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Stamped from the Beginning: A Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America
Written by Ibram X. Kendi
Narrated by Christopher Dontrell Piper
Book Actions
Start ListeningEditor's Note
Antiracism reads…
In this National Book Award winner, Ibram X. Kendi traces the history of racist ideas in America, specifically through the three concepts of segregation, assimilation, and antiracism. Kendi contextualizes recent events, including the tragic killing of Black men and women and urgent calls for racial justice. Powerful, eye-opening, and deeply researched, this chronicle of the seeds and spread of prejudice is a necessary read.
Description
WINNER OF THE 2016 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR NONFICTION
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER IN RACE AND CIVIL RIGHTS
FINALIST FOR THE 2016 NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FOR NONFICTION
THE MOST AMBITIOUS BOOK OF 2016 —The 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
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 to offer a window into the contentious debates between assimilationists and segregationists and between racists and antiracists. From Puritan minister Cotton Mather to Thomas Jefferson, from fiery abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison to brilliant scholar W.E.B. Du Bois to legendary anti-prison activist Angela Davis, Kendi shows how and why some of our leading proslavery and pro-civil rights thinkers have challenged or helped cement racist ideas in America.
Contrary to popular conceptions, racist ideas did not arise from ignorance or hatred. Instead, they were devised and honed by some of the most brilliant minds of each era. These intellectuals used their brilliance to justify and rationalize deeply entrenched discriminatory policies and the nation's racial disparities in everything from wealth to health. And while racist ideas are easily produced and easily consumed, they can also be discredited. In shedding much-needed light on the murky history of racist ideas, Stamped from the Beginning offers us the tools we need to expose them--and in the process, gives us reason to hope.
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER IN RACE AND CIVIL RIGHTS
FINALIST FOR THE 2016 NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FOR NONFICTION
THE MOST AMBITIOUS BOOK OF 2016 —The 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
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 to offer a window into the contentious debates between assimilationists and segregationists and between racists and antiracists. From Puritan minister Cotton Mather to Thomas Jefferson, from fiery abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison to brilliant scholar W.E.B. Du Bois to legendary anti-prison activist Angela Davis, Kendi shows how and why some of our leading proslavery and pro-civil rights thinkers have challenged or helped cement racist ideas in America.
Contrary to popular conceptions, racist ideas did not arise from ignorance or hatred. Instead, they were devised and honed by some of the most brilliant minds of each era. These intellectuals used their brilliance to justify and rationalize deeply entrenched discriminatory policies and the nation's racial disparities in everything from wealth to health. And while racist ideas are easily produced and easily consumed, they can also be discredited. In shedding much-needed light on the murky history of racist ideas, Stamped from the Beginning offers us the tools we need to expose them--and in the process, gives us reason to hope.
Book Actions
Start ListeningBook Information
Stamped from the Beginning: A Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America
Written by Ibram X. Kendi
Narrated by Christopher Dontrell Piper
Editor's Note
Antiracism reads…
In this National Book Award winner, Ibram X. Kendi traces the history of racist ideas in America, specifically through the three concepts of segregation, assimilation, and antiracism. Kendi contextualizes recent events, including the tragic killing of Black men and women and urgent calls for racial justice. Powerful, eye-opening, and deeply researched, this chronicle of the seeds and spread of prejudice is a necessary read.
Description
WINNER OF THE 2016 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR NONFICTION
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER IN RACE AND CIVIL RIGHTS
FINALIST FOR THE 2016 NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FOR NONFICTION
THE MOST AMBITIOUS BOOK OF 2016 —The 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
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 to offer a window into the contentious debates between assimilationists and segregationists and between racists and antiracists. From Puritan minister Cotton Mather to Thomas Jefferson, from fiery abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison to brilliant scholar W.E.B. Du Bois to legendary anti-prison activist Angela Davis, Kendi shows how and why some of our leading proslavery and pro-civil rights thinkers have challenged or helped cement racist ideas in America.
Contrary to popular conceptions, racist ideas did not arise from ignorance or hatred. Instead, they were devised and honed by some of the most brilliant minds of each era. These intellectuals used their brilliance to justify and rationalize deeply entrenched discriminatory policies and the nation's racial disparities in everything from wealth to health. And while racist ideas are easily produced and easily consumed, they can also be discredited. In shedding much-needed light on the murky history of racist ideas, Stamped from the Beginning offers us the tools we need to expose them--and in the process, gives us reason to hope.
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER IN RACE AND CIVIL RIGHTS
FINALIST FOR THE 2016 NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FOR NONFICTION
THE MOST AMBITIOUS BOOK OF 2016 —The 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
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 to offer a window into the contentious debates between assimilationists and segregationists and between racists and antiracists. From Puritan minister Cotton Mather to Thomas Jefferson, from fiery abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison to brilliant scholar W.E.B. Du Bois to legendary anti-prison activist Angela Davis, Kendi shows how and why some of our leading proslavery and pro-civil rights thinkers have challenged or helped cement racist ideas in America.
Contrary to popular conceptions, racist ideas did not arise from ignorance or hatred. Instead, they were devised and honed by some of the most brilliant minds of each era. These intellectuals used their brilliance to justify and rationalize deeply entrenched discriminatory policies and the nation's racial disparities in everything from wealth to health. And while racist ideas are easily produced and easily consumed, they can also be discredited. In shedding much-needed light on the murky history of racist ideas, Stamped from the Beginning offers us the tools we need to expose them--and in the process, gives us reason to hope.
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Reviews
Hello,
I find this book very intriguing in that the discovery of one's freedom through words was related to one's ability to display reaction kindly. I like how an overview of how feelings were dismissed for the freedom to look at one another and understand how a life back in civil years, were being led. Great strong prtoagonism and a leading hand for the strong charactorism. Thanks.
Sincerely,
Angelic D. Casados
Rating: 5I find this book very intriguing in that the discovery of one's freedom through words was related to one's ability to display reaction kindly. I like how an overview of how feelings were dismissed for the freedom to look at one another and understand how a life back in civil years, were being led. Great strong prtoagonism and a leading hand for the strong charactorism. Thanks.
Sincerely,
Angelic D. Casados
This book is an impressive feat. The conception of racist ideas has been prolific, and all of them were, are, and will become a means of dominance. I learned/understood how such assertions impact the lives of millions of human beings, inside and outside the USA. I think that the implication that the author suggests that eliminating racism and the ideas that have made it linger would help eliminate other inequalities in the world is fascinating and attractive.
Rating: 5This book should an absolutely “must read” for every Black history course!
Rating: 5Fantastic. Required listening for every North American! Every chapter peeled back the layers of lies that have been the one uniting theme of American history. Maybe, as the book concludes: "the time for change is now!" It feels like this is possible at this point in the planet's history.
Rating: 5Test teste test test teste test test test test test
Rating: 5
This audiobook is not exactly the same as the actual book
Rating: 2Should be required reading since most of this wasn’t covered in your History class.
Rating: 5It was the. The best book on our current issues that I have ever read.
However as always , to much of the authors opinion , spoils the real facts
Rating: 4However as always , to much of the authors opinion , spoils the real facts
A powerful and through analysis of how greed and disregard for human life leads to the purposeful development of racist ideas by ‘intellectuals’, govt leaders, and other elites. These racist ideas are then used to justify exploitive and oppressive policies and institutions. Prior to reading this book I had assumed racist ideas were born of ignorance. This book opened my eyes to the truth of racist institutions and Dr. Kendi provides an analysis of effective and ineffective strategies for tearing them down.
Rating: 5Such an important book. Recommend to everyone.
Rating: 5
Being historical fiction I found this very dense and dry but also so informative. Really opened my eyes and rethink my own attitudes. I found listening to only a chapter a day worked best for me. I now feel I have better foundation for reading other books about racism.
Rating: 4This book should be required reading for EVERY American.
Rating: 5
A must read book for everyone! It will help people really understand race and racism.
Rating: 5
Overall I enjoyed it, and learned a lot. The author is very quick to judge others actions by slotting them into his three categories. However, he does not seem to see his own bias at times. Still a worthwhile listen.
Rating: 4While "Stamped from the Beginning: A Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America" is a welcome addition to the scholarship of U.S. history the title is a bit misleading. It is not a "definitive history" as that is impossible. Rather it is a long rant on who is in what bucket: racists, assimilationist or anti-racist. Kendi's thesis is that assimilation in the end is simply just a facet of racism as it does nothing for justice and systemic racism in society. He pleads for an anti-racist world from all segments of society.
One thing I take issue with in the book is the naive notion of racism having no historical context. That David Hume, the philosopher of the Enlightenment is taken to task about his polygenisist beliefs is silly. Most white people at the time, including scientific organizations, thought humans were many species. Throwing Hume under the bus makes it so people do not actually read Hume and dismiss his many brilliant ideas because it is so unfashionable to read the works of a "racist." Kids these days have not a clue what the Enlightenment was and is.
The other issue I have is that Fred Hampton, the Black Panther murdered by the FBI, who's politics where far beyond the identity politics of race is not even mentioned. Harry Belafonte, who was a major figure in the Civil Rights era of the 1960's is left out as well.
Definitive. I think not.
Rating: 3One thing I take issue with in the book is the naive notion of racism having no historical context. That David Hume, the philosopher of the Enlightenment is taken to task about his polygenisist beliefs is silly. Most white people at the time, including scientific organizations, thought humans were many species. Throwing Hume under the bus makes it so people do not actually read Hume and dismiss his many brilliant ideas because it is so unfashionable to read the works of a "racist." Kids these days have not a clue what the Enlightenment was and is.
The other issue I have is that Fred Hampton, the Black Panther murdered by the FBI, who's politics where far beyond the identity politics of race is not even mentioned. Harry Belafonte, who was a major figure in the Civil Rights era of the 1960's is left out as well.
Definitive. I think not.
Great read... a must for every library!!! Can’t wait to read his newest book!
Rating: 5
Eye opening. This was a detailed account of the history of racist ideas.
Rating: 5Stamped from the Beginning is a dense, powerfully written and read account of the chains of ideas that have bound us to where we find ourselves in the USA today, in a state undeniably governed by racist policies and practices. Kende also carefully dissects strands of integration, assimilation and abolition from the overall path of "progress" in the life condition of the average African-American and reveals that only empowered anti-racist leaders with antiracist policies will bring the full benefit of a diverse society to all Americans. Along the way, the contributions of important American figures to the progress or hindrance of racial equality are revealed, including Du Bois, Boaz, MLK, Reagan, Carter, Clinton, and Angela Davis.
Rating: 5It was life changing and affirming ! Black strength
Rating: 5I learned an enormous amount and it made me think about things differently.
Coming from a non American viewpoint there were a great many topics I knew nothing about, but they are hugely important in the conversation about racism.
The book is quite dense but then it is a history of an entire topic in one volume so that is to be expected.
Unfortunately the narrator mispronounces several words (and ones that come up a lot, such as civil as cilval and escaped as ecscaped) which I found very distracting.
Rating: 4Coming from a non American viewpoint there were a great many topics I knew nothing about, but they are hugely important in the conversation about racism.
The book is quite dense but then it is a history of an entire topic in one volume so that is to be expected.
Unfortunately the narrator mispronounces several words (and ones that come up a lot, such as civil as cilval and escaped as ecscaped) which I found very distracting.
A massive and well researched study on the history of racism in America. The author has centered on five historical figures from different eras with many side stories, They are Cotton Mather, Thomas Jefferson, William Lloyd Garrison, W. E. B. DuBois and Angela Davis. I have been teaching college level history for over twenty five years and I learned so much from this book. There are assimilationists and segregationists. There are blatant racists and people who feel they aren't but are in more subtle ways. This is a really important book to understand our country's story.
Rating: 5Stamped From the Beginning The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, by Ibram X. Kendi (read 26 Nov 2016) (National Book Award Nonfiction prizein 2016) This is the 37thwinner of the National Book award for nonfiction I have read. The author is passionate about combating racism so he is very condemnatory of people who exhibit racist views--so this is not 'objective' history. And he sees things as racist which a less astute observer might not find to be racist. He is more pessimistic about race than I am and I appreciate the strides against racism which have been made in my lifetime. I well remember the viciously racist speeches which used to be common in Congress (in my younger days I read much in the Congressional Record, and cringed as I read speeches by guys like James Eastland and Theodore Bilbo and their like). I think persuasion and reason can do much to overcome racism--the author thinks such ineffectual. So I admit I did not like the book overly much, though no doubt the author's view is a valid one.
Rating: 3Stamped from the Beginning helped build a strong framework for recognizing, analyzing, organizing, and explaining racist ideas. As a Canadian school teacher, I work within a large institution- a racist system. This book has been a valuable resource for my personal and professional development. The history is enthralling, gut-wrenching, and empoweringly anti-racist. I will be reading more from Ibram X Kendi.
Rating: 5This should definitely be required reading! So informative and well-written.
Rating: 5
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This book should be required reading for anyone who grew up in white privilege. It is an anthology that exposes racist mindsets throughout the millennia, from the Ancient Greek slave trade through its Islamic, Portuguese, European and American iterations. It shows the evolution of strategies, motives and tactics of racist governments as well - qualities I didn’t naturally want to see. My assumptions of history were challenged, each chapter helping me unlearn the lessons my white enclave had taught me. It distinguished “anti-racism” from “non-racism”, the former being more willing to call out racism when one sees it, more willing to have difficult conversations. Not to be silently complicit any more. Having been educated in white enclaves, I didn’t learn black history growing up, or later on either, and the gaps in my knowledge became more obvious the more I read. I am grateful for discovering these alternate interpretations of events I thought I knew well. As a survey, it doesn’t tell any one story completely, and sometimes seems reductive or monotonous but I believe that’s because racism has been so well-packaged that it takes a bludgeoning of truth to break free of it. This book is merciless on racism, and I am grateful.
Rating: 5A mandatory read for all Americans who hunger for the truth about our nations history and the understanding of the racism problems our country continues to battle.
Rating: 5Must listen for history enthusiasts! Compelling and thought provoking literary work!
Rating: 5