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Stamped from the Beginning
- The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America
- Narrated by: Christopher Dontrell Piper
- Length: 19 hrs and 8 mins
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Stamped from the Beginning
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Summary
National Book Award Winner, Nonfiction, 2016
• Winner of the 2016 National Book Award for Nonfiction• A New York Times best-seller in race and civil rights• Finalist for the 2016 National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction• "The most ambitious book of 2016" (Washington Post) • A Boston Globe Best Book of 2016• A Washington Post Notable Book of 2016• A Chicago Review of Books Best Nonfiction Book of 2016• A Root Best Book of 2016• A BuzzFeed Best Nonfiction Book of 2016• A Bustle Best Book of 2016• Nominated for 2016 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work of Nonfiction• Finalist for the 2017 Hurston/Wright Legacy Award in Nonfiction• A Kirkus Best History Book of 2016• A Kirkus Best Book of 2016 to explain current politics• A Kirkus Best Heartrending Nonfiction Book of 2016• An Entropy Best Nonfiction Book of 2016• The Washington Post 2016 summer reading list
Some Americans cling desperately to the myth that we are living in a post-racial society, that the election of the first Black president spelled the doom of racism. In fact, racist thought is alive and well in America - more sophisticated and more insidious than ever. And as award-winning historian Ibram X. Kendi argues in Stamped from the Beginning, if we have any hope of grappling with this stark reality, we must first understand how racist ideas were developed, disseminated, and enshrined in American society.
In this deeply researched and fast-moving narrative, Kendi chronicles the entire story of anti-Black racist ideas and their staggering power over the course of American history. Stamped from the Beginning uses the life stories of five major American intellectuals - Puritan minister Cotton Mather, Thomas Jefferson, abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, W.E.B. Du Bois, and legendary activist Angela Davis. - to offer a window into the contentious debates between assimilationists and segregationists and between racists and antiracists.
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What listeners say about Stamped from the Beginning
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Wild Bunny
- 04-09-19
A must read
Reading this, explains everything. A must-read for anti-racists, people who don't really care, and racists, to help understand the issues in America today.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Thorkell Agust Ottarsson
- 20-02-18
An ocean of knowledge regarding the history of rac
What made the experience of listening to Stamped from the Beginning the most enjoyable?
The scope of the project. This book is epic. It is like an encyclopedia on racism.
What other book might you compare Stamped from the Beginning to, and why?
It is not unlike many other books on race issues except it does not deal a lot with modern problems, but instead shows the origin of racism for black people and how it developed.
Which character – as performed by Christopher Dontrell Piper – was your favourite?
Ibram X. Kendi discusses many historical characters. The one I enjoyed the most was Angela Davis.
If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
A documentary on racism.
Any additional comments?
I learned so much from this book. It is an ocean of knowledge regarding the history of racism. It's well researched (as far as I can tell, with my limited knowledge of the subject), well written and honest. Ibram X. Kendi is not afraid of an honest discussion, criticizing white and black people alike for naive ideas, ignorance or plain racism. I also love his take on what racism means and what it does not mean. So all in all this is a brilliant book. I do however have 3 issues with it:
1) I find that Ibram X. Kendi is overly enthusiastic in claiming different films racists. While I can see that the films he discusses can be interpreted this way I honestly can't agree that this is the most obvious interpretation in all cases. Planet of the Apes is one example. It is a nuclear war that caused the apes to take over in Planet of the Apes and it was white people who held the knowledge and power of nuclear weapons back then. Kendi never dives into the problems of interpretations of the films he names, but rather names the main points that support his theory and disregards everything else.
2) Ibram X. Kendi does not limit his focus to race but also discusses feminist and gay issues. I was therefore rather surprised that he glossed over the fact that LGBTQ people have not always been welcomed in modern times in the black communities. Since Kendi is quite honest in this book, I'm assuming this was an oversight.
3) Like I said before. Kendi is usually quite honest. But sometimes I felt he took short cuts in the name of political ideology, where he could have spilt ink on the subject. This is especially the case when he weaves feminism into the subject. Then suddenly slogans are all that is needed to make a point. No facts are presented. Only assumed universal truths.
Finally, I do hope that these minor issues don't stop anyone from reading this fantastic book. It needs to be read!
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