Slavery and the African American Story

Race To The Truth

by Patricia Williams Dockery

Until now, you've only heard one side of the how slavery began, and how America split itself in two to end it. Here's the true story of America from the African American perspective.

From the moment Africans were first brought to the shores of the United States, they had a hand in shaping the country. Their labor created a strong economy, built our halls of government, and defined American society in profound ways. And though the Emancipation Proclamation wasn't signed until 300 years after the first Africans arrived, the fight for freedom started the moment they set foot on American soil.
This book contains the true narrative of the first 300 years of Africans in the struggles, the heroes, and the untold stories that are left out of textbooks. If you want to learn the truth about African American history in this country, start here.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Middle Grade, School, American History, African American, Childrens

272 pages, Paperback

Published September 12, 2023

Reviews

[Mai H.]

Non-fiction November TBR

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Books for Young Readers

[Ellie Nichols · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is written for a middle-grade/young adult audience. It would be useful and enriching in an American History classroom. The informational book focuses in on individual stories of African Americans as well as the collective history of the community. The book is dense but full of information that is not found in traditional classroom textbooks. Dockery does not sugarcoat the information, but it is told in an age-appropriate manner for adolescent readers. It covers some similar points as the 1619 project and Born On The Water.

I would incorporate this book into a unit about slavery and reconstruction. It would pair well with clips from the 1619 Project Hulu docu-series. I would probably take excerpts from the entire text because it is so lengthy. I would also have this book in my classroom library for students to read independently if they choose.

[Michelle Kidwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slavery and the African American Story
by Patricia Williams Dockery
Pub Date 12 Sep 2023
Random House Children's,Crown Books for Young Readers
Children's Nonfiction| History| Middle Grade


Through Random House Children's, Crown Books for Young Readers, and Netgalley, I am reviewing Slavery and the African American Story:


So far, you've only heard one side of the story: how slavery began, and how America split into two to end it. From the perspective of an African American, here is the true story of America.



As soon as Africans arrived in the United States, they began to shape the country. Their labor created a strong economy, built our halls of government, and shaped American society forever. Even though the Emancipation Proclamation was not signed until 300 years after the first Africans arrived, the fight for freedom began as soon as they stepped foot on American soil. 


This book tells the true story of the first 300 years of African Americans in America: the struggles, the heroes, and the untold stories that were left out of textbooks. Start here to learn the truth about African American history in the United States.


I give Slavery and the African American Story five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that every American should read. Whatever you learned about history in school is incomplete. Here is some of what's missing: the point of view of African-Americans, about Africans and their descendants on the North American and South American continents. The focus is U.S., but it includes the Caribbean, and Brazil, both of which imported more captured Africans directly than the American colonies and the U.S. did.
This is what Florida's governor De Santis wants to protect his children from learning. He wants to keep them ignorant of their own history. Because this is our history. Not just for African-Americans, but for all Americans.
Chapters are: Early African Presence in America -- North America at the Time of the Colonists' Arrival -- American Laws Made Slavery Legal -- Creating a New American Culture -- The American Revolution and Slave-Owning Founding Fathers -- Slave Resistance -- Freedom Fighters, Revolutionaries, and Insurrectionists -- Flash Forward : Getting to the Truth About Slavery Involves Digging Up the Past.
Even though it's aimed at 7th to 9th graders, it's quite readable for adults.
Highly recommended, especially if you haven't supplemented what you learned about history in school.

[Kathy Iwanicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky to receive two Race to the Truth books this summer from Netgalley. Authors and writing style was different in both. As the title clearly states, this book is about the African American story. I feel the facts are written in an interesting way that will keep the reader entertained and learning.

I would suggest a cover change. As a third grade teacher, I picked up the book thinking that it would be good for my students, or at least as a read a loud. It could possibly be a read aloud, but the vocabulary tends to be too sophisticated for an 8 year old. I would highly recommend this book for grade 6 - 9. It would completely enhance any middle school history class.

[Ivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book designed for middle schoolers and up to learn about slavery and the African American story. Some of the stories were new, but many of the stories I already knew thanks to Jasmine Holmes and Sharon McMahon. I liked that this book was written in small sections and with a combination of individual stories and collective history. Highly recommend for those who are interested in history.

I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

[Mary Bronson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I think this is a great middle grade nonfiction book talking to kids about slavery and how it came about. I like how they were being honest, but not sugar coating anything. I like how the author gave mini facts through out the chapters and how this is something I think all children and even adult should read to get a better understanding about what happened in the past and how we can fix it today to be better people.

[Lellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5
This is my favorite one I've read in the Race to the Truth series! It's like the 1619 project but scaled down for a younger audience. Very informative and easy to understand, academic but engaging. This is a great resource for the transatlantic slave trade and modern systematic racism in the United States. A perfect tool for every elementary school library and classroom!

Thanks to netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a very powerful reclaiming of the African American story. It took me several sittings to process what I had read and understand the full weight of the story. Although it was hard to hear, it was still appropriate for a middle grade reader. I would recommend this book to anyone.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Andréa]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is important, and I enjoyed reading it, but I have a lot of background knowledge about all these topics. I found it a little too info-packed and jumping around to be good for 5/6th graders.

[Coleen DeGroff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eye opening. I know I learned about slavery in school but there is NO WAY I learned all of this. So glad I found this book.

[Sarah Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick read and a lot of history information given. The celebration of a people. I wish this was an all social studies books in schools. If it had been, I probably would’ve read my text book.