Four Hundred Souls

I'm not sure what the aim of this book is. It is made up of 400 years of history, divided into 5-year chunks, giving us 80 short essays and other pieces, interspersed by poems.

I definitely learned things. I heard from authors with perspectives and backgrounds different from mine, which was incredibly valuable. I learned about events in our history I never would learn in school. There were cultural references I did not understand, but that spurred me to do additional research.

The quality and interest of the pieces varied, as you'd expect with 80 different authors. It isn't a book you'll read from cover to cover, but was good for digesting in chunks here and there.

Protect this book at all costs.


I've already put in an order for the physical copy. Will be a re-read. Will have to read slowly and notate galore.

Just WOW. A wealth of knowledge.

This is one of those books that needs to be read several times.
Everyone should read it.

I would have definitely added this book to my tbr anyway because it has Dr. Kendi's name attached to it, but it was the whole concept of a collection of Black voices coming together to create a community history that captured my attention immediately and I was so happy when I received the ARC.

In a way, this is like a follow up or companion to the 1619 project because that is the year the history in this book starts, with the tale of the first 20 or so Black people who were brought to the shores of this land, with the author wondering what must they have been feeling about their situation as well as their new home. From there, each writer focuses on a five year period, talking about something that they found significant about that particular time period in history - whether it be a movement or rebellion that was crushed and erased from our collective memory, or a prominent Black voice of the time, or many other rebels and pioneers who paved the way for their future freedoms even if they have been forgotten by history.

The book or project (as it should rightfully be called) is epic and ambitious, but the execution is perfect. Through poems and essays and profiles and testimonies, these 90 Black intellectuals from various fields come together to create such a wonderful volume of history that speaks to the feeling of community. The writing will make you angry and hopeful and emotional, and I ended up crying a few times. Sometimes, it also leaves you feeling sad because there's so much that is lost to history, and how much we don't know about the African American ancestors who suffered horribly for decades and centuries. This book is in a way a tribute to them, making us aware of how they fought for the right to be treated equally, and also motivate us to continue the fight till true equality is achieved.

The book ends with a final essay by Alicia Garza about the Black Lives Matter movement and it felt like a fitting conclusion - a lot of strides have been made on the path to achieve the true ideals enshrined in the constitution but a lot is left to do, as all the BLM protests in 2020 and the recent insurrection on the capitol have shown. This community history is an inspiration and I hope it encourages many more of us to fight for a fair and just world.