tlaynejones's review
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
I enjoyed this short collection of essays providing a broad history of Texas and the USA. The author was the first person to integrate a school in her community, entering first grade as the lone Black child in her school. She went on to become a Pulitzer Prize winning historian and university professor. I appreciated that the history she writes about was always interpreted through her personal perspective and the wider social understanding.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Classism, Racism, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, and Genocide
readingthroughinfinity's review
informative
medium-paced
4.0
This is a really interesting blend of memoir and history woven into a collection of essays about June 19th, or Juneteenth. Juneteenth is a national day/holiday in the US recognising the end of slavery after it was abolished on June 19th 1865. Annette Gordon-Reed describes her own life as a Texan, her family history, and their experiences of racism. She looks back at the history of slavery in Texas, how Major General Gordon Granger announced the end of legalized slavery there, and the role of Native Americans and Mexicans in the state. There's so much information packed into quite a short book book and I learned a lot from listening to it on audio.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery, Murder, Violence, Racism, Death, Hate crime, and Classism
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