The 1619 Project
A New Origin Story
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NAACP IMAGE AWARD WINNER • A dramatic expansion of a groundbreaking work of journalism, The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story offers a profoundly revealing vision of the American past and present.
“[A] groundbreaking compendium . . . bracing and urgent . . . This collection is an extraordinary update to an ongoing project of vital truth-telling.”—Esquire
NOW AN EMMY-WINNING HULU ORIGINAL DOCUSERIES • FINALIST FOR THE KIRKUS PRIZE • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post, NPR, Esquire, Marie Claire, Electric Lit, Ms. magazine, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist
In late August 1619, a ship arrived in the British colony of Virginia bearing a cargo of twenty to thirty people stolen from Africa. Their arrival led to the barbaric and unprecedented system of American chattel slavery that would last for the next 250 years. This is sometimes referred to as the country’s original sin, but it is more than that: It is the source of so much that still defines the United States.
The New York Times Magazine’s award-winning 1619 Project issue reframed our understanding of American history by placing slavery and its continuing legacy at the center of our national narrative. This book substantially expands on that work, weaving together eighteen essays that explore the legacy of slavery in present-day America with thirty-six poems and works of fiction that illuminate key moments of oppression, struggle, and resistance. The essays show how the inheritance of 1619 reaches into every part of contemporary American society, from politics, music, diet, traffic, and citizenship to capitalism, religion, and our democracy itself.
This book that speaks directly to our current moment, contextualizing the systems of race and caste within which we operate today. It reveals long-glossed-over truths around our nation’s founding and construction—and the way that the legacy of slavery did not end with emancipation, but continues to shape contemporary American life.
Featuring contributions from: Leslie Alexander • Michelle Alexander • Carol Anderson • Joshua Bennett • Reginald Dwayne Betts • Jamelle Bouie • Anthea Butler • Matthew Desmond • Rita Dove • Camille T. Dungy • Cornelius Eady • Eve L. Ewing • Nikky Finney • Vievee Francis • Yaa Gyasi • Forrest Hamer • Terrance Hayes • Kimberly Annece Henderson • Jeneen Interlandi • Honorée Fanonne Jeffers • Barry Jenkins • Tyehimba Jess • Martha S. Jones • Robert Jones, Jr. • A. Van Jordan • Ibram X. Kendi • Eddie Kendricks • Yusef Komunyakaa • Kevin M. Kruse • Kiese Laymon • Trymaine Lee • Jasmine Mans • Terry McMillan • Tiya Miles • Wesley Morris • Khalil Gibran Muhammad • Lynn Nottage • ZZ Packer • Gregory Pardlo • Darryl Pinckney • Claudia Rankine • Jason Reynolds • Dorothy Roberts • Sonia Sanchez • Tim Seibles • Evie Shockley • Clint Smith • Danez Smith • Patricia Smith • Tracy K. Smith • Bryan Stevenson • Nafissa Thompson-Spires • Natasha Trethewey • Linda Villarosa • Jesmyn Ward
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Nikole Hannah-Jones’ Pulitzer Prize–winning project is a game changer for U.S. history. In 2019, to mark the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first ship of enslaved Africans on these shores, Hannah-Jones oversaw a special New York Times Magazine issue dedicated to reexamining how slavery has shaped this country, which was then expanded into this invaluable book. In powerful, thought-provoking essays and poems, several authors explore how slavery profoundly affected everything from the American Revolution to the development of the sugar industry to modern misconceptions about African American sexuality. We were bowled over by the way that a simple change in perspective—backed by rigorous research and analysis—can flip the script on so much history we normally take for granted. No matter what you think you know about America, The 1619 Project will expand your understanding.
Customer Reviews
An essential factual narrative
1619 contributes an essential factual narrative to the complexity of our history. We cannot survive and cannot thrive if we are unwilling to embrace, understand, and learn from our history. That is the way to truly work toward being the “United States”.
Brilliance!!!!
Don’t believe all the racists that are leaving one stars. This is a phenomenal work. Our country has an incredible history, rich and beautiful but also bittersweet as we still struggle with the scourge of white supremacy, showcased by some of the other reviews here. This book is beautiful and brilliant and an important work for all children to read at the appropriate time, especially if you have prejudiced people in your family. Also, important read for any immigrant families. Love this book!
Of course it upsets conservatives
Truth about our history often does. Conservatives couldn’t define Critical Race Theory if you asked them point-blank.