“This engrossing collection is divided into ten parts, each covering forty years, and each part ends with a poem that captures the essence of the preceding essays. . . . The brief but powerful essays . . . feature lesser-known people, places, ideas, and events as well as fresh, closer looks at the trans-Atlantic slave trade, the Harlem Renaissance, Brown v. Board of Education, the Black Power movement, the war on drugs, Hurricane Katrina, voter suppression, and other staples of Black American history and experience. Poignant essays by Bernice L. McFadden on Zora Neale Hurston, Salamishah Tillet on Anita Hill, and Kiese Laymon (“Cotton 1804–1809”) deftly tie the personal to the historical. Every voice in this ‘cabinet of curiosities’ is stellar. . . . An impeccable, epic, essential vision of American history as a whole and a testament to the resilience of Black people.” - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“An engrossing anthology of essays, biographical sketches, and poems by Black writers tracing the history of the African American experience from the arrival of the first slaves in 1619 to the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement . . . With a diverse range of up-and-coming scholars, activists, and writers exploring topics both familiar and obscure, this energetic collection stands apart from standard anthologies of African American history.” - Publishers Weekly

“African American history is a communal quilt, crisscrossed with the stitches of elders, youth, LGBTQ folk, mothers, fathers, revolutionaries, and poets. . . . [Kendi and Blain] honor this multilayered heritage in a monumental work of collaborative history. . . . This seamless collection crackles with rage, beauty, bitter humor, and the indomitable will to survive.” - Booklist (starred review)