratCat: Dr. Smith said in a recent interview that some people don't know and some people don't want to know. This is a book for those who don't know the history of slavery in America and its continued profound impact on all aspects of our society, and it's likely that those who think they know actually don't. As a history-lover who was raised in Atlanta and believed myself well-versed in this subject, I realized that there is far more to it than I thought.

Dr. Smith brings the reader to areas that demonstrate what slavery was and how it continues to influence us 150 years later. Beginning in Monticello and discussing how recently Jefferson's true story was uncovered and presented, he then takes us to Whitney Plantation where the emphasis is on the slaves instead of the building; Angola Prison to see how incarceration is often a continuation of slavery; Blandford Cemetery to explore how many people refuse to acknowledge the root cause of the Civil War so they can glorify the Confederacy; Galveston Island to discuss the struggle we continue to face after slavery "ended"; New York City to demonstrate that slavery impacted all Americans and not just Southerners; and Goree Island in...

United States on Jun 15, 2021