leweylibrary's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
It's obvious how this author has won a Pulitzer because this was a really well done historical nonfiction đź‘Ź I went into it pretty blind, so I was pleasantly surprised that it was largely about Texas and US history more than just a deep dive into that day in history like I was expecting. I also appreciated the mix of personal history of the author to put this history into a more intimate context. It was short, but it really packed a punch because I learned a lot!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, War, Violence, Slavery, Hate crime, and Colonisation
Moderate: Rape
mandkips's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Slavery, and Hate crime
Moderate: Violence, Death, and Genocide
Minor: Sexual assault, Bullying, and Rape
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.Â
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery, Murder, Violence, Racism, Death, Hate crime, and Classism
fclancy93's review
challenging
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Hate crime, Racism, Murder, Slavery, and Violence
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Bullying, and Kidnapping
thebakerbookworm's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
A short yet super informative book on the history of Black people in Texas—from the 1500s to Juneteenth. Despite the title, this book is about a lot more than Juneteenth, and doesn't really even discuss Juneteenth until the end. But don't be disappointed—there's a whole lot of good historical nuggets in here. I loved that the author mixed historical events with her own personal history, and she shared how learning about these events affected her life as a young Black girl growing up in Texas. A little bit of memoir mixed with a lot of history that I don't remember learning before made for an excellent read.
I think I could re-listen to this book every year on Juneteenth; it's short enough to listen to in a day but full of good history enough that you'll always pick up on something new. Highly recommend!
I think I could re-listen to this book every year on Juneteenth; it's short enough to listen to in a day but full of good history enough that you'll always pick up on something new. Highly recommend!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Hate crime, Racism, Slavery, and Violence
bookiecharm's review
challenging
informative
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, and Slavery
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