# Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 - Hardcover

by **Ibram X. Kendi** (Editor), **Keisha N. Blain** (Editor)

**#1 _NEW YORK TIMES_ BESTSELLER - A chorus of extraordinary voices **tells the epic story of** the 400-year journey of African Americans from 1619 to the present--edited by Ibram X. Kendi, author of _How to Be an Antiracist,_ and Keisha N. Blain, author of _Set the World on Fire_.**

**FINALIST FOR THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL - NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY _The Washington Post, Town & Country, Ms._ magazine, _BookPage, She Reads, BookRiot, Booklist_ - "A vital addition to \[the\] curriculum on race in America . . . a gateway to the solo works of all the voices in Kendi and Blain's impressive choir."--_The Washington Post_**

**"From journalist Hannah P. Jones on Jamestown's first slaves to historian Annette Gordon-Reed's portrait of Sally Hemings to the seductive cadences of poets Jericho Brown and Patricia Smith, _Four Hundred Souls_ weaves a tapestry of unspeakable suffering and unexpected transcendence."--_O: The Oprah Magazine_**

The story begins in 1619--a year before the _Mayflower_\--when the _White Lion_ disgorges "some 20-and-odd Negroes" onto the shores of Virginia, inaugurating the African presence in what would become the United States. It takes us to the present, when African Americans, descendants of those on the _White Lion_ and a thousand other routes to this country, continue a journey defined by inhuman oppression, visionary struggles, stunning achievements, and millions of ordinary lives passing through extraordinary history.

_Four Hundred Souls_ is a unique one-volume "community" history of African Americans. The editors, Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain, have assembled 90 brilliant writers, each of whom takes on a 5-year period of that 400-year span. The writers explore their periods through a variety of techniques: historical essays, short stories, personal vignettes, and fiery polemics. They approach history from various perspectives: through the eyes of towering historical icons or the untold stories of ordinary people; through places, laws, and objects. While themes of resistance and struggle, of hope and reinvention, course through the book, this collection of diverse pieces from 90 different minds, reflecting 90 different perspectives, fundamentally deconstructs the idea that Africans in America are a monolith--instead it unlocks the startling range of experiences and ideas that have always existed within the community of Blackness.

This is a history that illuminates our past and gives us new ways of thinking about our future, written by the most vital and essential voices of our present.

### Author Biography

**Dr. Ibram X. Kendi** is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University and the founding director of the BU Center for Antiracist Research. He is a contributing writer at _The Atlantic_ and a CBS News racial justice contributor. He is the host of the new action podcast _Be Antiracist_. Dr. Kendi is the author of many highly acclaimed books including _Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America_, which won the National Book Award for Nonfiction, making him the youngest-ever winner of that award. He has also produced five straight #1 _New York Times_ bestsellers, including _How to Be an Antiracist, _Antiracist Baby__, and _Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You_, co-authored by Jason Reynolds. In 2020, _Time_ magazine named Dr. Kendi one of the 100 most influential people in the world. He was awarded a 2021 MacArthur Fellowship, popularly known as the Genius Grant.

**Keisha N. Blain**, a 2022 Guggenheim Fellow, is an award-winning historian, professor, and writer. She is the author of the multi-prize-winning book _Set the World on Fire_ and co-editor, with Ibram X. Kendi, of the #1 _New York Times_ bestseller _Four Hundred Souls_. She is a professor of Africana Studies and History at Brown University and a columnist for MSNBC. Her most recent book is _Until I Am Free: Fannie Lou Hamer's Enduring Message to America._

**Number of Pages:** 528

**Dimensions:** 1.8 x 9.2 x 6.1 IN

**Publication Date:** February 02, 2021

**Award:** ALA Notable Books (2022)

**Award:** Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence (2022)

## Details

- **Price:** 35.0 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 35.00 USD | In stock |

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- Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 - Hardcover

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