Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America―The New York Times Bestselling Retelling of US History Through the Experiences of Black Americans
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * NAACP IMAGE AWARD NOMINEE * AMAZON'S TOP 20 HISTORY BOOKS OF 2023 * B&N BEST OF EDUCATIONAL HISTORY * THE ROOT'S BEST BOOKS OF 2023 * CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2023
From acclaimed columnist and political commentator Michael Harriot, a searingly smart and bitingly hilarious retelling of untold American history that corrects the record and showcases the perspectives and experiences of Black Americans.
America’s backstory is a whitewashed mythology implanted in our collective memory. It is the story of the pilgrims on the Mayflower building a new nation. It is George Washington’s cherry tree and Abraham Lincoln’s log cabin. It is the fantastic tale of slaves that spontaneously teleported themselves here with nothing but strong backs and negro spirituals. It is a sugarcoated legend based on an almost true story.
It should come as no surprise that the dominant narrative of American history is blighted with errors and oversights—after all, history books were written by white men with their perspectives at the forefront. It could even be said that the devaluation and erasure of the Black experience is as American as apple pie.
In Black AF History, Michael Harriot presents a more accurate version of American history. Combining unapologetically provocative storytelling with meticulous research based on primary sources as well as the work of pioneering Black historians, scholars, and journalists, Harriot removes the white sugarcoating from the American story, placing Black people squarely at the center. With incisive wit, Harriot speaks hilarious truth to oppressive power, subverting conventional historical narratives with the hidden history and little-known stories about the experiences of Black Americans. From the African Americans who arrived before 1619 to the unenslavable bandit who inspired America’s first police force, this vital work of African American history provides a revealing look into our past that is as urgent as it is necessary. For too long, we have refused to acknowledge that American history is white history. Not this one. This history is Black AF.
- A Corrective History: Go beyond the whitewashed mythology of pilgrims and cherry trees. This book reframes the American story by placing the experiences of Black Americans squarely at the center.
- Biting Political and Social Commentary: With the searing wit and provocative humor he’s known for, Michael Harriot speaks hilarious truth to oppressive power and subverts conventional narratives.
- Meticulously Researched: Grounded in primary sources and the work of pioneering Black historians, scholars, and journalists, this is not just a retelling—it’s a reclamation of the truth.
- Untold Stories: Discover the African Americans who arrived before 1619, the unenslavable bandit who inspired America’s first police force, and other little-known figures and events erased from traditional history books.
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Community Reviews
I loved this book. I learned more and l laughed along the way. Harriot deserves to be in every household along with the 1619 Project.
"There are some who cannot wait for change, and pledge themselves to the cause of dismantling the status quo with their own hands. When they are white, we refer to them as 'Patriots' or 'Freedom Fighters'. When they are black, these unswerving agitators are most frequently painted as 'Thugs' or 'Criminals'. But if the informal nation within a nation known as Black America ever existed, then the preternatural instinct for survival and resistance that resides in the souls of Black folk at the time must be described as a unique form of patriotism. They were more radical than all of the republicans combined and they were the driving force of the Southern economy. They were at once powerful and oppressed until they freed themselves and in doing so, saved America. They could not wait for deliverance so they undid their own shackles. History is written by the victors but it is made by the rebellious."
This book is so well researched, thorough, and FUNNY. It gave me the same vibe as when I read Percival Everett's James; I have heard this story before, but it just hits different when told from the perspective of a Black person.
Harriot has really done his homework, beginning with the explorers, linking them to the foundation of European colonialism, detailing the effects of the Transatlantic slave trade, and then everything that happened once the colonizers touched the soil of the land that would eventually become the United States of America. He covers slavery, resistance, suffrage and civil rights, politics and government, arts and culture, and food. I enjoyed learning things I had not known about the Angolan Queen who fed the Portuguese their asses, the group of slaves who preferred to walk into the sea rather than continue to live in captivity, and the truth about Abraham Lincoln's intent with the Emancipation Proclamation. I also liked Harriot's personal anecdotes to make things more personal and relatable. But mostly, I enjoyed the countless examples of important contributions that Black people have made to modern society far beyond cleaning houses and picking cotton. And if you read between the lines, it's pretty clear that all men are NOT created equal.
I know what book I will recommend to virtue-signalers who want to posit as allies this Black History Month...
I loved this book written with hard truths too cocooned with lighthearted humor. I learned a lot which I hadn’t learned through school teachings. This is a book filled with amazing people of color, largely untold about, who made major contributions to American history and its current makeup. I added this to my must have books on my bookshelf to reference when retelling our history to my kids and teaching the correct version to my grandkids. Thanks Mr Harriot for doing the work and sharing your findings to correct the wrongs and bring to light the missing information.