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  • Stamped from the Beginning

  • The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America
  • Written by: Ibram X. Kendi
  • Narrated by: Christopher Dontrell Piper
  • Length: 19 hrs and 8 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (84 ratings)

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Stamped from the Beginning

Written by: Ibram X. Kendi
Narrated by: Christopher Dontrell Piper
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Publisher's Summary

National Book Award Winner, Nonfiction, 2016

• Winner of the 2016 National Book Award for Nonfiction• A New York Times best-seller in race and civil rights• Finalist for the 2016 National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction• "The most ambitious book of 2016" (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• Finalist for the 2017 Hurston/Wright Legacy Award in 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 - Puritan minister Cotton Mather, Thomas Jefferson, abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, W.E.B. Du Bois, and legendary activist Angela Davis. - to offer a window into the contentious debates between assimilationists and segregationists and between racists and antiracists.

©2016 Ibram X. Kendi (P)2017 Novel Audio

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What listeners say about Stamped from the Beginning

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A must read for every North American or anyone that wants to know about the history of the USA

I want to read this book now after listening to the audio version. I think it’s a must for every single citizen of America. But being Canadian I think everyone needs to read this book. It’s clear concise and shocking at times.

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Must Read

This is a must 'read' for those interested in the History of America, of North America, and of driving ideas therein. In fact it is a must read for every one.

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A must read!

This is a must read for anyone on their own personal anti racist journey. It is definitely THE definitive history of racist ideas in America and it’s important to be able to talk about these things with our friends and family. The audio book is excellent to listen to but I might have to buy a physical copy so I can go through it by hand and recall important topics for conversation.

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The time is NOW!!!

This book should be part of the school curriculum reading list!! It is spot on and keeps racism real!! Eye opening and relevant subject matter. We can STOP racism by lifting each other up!!! Privilege for all!! We can make a difference and the time to change is NOW!!

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A must read!!!

"It is wrong to think there is something wrong with Black people... Black people should stop worrying about how other people view them, how they sound, how they look..."

This book 📚 is an answer to the racial question in America.

PS : I had to a map and the list of American presidents at the same time as I was listening 😅

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Essential reading for all of humanity

Stamped from the Beginning clearly communicates essential elements of the history of Black People in America, describing the continuous creation of racist policy that has been made over the centuries to control Black People for the benefit of the people in power. It’s relevance to all of humanity is certain as it calls us all to action. We are not ignorant and if we are, we are still responsible for our racist ideas and policies.
The book is perfectly narrated in Audible.

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Illuminating, insightful, and unsettling

I did not come out of this the same as I went in. This history is disturbing and holds lessons that reach beyond the American experience.

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