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

Editor's Note: This review was originally published in Seattle Book Review. 

 

Dr. Ibram X. Kendi
 
Editors Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain bring together a powerhouse of creatives, historians, community organizers, educators, academics, media members, and political experts in an ambitious and comprehensive volume. Four Hundred Souls commemorates the 400-year history of Blackness in the United States through 90 essays and poems that relay the past, present, and future of Black resistance and resilience against intersecting systems of oppression.

Dr. Keisha Blain
The fact that this project came to fruition during a time when Prof. Kendi is leading a national conversation about dismantling systemic racism is itself antiracism in action. Ninety writers featured in Four Hundred Souls comprise a “who’s who” of contemporary thinkers, activists, scholars, and advocates for racial justice, including Kiese Laymon, Ijeoma Oluo, Pamela Newkirk, and Russell Rickford, among others.

Black history is American history, and the essays and poetry featured in this book underscore the ever-present influence of Blackness in American cultural consciousness. The works of 10 poets are featured in the book, a testament to the power of creativity in survival and healing. To cope with and transcend racial strife and trauma, the community created some of the most profound and enduring creative and intellectual works. Four Hundred Souls uplifts the diversity of Black voices in the American body politic, and is an important read for anyone who is committed to the enduring struggle for racial equity.

 

 

 

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