Freedom Lost, Freedom Won: A Personal History of America

by Eugene Robinson

Pulitzer Prize–winning former Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson tells our nation’s torturous racial history through his own family’s story, starting with his great-grandfather’s freedom from slavery and threading his way to his own narrative and reaching today’s Black Lives Matter movement, asking whether this time will be different.

On March 27, 1829, a wealthy white planter and entrepreneur named Richard Fordham purchased four enslaved African Americans from a woman named Isabella Perman. One of them was journalist Eugene Robinson’s great-great-grandfather, a boy called Harry.

Starting from this transaction, which took place in Charleston, South Carolina, Freedom Lost, Freedom Won brings to life 200 years of our nation’s history through the eyes of the remarkable family that Harry founded. Assigned a formal name—Henry Fordham—and put to work as a blacksmith, he achieved his own freedom a decade before the Civil War. He was there when victorious Union troops marched into Charleston in 1865, ending slavery and guaranteeing liberty for Black people—only on paper, though, and only for a time.

Robinson traces the arc of his familial lineage through the repeated cycles in which African Americans have fought their way upward toward freedom and opportunity, been forced back down again, and renewed their determined climb.

From his great-great-grandfather’s achievement in becoming a “free person of color” before emancipation to his great-grandfather’s Reconstruction-era success, from his father’s odyssey of the Great Migration to his own coming-of-age during the civil rights movement, Robinson delves into a rich archive of Black narratives, arguing that we still have a long way to go before it is possible to speak of a “post-racial America.”

Setting his extensive research within the larger historical context, Robinson provides both an indictment of structural racism and an illustration of how it has been fought and, at times, courageously overcome. Freedom Lost, Freedom Won tells our country’s tortuous racial history through Robinson’s family’s story of struggle and survival, pushing us to consider how far the nation has come—willingly or not—and how far it still has to go.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, History, Biography, Race, Biography Memoir, African American

336 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 3, 2026

Reviews

[Evelyn Petschek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely wonderful! A fascinating read, beautifully written by a favorite journalist - part memoir, part family history, part American history. Beginning with the author’s great great grandfather (on his mother’s side) who was bought and sold twice as a slave until he was able to buy his own freedom before the civil war to the author, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist. And also on his father’s side, part of the great migration north. Themes of bigotry and rising above it, perseverance and survival, strength of love and family. Fabulous audio narration by the author.

[Susan Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been reading books for African American history month, and in preparation for a tour of important civil rights locations in a few months. This new book is an interesting look at a broad sweep of African American history, thru the lens of the author’s family. An interesting read.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robinson is fortunate to have detailed records of his family's history. In this book, that long history is intertwined with our country's history to highlight the long process in which Black Americans became not just free, but fully included. This was a fantastic and focused look at our past and gives hope for our future.

[JANET · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

[Hank Stuever · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a compelling and beautifully rendered exploration of family, memory, true American history and endurance. "Freedom Lost, Freedom Won" is a careful, honest, and dutifully reported memoir -- with its up and downs, its easy humor and heart, and its reckoning with progress and setbacks. It's easy to imagine how proud Eugene Robinson's parents and forebears, wherever they are now, are of everything he is and has achieved -- and what they themselves achieved.

By the time you get to the end of this book, where its honesty extends into the present-day anguish of watching America regress into its worst tendencies and treatment of one another, you will also be bursting with pride for everything that Gene became, and is. Bravo to my former boss!

(And on that note, in all the memoirs I've read that recount the journalistic life and times at the dynamic Washington Post circa 1970s/'80s/'90s and beyond, I think this book includes the best recounting of what life was like for its pioneering Black journalists of the day, who did so much to help the newsroom more deeply understand and report on the official and "real" Washington, and indeed, opened doors for colleagues and readers to a much larger account of American culture and society.)

[Isaiah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an incredibly engaging and thoughtfully written book that I genuinely enjoyed from start to finish. From the very first chapter, the story pulled me in with its strong sense of direction and well-crafted narrative.
One of the standout aspects for me was the character development. The characters felt real, with clear motivations and emotional depth that made it easy to connect with their journey. I found myself invested in their decisions and curious to see how everything would unfold.
The writing style was smooth and immersive, making it easy to stay engaged without feeling overwhelmed. I also appreciated how the author handled the themes throughout the book they were presented in a way that felt natural and thought-provoking without being forced.
There were several moments that stood out and stayed with me even after I finished reading, which is always a sign of a memorable book. The pacing was consistent, and the story maintained my interest all the way to a satisfying conclusion.
Overall, this was a rewarding reading experience, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys a well-told and meaningful story. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the best book I've read so far this year. I've enjoyed listening to Eugene Robinson's wise commentary for years and this book in which he tells the story of his family explains so much about the wisdom and honesty he projects. Through the lens of his family's history he traces the Black experience in the United States. The family story begins in 1829, when his maternal great great grandfather was sold at the age of 11 to a plantation owner named Fordham. In 1851, Henry Fordham, by then an accomplished blacksmith, manages to buy his own freedom. Through Civil War, Reconstruction and all the years of Jim Crow, the family manages to grow and thrive in the face of daunting odds, episodes of violence and constant prejudice. The history of African-Americans is a constant progression of two steps forward followed by one step back. We are taking a step back right now. Robinson is masterful at weaving his own family's story into all the events of first Southern history and then the Great Migration.

[Sue' Vg Rt · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW, de los mejores libros de no ficción con los que me he topado últimamente.

Me llevé muchísimo tiempo en terminarlo porque quería indagar más en la historia de las cosas que contaba, al final es un libro que abarca cuatro generaciones, la información que maneja es bastísima y me ha ayudado a entender mucho más la historia de Estados Unidos y el racismo del que se han tenido que sobreponer.

El autor tiene una capacidad brillante de transportarte como si estuvieras leyendo ficción, de indignarte porque sabes que todo es real y de conmoverte por la resiliencia de tantas generaciones para ganarse su lugar en el mundo después de haber sido traídos (sin pedirlo ni buscarlo) a un lugar que lo único que les dio por años fueron abusos, injusticias, violencia y humillaciones.

Hoy por hoy, veo la historia desde una perspectiva que jamás pensé que me interesaría tanto y que, sin duda alguna, seguiré investigando y leyendo para estar informada y nunca más dejar pasar inadvertido el dolor de la gente afroamericana. Me pongo de pie y aplausos para el autor.

[Rebecca Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

An eminently readable, well-written and engaging family history intertwined with the American history that marked it indelibly. The narrative jumps smoothly from the legal and cultural context to the enormously appealing members of Robinson’s family, including a great-great grandfather who bought himself out of enslavement, grandparents who owned land and acted as a kind of bank for the community, and uncles who served in WWII. Connecting the history I’ve read in books to their individual stories, of someone who I’ve read for years, helps in this continuous project of understanding where we’ve come from. I also learned about the Orangeburg Massacre from this book, an important event that was lost to me with all of the other monumental events of 1968. His comparison of this event to Kent State is itself a helpful meditation on how and why we decide to remember. Robinson is an excellent, engaging reader of his work.

[Beth Koop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Freedom Lost, Freedom Won is an important record of black history in America. Eugene Robinson traces his lineage from Henry Fordham, a slave who purchased his own freedom in 1851, to his own experience today, through the up and downs of postbellum Reconstruction, the black experience in the 2 world wars, race riots upon their return, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the election of Barack Obama, and the subsequent backlash of the Trump presidencies. It is appalling to me how much our society continues to support white supremacy or the idea that a particular race (or gender) is superior to another. I cannot imagine living under the constant continued micro-aggressions that our society imposes. It is important that todays younger generations understand this history in order to make the changes necessary if our society is to continue.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, Robinson is a good writer and engaging storyteller. The history of his family in South Carolina is fascinating, and provides the microcosm of black history in the US that he intends. Even if you already know something of Tulsa, and Wilmington, and Jim Crow, it is still heartbreaking to read of them again in the context of the individuals in his family and to consider how their paths to achievement and success were briefly opened during Reconstruction and then blocked in ways that continue to this day. One of those books that you could probably give your friends and relatives who are not committed racists, but not yet convinced of the facts of American history.

I was away for ten days during the reading of this book, it did not take me 17 days to get through it :-)

[Duane Nickell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Eugene Robinson as a columnist and commentator, but this book was a bit of a disappointment. He outlines the history of race in the United States by telling the story of his own family tree. The problem was that I just wasn't all that interested in the details of his family's history. The broader history of race relations in the U. S. was much more interesting, but it was history that I already knew about - there just wasn't much new in the book. Still, it was well-written and easy to read. I enjoyed it, but not as much as I had hoped.

[Diehljk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully written and moving account of the African American experience, as seen through the remarkable family of a longtime Washington Post journalist and MSNBC commentator. Eugene Robinson makes us feel as well as understand the tragedies and triumphs of that history. He offers a clear-headed account of what has been gained, and then lost, and then gained again—and a ray of hope that these dark times do not spell the end of the story.

[Zoe Zeid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned a lot about African American history and the African American experience throughout the last 300 years. It was amazing how much information the author had and was able to research on his family and it was very interesting to hear about how his ancestor was a freed slave even before the civil war. I wish I had been taught a lot of this information in school. This is a great read or listen for Black History Month, but also for any other time of the year.

[Karen Garloch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robinson's personal history connects with America's history in powerful ways.
Even if you've read a lot about the Civil War, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, and civil rights, you'll still learn a lot here. And it's written in very accessible language with so many connections to current events. Recommend highly.

[Meepspeeps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robinson’s writing is so good, and I felt his horror and delight as he discovered his ancestors and their life experiences. His comparisons of Reconstruction backlash (Jim Crow) to Obama backlash recently are chilling. Yet he ends with his father’s quote, “don’t you ever let anybody tell you that nothing has changed.” I recommend this to everyone middle school and older.

[Ian Gallihue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice smooth writing style!

Very interesting. Well researched. Documents historically with a nice personal touch because of authors' relationship to it. I enjoyed this book and it made me realize how much we as white Americans have to be accountable for our ugly racism in the past and at present.

[Carol Brusegar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Freedom Lost, Freedom Won tells the story of repeated progress and backlash cycles of Black progress in American history through the history of both sides of Eugene Robinson's family. Full of family stories and deeply researched history, it personalizes the facts.

A brilliant book that I highly recommend.

[Rolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very accessible and engaging history of one Black family in South Carolina, from slavery to Reconstruction to Jim Crow to the Civil Rights era, up through the present day. The anchoring of the narrative in the author’s own family history kept it really engaging throughout. Lots of historical accounts here that were new to me--I had never heard of the Orangeburg Massacre before.

[Francesca Morrissey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part memoir, part family history, part African American history, this book is a great way to learn about the history of southern black peoples from the pre colonial era through to today. My only complaint was that the author did not use a chronological approach, which sometimes made it difficult to follow the people and events profiled.

[Dianne Guhl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved It

I love Eugene Robinson. Getting glimpse into the black American experience told from his honest perspective was an eye-opener. I loved learning about his family life and their history. It was an excellent read.

[Liz Canella · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incisive and poignant history of African Americans layered with the narrative of the author’s own family trajectory traced back to before the Civil War. If only the last chapter “The Backlash…” weren’t necessary.

[Marilyn Sue Michel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author views many phases of US history through research into his own family, and his own experiences. Waves of progress and backlash come with the African American experience. We hope for a better future.

[Chris Humphrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding read! Such a pleasure to read a well written book. The working of family history and the history of the United States is done excellently.

[Amy Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well-written compination of the personal and the historical.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was part memoir, part family history, part American history. Some parts were difficult, but of great importance.
This was read by Eugene Robinson which made it even more impactful.

[David Glickman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good book. It is both a memoir of a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and a exploration of the history of black Americans told through his family’s journey in America.

[Bruce Katz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come.

[Peggy Muller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joe Donahue on WAMC interviewed Eugene Robinson, who I liked from The Rachel Maddow Show. So glad I read this biography. Learned and now appreciate “his” (ours) history.

[Sher Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I've read so far this year.