NEW YORK TIMES • 10 BEST BOOKS OF 2021
New York Times • Times Critics Top Books of 2021
New York Times Bestseller
Best Books of the Year • Washington Post, TIME, NPR, Oprah Daily, Boston Globe, Christian Science Monitor, Kansas City Independent, Los Angeles Public Library, Washington Independent Review of Books, Spy, Audile, Biblioracle, AbeBooks
The essential, sweeping story of Juneteenth’s integral importance to American history, as told by a Pulitzer Prize–winning historian and Texas native.
Weaving together American history, dramatic family chronicle, and searing episodes of memoir, Annette Gordon-Reed’s On Juneteenth provides a historian’s view of the country’s long road to Juneteenth, recounting both its origins in Texas and the enormous hardships that African-Americans have endured in the century since, from Reconstruction through Jim Crow and beyond. All too aware of the stories of cowboys, ranchers, and oilmen that have long dominated the lore of the Lone Star State, Gordon-Reed―herself a Texas native and the descendant of enslaved people brought to Texas as early as the 1820s―forges a new and profoundly truthful narrative of her home state, with implications for us all.
Combining personal anecdotes with poignant facts gleaned from the annals of American history, Gordon-Reed shows how, from the earliest presence of Black people in Texas to the day in Galveston on June 19, 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger announced the end of legalized slavery in the state, African-Americans played an integral role in the Texas story.
Reworking the traditional “Alamo” framework, she powerfully demonstrates, among other things, that the slave- and race-based economy not only defined the fractious era of Texas independence but precipitated the Mexican-American War and, indeed, the Civil War itself.
In its concision, eloquence, and clear presentation of history, On Juneteenth vitally revises conventional renderings of Texas and national history. As our nation verges on recognizing June 19 as a national holiday, On Juneteenth is both an essential account and a stark reminder that the fight for equality is exigent and ongoing. 2 black-and-white illustrations
I really enjoyed reading this book, especially because it was non-fiction which is my preference when reading for pleasure. I learned so much about our nation's history, especially Texas and the role it played in contributing to the racial climate we are experiencing today.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to the historical perspective presented, I really enjoyed the personal perspective of the author and the stories she wove into the essays.
Although I would love to use this book in class, I believe it would not work in an 8th grade ELA class mostly because the vocabulary is far above an 8th grade level. I also believe it would require a knowledge of history that I do not possess in order to fill in the gaps not only in my own understanding but also the gaps in understanding of my students.
Like John, I really enjoyed reading On Juneteenth, which is surprising to me because unlike John, I do not enjoy non-fiction typically.
ReplyDeleteAnnette Gordon-Reed's prose, style and use of anecdotes work together to create a level of readability that I believe would interest students in upper levels, specifically 11 and 12. I think it would be a great text to either use excerpts from or to use as a central text for a unit on social justice, black history, or African-American literature.
There were parts of the text that were reminiscent of James Baldwin's speech, "A Talk to Teachers," and Frederick Douglass's "What to a Slave is the Fourth of July?" I use both of these texts in my AP Lang and English III classes.
I learned a lot about a state that I knew nothing about other than the fact that you can openly carry a fire arm in public! I was one of those ignorant Americans who saw Texas as desert and oil fields. (In my defense, the only part of Texas I've ever been to is Lubbock...which is pretty much flat oil land and an Airforce Base)
Overall I would recommend having at least one copy of this in our library...but I am also thinking about adding it to the text request list for the English Dept. I think it would be a valuable addition to our text collection.