The Short Version
If you loved Black AF History, you probably want more history with Black Americans at the center, stories school left out, and writers with a real voice. Here are six books to read next.
Stamped From The Beginning
Number one: Stamped from the Beginning, by Ibram X. Kendi, from twenty sixteen. It traces the history of racist ideas in America through five people, from Cotton Mather to Angela Davis.
It covers a lot of the same ground as Harriot, but it’s more serious and more detailed. It won the National Book Award. If you only pick one, pick this.
How The Word Is Passed
Number two: How the Word Is Passed, by Clint Smith, from twenty twenty one. Smith visits places like Monticello, Angola prison and Galveston, and asks how each one tells the story of slavery.
It’s the closest match to Harriot’s big idea: who tells history, and what they leave out. And it’s beautifully written.
Lies My Teacher Told Me
Number three: Lies My Teacher Told Me, by James W. Loewen, from nineteen ninety five. Loewen studied American history textbooks and found how much they got wrong or skipped, from Columbus to the Civil War.
It’s the textbook takedown that Black AF History builds on. Great if you liked the myth busting.
The 1619 Project
Number four: The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story, created by Nikole Hannah-Jones, from twenty twenty one. It’s a collection of essays, poems and stories that start with the White Lion’s arrival in sixteen nineteen.
It’s the same starting point as Harriot’s first chapter. It’s also been debated by historians, which makes it a great book club pick.
The Warmth Of Other Suns
Number five: The Warmth of Other Suns, by Isabel Wilkerson, from twenty ten. It follows three real people through the Great Migration, when millions of Black Southerners moved north and west.
If you loved Harriot’s family stories, this is history told through families. It reads like a novel.
Four Hundred Souls
Number six: Four Hundred Souls, edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain, from twenty twenty one. Ninety writers and poets cover four hundred years of Black history, five years at a time, from sixteen nineteen to twenty nineteen.
It has the same bite-sized structure as Harriot’s supplements, so you can read it in pieces.
How To Choose
So, how to choose? Want the deep history of ideas? Stamped from the Beginning. Want places and memory? How the Word Is Passed. Want myth busting? Lies My Teacher Told Me. Want essays to debate? The 1619 Project. Want a story that reads like a novel? The Warmth of Other Suns. And want short pieces? Four Hundred Souls.
Your Turn
Tell me in the comments: what history book changed how you see America? My review, summary and fact check are linked below.
