Poet and Atlantic staff writer Clint Smith’s first major work of nonfiction—an immediate bestseller—offers a critical look at the ways in which the U.S. erases, distorts and commodifies its history of enslavement. Smith travels the country, weaving in his personal history as he visits historical sites and modern memorials and ruminating on the effects of this dark legacy. Smith forces us to ask: How does our perception of the past inform our national identity and, especially, the treatment of Black Americans?
Buy Now: How the Word Is Passed on Bookshop | Amazon
More Must-Read Stories From TIME
- Meet TIME’s Newest Class of Next Generation Leaders
- After Visiting Both Ends of the Earth, I Realized How Much Trouble We’re In
- Google Is Making It Easier to Remove Personal Info From Search
- Oil Companies Posted Huge Profits. Here’s Where The Cash Will Go (Hint: Not Climate)
- Column: We Asked Hundreds of Americans About Abortion. Their Feelings Were Complicated
- A Short History of the Rise, Fall, and Rise Again of the Marcos Family
- Long-Lasting Birth Control Is Already Hard to Get. Advocates Worry It May Only Get Worse
- Who Should Be on the 2022 TIME100? Vote Now
