How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America [B1368]

2021 HCDJ. Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction, the Stowe Prize, and the 2022 Hillman Prize for Book Journalism. One of President Obama's Favorite Books of 2021. This compelling #1 New York Times bestseller examines the legacy of slavery in America-and how both history and memory continue to shape our everyday lives. Beginning in his hometown of New Orleans, Clint Smith leads the reader on an unforgettable tour of monuments and landmarks-those that are honest about the past and those that are not-that offer an intergenerational story of how slavery has been central in shaping our nation's collective history, and ourselves.

It is the story of the Monticello Plantation in Virginia, the estate where Thomas Jefferson wrote letters espousing the urgent need for liberty while enslaving more than four hundred people. It is the story of the Whitney Plantation, one of the only former plantations devoted to preserving the experience of the enslaved people whose lives and work sustained it. It is the story of Angola, a former plantation-turned-maximum-security prison in Louisiana that is filled with Black men who work across the 18,000-acre land for virtually no pay. And it is the story of Blandford Cemetery, the final resting place of tens of thousands of Confederate soldiers. A deeply researched and transporting exploration of the legacy of slavery and its imprint on centuries of American history, How the Word Is Passed illustrates how some of our country's most essential stories are hidden in plain view-whether in places we might drive by on our way to work, holidays such as Juneteenth, or entire neighborhoods like downtown Manhattan, where the brutal history of the trade in enslaved men, women, and children has been deeply imprinted. Informed by scholarship and brought to life by the stories of people living today, Smith's debut work of nonfiction is a landmark of reflection and insight that offers a new understanding of the hopeful role that memory and history can play in making sense of our country and how it has come to be.

From the many recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "Difficult but worth it. It took me a long time to get through this book. I had to stop after each chapter and sit with it for a while to process both the information and my own feelings. As a history teacher, I know that there are topics, people, and events that are not included in the standards we are required to teach. I also know there is no way we can teach them all. But this is a part of our history that still affects people, and sweeping it under the rug so we don't hurt anyone's feelings is not the way to go. I plan to keep at least one copy of this book in my classroom for any student who wants to read it."; "Excellent read and powerful relevant message. Eye opening account of Clint's visit to a number of tourist destinations to understand the real story and tragedy of slavery and discrimination. It is important to be mindful of the hate and prejudice that was used to exploit other humans and the consequences that are still here today. Thank you for writing this book."; "A profound reading experience which led to significant insights on history, geography. and the search for who we are as a nation still grappling with a very dark past. This generous body of research will remain in me."