apetruce's review
5.0
This is a must read for all Americans, and specifically white Americans. It forced me to unearth and unpack existing racism, bias, prejudices and, in my case, judgy stereotypes to learn there is a reason these ideas exist, no matter how much believe I am not a racist.
I particularity enjoyed Matthew Desmond's essay on business practices in slave plantations forming today's American corporate capitalism -- an often dehumanizing, top-down authoritarian regime most working Americans are subject to. Kevin Kruse's essay demonstrating how big city traffic problems have their roots in segregation, is also eye-opening and forces me to examine that slavery does indeed still have affects on all of us today.
Bringing light to sad, horrific stories is hard, but hiding them is worse, which is what we have been doing as a nation. Phrases throughout the Pulitzer-winning project such as "a re-education is necessary" and "help us understand the evil our nation was founded on" will have me chewing on and thinking about instances in my own life where I have failed to acknowledge how my own prosperity, even being born in 1971, is greatly reliant on this nation's slave history. It mandates my respect and humble acknowledgement to all people of color.
I particularity enjoyed Matthew Desmond's essay on business practices in slave plantations forming today's American corporate capitalism -- an often dehumanizing, top-down authoritarian regime most working Americans are subject to. Kevin Kruse's essay demonstrating how big city traffic problems have their roots in segregation, is also eye-opening and forces me to examine that slavery does indeed still have affects on all of us today.
Bringing light to sad, horrific stories is hard, but hiding them is worse, which is what we have been doing as a nation. Phrases throughout the Pulitzer-winning project such as "a re-education is necessary" and "help us understand the evil our nation was founded on" will have me chewing on and thinking about instances in my own life where I have failed to acknowledge how my own prosperity, even being born in 1971, is greatly reliant on this nation's slave history. It mandates my respect and humble acknowledgement to all people of color.
warriorpickle's review
3.0
*podcast only*
So I heard about this podcast through another podcast I listened to as an advertisement. It sounded interesting to me so I added it to my list. Who would've thought in the middle of listening there would have been national news about it apparently trying to get inducted into schools as a program!?
But I'm not gonna get into that. I'm just gonna judge this on entertainment value alone.
And entertaining it was. This was one of the most well produced podcasts I've listened to, and it had some unique ways of telling it's story. Especially on episode 3, the music episode. This gave me some food for thought and I have been finding I enjoy things more often recently that have some history in them.
Speaking of history, I haven't done tons of research but I have seen some things saying this isn't historically accurate in a lot of things. Now while I didn't look a bunch of things up, I will say that there was plenty of times it seemed....a convenient truth I suppose. But nevertheless, I was entertained.
Overall I enjoyed listening to this.
So I heard about this podcast through another podcast I listened to as an advertisement. It sounded interesting to me so I added it to my list. Who would've thought in the middle of listening there would have been national news about it apparently trying to get inducted into schools as a program!?
But I'm not gonna get into that. I'm just gonna judge this on entertainment value alone.
And entertaining it was. This was one of the most well produced podcasts I've listened to, and it had some unique ways of telling it's story. Especially on episode 3, the music episode. This gave me some food for thought and I have been finding I enjoy things more often recently that have some history in them.
Speaking of history, I haven't done tons of research but I have seen some things saying this isn't historically accurate in a lot of things. Now while I didn't look a bunch of things up, I will say that there was plenty of times it seemed....a convenient truth I suppose. But nevertheless, I was entertained.
Overall I enjoyed listening to this.
skersh68's review
5.0
I finally finished reading the 1619 Project. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that every black person out there read this. WARNING...This is a very heavy read. I had to put it down on several occasions because I found it very hard to stomach a lot of the text. We learn about slavery growing up and in school, but little do we know that we haven't been told everything. I suggest taking this in ( if you haven't read it already) in small doses. What our ancestors had to endure for us to get to where we are today there are no words to describe the pain one feels when reading this. I do believe especially our younger generation if they knew, really knew what they went through we would do better as a people.
ncchris's review
4.0
Good read - I learned quite a bit. It’s certainly not the only work I’ve read on the topic, but it was a good and approachable addition. It fit well with We Were Eight Years in Power by Ta-Nehisi Coates and How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi. Different perspectives in places, but that can be helpful, especially as a middle-aged white woman from a solidly middle class upbringing.
jenennap29's review
5.0
This is well worth taking the time to read to truly soak up every word of truth in these pages. One of the most powerful quotes from this series of short stories and essays: "I realized how important it is to stay hopeful: Hopelessness is the enemy of justice." I only hope to give the mic to the voices of these individuals and those who cannot speak when I teach parts of this in my classroom.
sayben6's review
5.0
Review includes the podcasts. This was incredibly informative: fascinating & maddening at same time. It should become part of history curriculum especially in Louisiana where a lot of slavery, civil war and reconstruction era topics are glossed over quickly. I’m glad they brought up the Whitney Plantation in one of the articles as I found that museum incredible and def something that should be a required field trip for Louisiana students. I learned so much from my short time there then I ever learned in school. The teachings in La. schools were a disservice to the students of all ancestral backgrounds: plantation owning and plantation working descendants.
savvyrosereads's review
5.0
Absolutely required reading. I thought several of the essays could have dived into more extensive detail, but they provide an impeccable overview.