The 1619 Project

A New Origin Story

By: Nikole Hannah-Jones, The New York Times Magazine, Caitlin Roper - editor, Ilena Silverman - editor, Jake Silverstein - editor

Narrated by: Nikole Hannah-Jones, Full Cast

Length: 18 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

Number One New York Times Best Seller

A dramatic expansion of a groundbreaking work of journalism, The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story offers a profoundly revealing vision of the American past and present.

Named one of the best books of the year by The Washington Post • NPR • Marie Claire

In late August 1619, a ship arrived in the British colony of Virginia bearing a cargo of 20 to 30 enslaved people from Africa. Their arrival led to the barbaric and unprecedented system of American chattel slavery that would last for the next 250 years. This is sometimes referred to as the country’s original sin, but it is more than that: It is the source of so much that still defines the United States.

The New York Times Magazine’s award-winning “1619 Project” issue reframed our understanding of American history by placing slavery and its continuing legacy at the center of our national narrative. This new book substantially expands on that work, weaving together 18 essays that explore the legacy of slavery in present-day America with 36 poems and works of fiction that illuminate key moments of oppression, struggle, and resistance. The essays show how the inheritance of 1619 reaches into every part of contemporary American society, from politics, music, diet, traffic, and citizenship to capitalism, religion, and our democracy itself.

This is a book that speaks directly to our current moment, contextualizing the systems of race and caste within which we operate today. It reveals long-glossed-over truths around our nation’s founding and construction - and the way that the legacy of slavery did not end with emancipation, but continues to shape contemporary American life.

Cover image: Lorna Simpson Beclouded, 2018 © Lorna Simpson. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth.

Read by a full cast, including:
Nikole Hannah-Jones, January LaVoy, Claudia Rankine, Nikky Finney, Janina Edwards, Dorothy Roberts, Shayna Small, Terrance Hayes, Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Yusef Komunyakaa, Eve L. Ewing, Karen Chilton, Aaron Goodson, Reginald Dwayne Betts, Erin Miles, Dominic Hoffman, Adenrele Ojo, Matthew Desmond, Tyehimba Jess, Tim Seibles, Jamelle Bouie, Cornelius Eady, Minka Wiltz, Martha S. Jones, Darryl Pinckney, ZZ Packer, Carol Anderson, Tracy K. Smith, Evie Shockley, Bryan Stevenson, William DeMeritt, Jasmine Mans, Trymaine Lee, A. Van Jordan, Yaa Gyasi, Linda Villarosa, Danez Smith, Terry McMillan, Anthea Butler, Rita Dove, Camille T. Dungy, Wesley Morris, Natasha Trethewey, Joshua Bennett, Chanté McCormick, Nafissa Thompson-Spires, Ron Butler, Kevin M. Kruse, Bahni Turpin, Gregory Pardlo, Ibram X. Kendi, JD Jackson, Jason Reynolds, and Sonia Sanchez

©2021 Random House (P)2021 Random House Audio

Wonderful summary of the African American experience

If you’re curious about our country’s many inequalities, this is a great summary of how we arrived at our current predicament. This is a semester’s worth of intro into Black American history packaged in 19 hours of riveting storytelling. It is a story for all Americans to hear because the legacy of these policies truly affect all of us today, regardless of your origin or ethnicity.

So much Black History

Most of the historical facts I have never been taught in a formal education setting. America was built on the backs of Slaves, and I am firmly convinced that one of the main reasons for the successes of America is due to Slavery.

Regarding America's Civil War

British elites supported the confederacy which is why many believed the south was able to extend their fight longer in months and some say a year than what most thought possible.

A Must Read.

An incredible piece of historical journalism, that so clearly illustrates the legacy of cattle slavery that continues to this day.

Captivating!

It saddens me to admit that I was ignorant about my own history. I gain more respect for my ancestors and those who endured so much to grant me the basic freedoms I have now.

America!#$$%

I’m Never to Old to Learn

I absolutely loved this book. It opened my eyes to information I did not know. I went back to history class and learn the truth about our history. I have and will recommend this book to all of my family and friends. Thank you for the enlightenment and lesson.

An important look at things we'd rather forget

First things first,
This book/project is not the following:

Anti-america or anti-American
Angry
Trying to show "both sides" of the argument

It is:
Factually correct
Logically presented
Compelling


There aren't "Two sides" to what this book is about. The writers clearly and intentionally wanted to draw specific attention to a significant part of American history that is almost entirely overlooked.

It's deeply moving, sometimes enraging, to hear the specifics of how the sins of our collective past continue to hound our present. To hear the hope and sadness mixed throughout is something that's hard to convey in a short paragraph.

There is an agenda here. It's not a hidden agenda, and it's not a negative agenda. The agenda is simply to show the millions of us who think that the past is dead how recent it really is and how little we've done as a society to fix the crimes begun by our ancestors and continued by our leaders.

There's a word for that, and it's usually cited with truth and the American way. Hopefully enough people are willing to make truth and justice part of the American way that we can get there.

Wish I had listened after seeing Hamilton

On second thought I enjoyed Hamilton with its African American talent even after listening to the 1619 project about the real origin of our country. This is a book that should be listened to by everyone in the USA. I will buy many copies to give to the incarcerated.

A must read

A must read for every American and every believer in the greatness of America. Only by knowledge of our true history and present can we find the courage to take action that will lead us to realizing our full potential.

I learned even more than I expected

The collection of essays woven together, and each chapter individually, presents a compelling case for why the racial status quo looks like it does. It marshals an incredible amount of history to tell the story of the United States in an original way that I have not heard enough. I learned even more than I anticipated.