brynalexa's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Poetic, powerful, and thought-provoking. Filled in some gaps in my education while inspiring me to seek out more information on the world’s cruel history. 

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amsswim's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

I very much encourage everyone to read or listen to this book. Follow the author to important heritage sites to the legacy of slavery through the US and beyond; plantations, prisons, confederate cemeteries.  Made me very reflective on random interactions I have had over the years and how the people in my family history may have interacted. The content is graphic and unflinching, which is entirely necessary. It is also one of the best written non-fiction books I have read, I believe because you are going on a journey with the author. I am unable to summarize so much of one amazing book, so I am just going to say again read it.

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jaiari12's review

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

5.0


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analenegrace's review

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challenging informative
I was fortunate enough to meet Clint Smith and get a free signed copy at a university book event over a year ago, but I just now got to reading it. Smith is an amazing writer whose poetry clearly influences his prose, and it is written in such a compelling and beautiful book, even with the difficult subject matter. 

I cannot recommend reading this book, especially if you're trying to deconstruct what racism in America looks like. While there are so many lines I marked as pivotal to the book, the most important comes on page 289 in his epilogue, 

"The history of slavery is the history of the United States. It was not peripheral to our founding; it was central to it. It is not irrelevant to our contemporary society; it created it. This history is in our soil, it is in our policies, and it must, too, be in our memories."

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heatherilene's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0


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leahkarge's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

4.0


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katiea714's review

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adventurous challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.5


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jrosegross's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0


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teleportsbehindyou's review

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emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

5.0


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paigeno's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative sad slow-paced

4.25


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