Four Hundred Souls

by Ibram X Kendi and Keisha N Blain

Four Hundred Souls edited by Ibram X Kendi and Keisha N Blain is a nonfiction history anthology with over 50 contributors writing about the history of the African America community from 1619-2019. It was an informative, thought-provoking look at US history and the stories that are often not told!

I took my time reading this to fully understand and take in the information, so I spent June to August reading 1 part each week. The book has a variety of writing styles that make it such a unique collection from straightforward informational essays to novel-like recreations to poetry!

Four Hundred Souls should be a book that everyone reads and refers back to understand the history of slavery and colonialism (mostly US-centered), systemic racism, and the problems/politics still present today. I look forward to using this as a stepping point and researching many of the topics that I had never learned about in school, as well as reading more from the contributors!