The 1619 Project
Books | History / United States / General
4.7
(4.7K)
Nikole Hannah-Jones
The New York Times Magazine
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NAACP IMAGE AWARD WINNER • A dramatic expansion of a groundbreaking work of journalism, The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story offers a profoundly revealing vision of the American past and present.“[A] groundbreaking compendium . . . bracing and urgent . . . This collection is an extraordinary update to an ongoing project of vital truth-telling.”—Esquire NOW AN EMMY-WINNING HULU ORIGINAL DOCUSERIES • FINALIST FOR THE KIRKUS PRIZE • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post, NPR, Esquire, Marie Claire, Electric Lit, Ms. magazine, Kirkus Reviews, BooklistIn late August 1619, a ship arrived in the British colony of Virginia bearing a cargo of twenty to thirty people stolen from Africa. Their arrival led to the barbaric and unprecedented system of American chattel slavery that would last for the next 250 years. This is sometimes referred to as the country’s original sin, but it is more than that: It is the source of so much that still defines the United States.The New York Times Magazine’s award-winning 1619 Project issue reframed our understanding of American history by placing slavery and its continuing legacy at the center of our national narrative. This book substantially expands on that work, weaving together eighteen essays that explore the legacy of slavery in present-day America with thirty-six poems and works of fiction that illuminate key moments of oppression, struggle, and resistance. The essays show how the inheritance of 1619 reaches into every part of contemporary American society, from politics, music, diet, traffic, and citizenship to capitalism, religion, and our democracy itself.This book that speaks directly to our current moment, contextualizing the systems of race and caste within which we operate today. It reveals long-glossed-over truths around our nation’s founding and construction—and the way that the legacy of slavery did not end with emancipation, but continues to shape contemporary American life.Featuring contributions from: Leslie Alexander • Michelle Alexander • Carol Anderson • Joshua Bennett • Reginald Dwayne Betts • Jamelle Bouie • Anthea Butler • Matthew Desmond • Rita Dove • Camille T. Dungy • Cornelius Eady • Eve L. Ewing • Nikky Finney • Vievee Francis • Yaa Gyasi • Forrest Hamer • Terrance Hayes • Kimberly Annece Henderson • Jeneen Interlandi • Honorée Fanonne Jeffers • Barry Jenkins • Tyehimba Jess • Martha S. Jones • Robert Jones, Jr. • A. Van Jordan • Ibram X. Kendi • Eddie Kendricks • Yusef Komunyakaa • Kevin M. Kruse • Kiese Laymon • Trymaine Lee • Jasmine Mans • Terry McMillan • Tiya Miles • Wesley Morris • Khalil Gibran Muhammad • Lynn Nottage • ZZ Packer • Gregory Pardlo • Darryl Pinckney • Claudia Rankine • Jason Reynolds • Dorothy Roberts • Sonia Sanchez • Tim Seibles • Evie Shockley • Clint Smith • Danez Smith • Patricia Smith • Tracy K. Smith • Bryan Stevenson • Nafissa Thompson-Spires • Natasha Trethewey • Linda Villarosa • Jesmyn Ward
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Author
Nikole Hannah-Jones
Pages
624
Publisher
Random House Publishing Group
Published Date
2021-11-16
ISBN
0593230582 9780593230589
Community ReviewsSee all
"I'm so happy I finally got to this read. It's very educational; this should absolutely be required reading for everyone. I learned so incredibly much. I know more from reading this amazingly written book than I did in all four high school years or any history class I've ever been in. Each chapter goes into many different eye-opening topics. There are current topics discussed, and history's past and America's past with people in bondage and how truly America likes to make it seem like we are making “progress" when in fact, that's genuinely not the case. I appreciated reading the many authors in this book and hearing all the many perspectives. It keeps it moving effortlessly. This one is a heavy and long read. It does read as a history book but in the best way possible. I can't stress enough that everyone needs to read this one "
"Nationalized amnesia.<br/><br/>What a perfect way to describe the blind eye this country continues to turn to our inexcusable treatment of black people. <br/><br/>The 1619 Project provides a timeline of events, from the arrival of Africans in Virginia in 1619 to the murder of George Floyd in 2020, interspersed with stories and poems that encapsulate the emotional toll slavery has taken on black people in America that trickles down to modern day. It answers the question that few have thought to ask- what is "freedom" from slavery when you have nothing to call your own?<br/><br/>This book is essential reading for anyone who doesn't understand why black people cannot just "pull themselves out of poverty"; for anyone who thinks reparations are unnecessary because "the past is the past" yet continues to pretend the past never happened in the first place.<br/><br/>Black history is American history, and it cannot be silenced or ignored if America is to ever mend our seemingly irreparable race relations."
"THIS BOOK MAKES ME SICK.
American history is disgusting and this book gets real, to the point that I had to put it down and take a minute here and there because how heavy the information is. I was literally sick to my stomach at times. That being said, while I was borrowing this from the library, I purchased it to make sure it was apart of my personal collection. It is too important to not have readily available.
Nikole Hannah-Jones and company do an amazing job of expanding their New York Times Magazine project and highlighting the racial divide starting with the events of 1619 and uses recent examples to really hit home to show how systems have been put in place that still affect society today and how racism is still rampant in US society in the 21st century.
I love how this project used a combination of education, poems, and short stories to share important information. It was beautifully curated.
I believe that everyone should read this book. It is important to understand how and why things in our society today are the way they are from citizenship, capitalism, industrialism, medicine, and more. No matter how informed you are in the ugly sides of American history, I guarantee this book will open your eyes even more. "
"Don't sleep on the audiobook! I knew I couldn't finish this in 21 days to return to the library, so the audiobook was my only option. This was one of those times that the audio enhanced the experience, most of the article writers read their own work.<br/>This lived up to every expectation, please read it."
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