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Stamped from the Beginning: A Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America
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Stamped from the Beginning: A Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America
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Stamped from the Beginning: A Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America
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Stamped from the Beginning: A Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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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.

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.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherNovel Audio
Release dateFeb 7, 2017
ISBN9781518940927
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Stamped from the Beginning: A Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America
Author

Ibram X. Kendi

Ibram X. Kendi is a National Book Award–winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author. His books include Antiracist Baby; Goodnight Racism; How to Be an Antiracist; and How to Raise an Antiracist. Kendi is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University and the director of the BU Center for Antiracist Research. In 2020, Time magazine named Kendi one of the 100 most influential people in the world. He has also been awarded a 2021 MacArthur Fellowship.

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Reviews for Stamped from the Beginning

Rating: 4.550531876595746 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is the history lesson all need to hear. I will recommend this to my students and faculty members who wish to expand their knowledge.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Test teste test test teste test test test test test
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    This audiobook is not exactly the same as the actual book
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It 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: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    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: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Such an important book. Recommend to everyone.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    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: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I am a white female with Autism and understand that despite my disability I have been born into a privilege because I was able to understand my mind works differently and ask for accommodations to still function as a contributing member of society even given all the information I knew before and now after reading this book, I feel that anti-racism is still a long way off. In the years that have passed since this book was written so many policies that reinforce racist ideals have been put into place. Including the oft-mentioned affirmative action being overturned just a few weeks ago. This country allowed rich white men to have all the power to write policies that cut taxes on themselves while convincing the lower classes that it was someone else's fault for the disparity. Giving that disparity a face of color using reinforced stereotypes as a scapegoat for the double-dealing they are doing behind closed doors. It breaks my heart so much that for so many years I believed the rhetoric fed to me by so many who have sought to change history to make themselves shine in a brighter light. Being autistic in this loud world that was not designed for me and often feeling overwhelmed by so much noise. Because my brain doesn't filter all the noise I have to do it manually and in doing so it is far easier to see the information that doesn't add up. It is why autistics are so focused on justice or being accurate. We call out social disparities because we see the inaccurate representation of the information we are provided. I don't think I will ever truly understand the experience of racism inside this country the way any person of color experiences it. But I can say as someone who is impacted in small ways because I have an invisible disability where I am expected to mask my autistic traits or manage my "symptoms" so that I can exist in a world that is too loud for my brain because too much information is coming at me at once. Unrealistic expectations are placed on people who are the scapegoats for societal issues. No amount of changing history can actually change history. We can only change the present and we have not been doing so in the ways that make this world a better place. We need to learn that every person alive deserves autonomy regardless of race, gender, sexuality, or age. So many policymakers want to change policy to reflect their personal beliefs for their own benefit not taking into account the impact it has on them or those that follow them in the fallout of toxic policies. My heart breaks for the children that are growing up right now. As the funding of their education is being put towards curating the information they are "allowed' to learn. Educators are not allowed to be human beings teaching human beings how to be contributing members of a functional society there are states enforcing indoctrination in schools. Only government-approved works are to be taught. Our country is on the brink of disaster. Systemic racism is at the core of the foundations and unless that is acknowledged and addressed properly this country will crumble. I pray that whatever deity you pray to can help in the fallout. The long and short of this is that no matter where you are from and what color your skin is you should be informing yourself of the experiences of other human beings and how they experience life in this world. This book could be pivotal in the right hands. I fear it may never reach the right hands in time. But I absolutely and highly recommend this book as incredibly informative in taking the circumstances of the decisions made into account.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I 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.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This should definitely be required reading! So informative and well-written.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    While "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.

    2 people found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book should be required reading for EVERY American.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    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.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A 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.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Must listen for history enthusiasts! Compelling and thought provoking literary work!

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I am a history teacher and I have been teaching the history a lot of textbooks leave out above race.

    This is one of the best most comprehensive books about the history of Africans in the United States!

    A must-read for anyone who wants to understand why there is so many race problems in our
    country.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Just cobtinues about an old problem which has largly been eliminated from our society. It is an issue kept alive largly by people like al Sharpton and the so called reverend jackson each of which makes their living pushing the subject and now is largly news and the people in power related. Its time to put this subject to bed becouse it is done by both sides blacks and whites

    3 people found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Wow, so much history revealed, lies uncovered, the constructed lies of those in power to establish and maintain the non-factual concept of race and its related sins. An information density that requires much reflection, how I wish this account of history had been presented in my years of education. It was down to my parents to reveal facts, failures, and successes in this country’s scorecard in living up to the claims of the preamble and implied promises.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Segregation and Anti-Rascism are relatively straightforward, but what Kendi does for the majority of this book is demonstrate how a third narrative in racism, Assimilation, has been interwoven into the fabric of the discourse. It's his handling of calls for assimilation and how they've historically been used to deepen racist agendas that is profound.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Honestly I don't even know how to review or rate something like this. But I'll give it a shot.

    This is an extremely comprehensive and definitive history of racist ideas in America, as the subtitle accurately announces. Spanning 6 centuries from 15th century all the way to present day, this book does not skimp on anything.

    It's slow. It's dense. It's long. It's well written, but not entirely enjoyable to read. That being said, I'd recommend it to anyone, because it's incredibly insightful.

    It breaks up race relations into 3 main groups across history: segregationists, assimilationists, and anti-racists, and virtually all people, policies, or ideas can be grouped this way. This book made me realize that many beliefs that I used to have were inherently segregationist, or assimilationist, and inherently racist.

    It details the myriad of racist policies in America. Time after time, the policies in America kept the black population oppressed, to the point that it is almost unbelievable (I had to Google a few things to confirm, because it was so hard to believe). And any time there were any policies that helped Black Americans, it was done trepidatiously, and only to help White America, or the American Government with regards to foreign policy.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Complete Shit. the racist narrative is only alive because it is profitable in many facets for many groups

    2 people found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    As advertised, a history of racist ideas in America, prominently featuring Cotton Mather, Thomas Jefferson, William Lloyd Garrison, W.E.B. DuBois, and Angela Davis.The author sets forth an unrelenting parade of white supremacy constantly justifying its premises of black inferiority, finding ways to blame black people for their conditions and station, without a hint of self-reflection. For a person of European heritage it is an extremely difficult read: one is made to recognize just how much of the foundation of America is rooted in white supremacy, and how pervasive it has proven throughout time.The author does well at proving many of his main theses:(1) Racism and white supremacy were functional: they came about to justify first colonial expansion of Western Europeans, and then their enslavement of Africans, then the inferiority of black people, and now finally maintaining blame for difficulties in the black community on black people.(2) Racism and white supremacy proved predominant and all-pervasive in American society. Everyone "knew" that white people were superior to black people, that Africa was a wild and savage continent, and that Western Europeans represented the highest level of civilization and worthy of emulation. Religion was used to justify the premises; it was also always considered good science. One of the longest running arguments in American history was monogenesis vs. polygenesis, thus, whether Africans were even of the same species as Europeans. It is hard not to see this same theme present, in more coded language, since 1969: the association of black people with criminality, the expectation that there must be "something wrong" with black people or in the black community which is leading to its current state, and never questioning the construct.(3) Since racism and white supremacy were functional, "uplift suasion" was always a myth: white people were never reasoned into white supremacy and racism, and therefore, they would not be reasoned out of it by seeing black people display all the fruits of civilization. Such led to the "extraordinary Negro" condition, by which black people who achieved levels of standing and education in white society were considered "different" from the stereotypical "inferior" black people. (4) Anti-black racism was not limited to the South, or to white people; plenty of black people internalized white supremacist and racist principles, and Northerners have proven equally as racist, and often worse in behavior, as Southerners.(5) The equation of American civilization with the culture and civilization of Western Europe, the belief that any other culture/civilization is inferior or less civilized, and the fear that any kind of culture/civilization to develop in the United States which is not based/rooted in western European civilization would be degenerate and barbaric, is the most pronounced form of American white supremacy/racism, and remains to this day.I have a couple of forms of hesitation with the work. There's a bit of a mischaracterization of New Testament evidence regarding the Apostle Paul and slavery: yes, he did expect a slave to remain in that condition, but in that same passage (1 Corinthians 7), Paul said that if a slave could get his freedom, he should. Paul believes in more than the equality of "souls" in Galatians 3:28: Philemon displays the Paul's full embrace of Onesimus' humanity. From all evidence the Apostle Paul believed in the full equality of value of all humans in the sight of God in Christ, but still recognized that people would have different roles/responsibilities/form of social standing, and it could be argued that this emphasis on the equality of man is what led to the reduction of slavery in Christendom in the medieval era, and a main driver of religious sentiment to abolition in the modern era. I look forward to reading Kendi's work on "antiracism" and getting a bit more explanation, because it seems a very easily and a bit too clean-cut distinction being cut not only throughout the work, but even through individuals and individual speeches. The racist/antiracist framework is one through which one can look at history, and even see within people the different directions they might be pulled, and it might well be a very important and valid framework through which to see history...but it is piled on thick in this book, and is of extremely modern coinage. None of these criticisms should detract from the magisterial monument Kendi has established here, and the importance for all Americans, especially those of European heritage, to come to grips with what he has said. The time is long past for the descendants of those who so firmly insisted on their own "superiority," and the "inferiority" of those who did not look like them, to have to stare into the ugliness, sit in it, and for once in American history, have to reflect on what it means about them, their heritage, and all they have inherited.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I've learned a lot from this book that has never been taught to me prior. I'm thankful for the opportunity I was given to grow myself, and hopefully some people around me, with the knowledge given to me here. Thank you for this body of work.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I really enjoyed reading this book a lot. Will read again.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book deserves a full review, which I do not currently have the time to do. Below are my "short" thoughts on this; and in actuality, 2.5 stars, but I think deserving of rounding up, so 3 stars.

    Plagued by problems: some theoretical, some of bias (though not racism, in my definition of that word), some of style (it is a very narrative "narrative history"), and some of citation. The last is particularly annoying, in some places, where the citation for a paragraph that contains e.g. 3 quotes totaling 21 words is cited from a secondary source and with page references cover ~25 pages.

    There are two main theoretical issues.

    (1) is that Dr. Kendi writes as a "strong" cultural relativist (I don't know enough of his other work to judge how "strong" a relativist he is or even if, truly, he is.) This is problematic because he obviously judges cultures that embrace more "antiracism" to be "better." (That sentence is actually circular in his definition since "antiracism" is defined in terms of strong relativism.) The entire book rests on this: how could we prefer an antiracist society otherwise? Was antebellum US Southern culture no worse than any other society? There are ways of interpreting this (e.g. maybe he only applied his relativism withing a certain cultural range?) but nothing in the book gives a hint of this.

    (2) is the "assimilationist" grouping (Briefly, Professor Kendi considers "segregationists" and "assimilationists" both to be racist while "antiracists" are the only kind of nonracists.) I think it is worthwhile to consider if there can be such a thing as a "non-anti-racist nonracist"... and it's tricky. As a thought experiment, I guess I could make up an example; but in the real world? Not really. But that also depends a lot on the definitions used... anyway, that sort of gets to the "assimilationist" grouping. In Dr. Kendi's telling, there is a continuous thread from ~1500's Europe through to now of White people trying to "improve" Black people. All of which is undeniable.

    However, I'm not sure if wanting to "make Black people into White people" circa 1600 has much to do with criticizing NWA in ~1995 (god, 1995 seems so long ago now...) or John McWhorter wanting kids to stop using "acting white" as an insult, etc. You can argue that NWA was making profound cultural statements and that McWhorter just doesn't know what he's talking about, but that is fundamentally on a different scale... and size matters. I can criticize American culture vs. say Northern European or Asia or Latin American cultures without saying I want to "become" European or Asian or Latin American. Saying that Americans need to learn from the Danes or the Chinese to discard some of their idolization of "individuality" vs. society/the nation or vs. family without being "racist" or even, to use the term even without adopting Prof. Kendi's definition, an assimilationist. Again, as in (1), I don't know Dr. Kendi's views well enough to say "this is what he thinks, booooo!" And I have a hard time believing that is what he thinks... but it is what he says.

    Anyway, I could get into other things (the citation thing grinds on me; saying Newton called "white light" "White" because it was the "Chiefest" of lights because it was the best is... that is... that is some "The Moon Landings Were Faked" level shit right there; etc.)

    2 people found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Non-fiction that chronicles the history of racism in the United States. It is structured around the lifetimes of five individuals: Cotton Mather (1663–1728), Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), William Lloyd Garrison (1805–1879), W.E.B. DuBois (1868–1963), and Angela Davis (1943–present). In this ambitious undertaking, the author also examines the interconnections among racism, sexism, homophobia, and classism that have occurred over hundreds of years.

    Kendi offers definitions for segregationists, assimilationists, and antiracists, which he uses throughout the book. He includes racial policies and practices evident in science, politics, court cases, industry, socioeconomics, education, literature, and performing arts in each generation, noting progress and regress. It is scholarly in tone and takes focused concentration to keep track of the many concepts covered. It is written for people who are or desire to be antiracists. It is not a quick read but definitely worthwhile if you want to understand and contribute to the ongoing dialogue about race in the US.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A must listen to learn, reflect, and live differently. Incredible!

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Never in my life have I heard such a concise history of this country’s main crime. I will buy a copy for use as a reference. Every single American ought to be required to read this thorough book.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A Herculean effort of scholarship, with new and striking insights into a very old history of racism.