Extended Summary - How The Word Is Passed: Based On The Book By Clint Smith

EXTENDED SUMMARY

HOW THE WORD IS PASSED

BASED ON THE BOOK BY CLINT SMITH

SUMMARY WRITTEN BY: EVERBOOK SUMMARIES

CONTENT

“The whole city is a memorial to slavery”: Prologue

“There’s a difference between history and nostalgia”: Monticello Plantation

“An open book, up under the sky”: The Whitney Plantation

“I can’t change what happened here”: Angola Prison

“I don’t know if it’s true or not, but I like it”: Blandford Cemetery

“Our Independence Day”: Galveston Island

“We were the good guys, right?”: New York City

“One slave is too much”: Gorée Island

“I lived it”: Epilogue

General Analysis

ABOUT THE ORIGINAL BOOK

How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning With the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith takes readers on a powerful journey to various sites in the United States and abroad to explore how different locations grapple with the legacy of American slavery. Through visits to plantations, prisons, cemeteries, and memorials, the book examines the stories these places tell and the perspectives of the people who live, work, and are connected to them. Smith delves into the ways in which history is remembered, interpreted, and often contested within these spaces, revealing the enduring impact of slavery on the present day. The narrative highlights the crucial role of public memory and the individuals dedicated to sharing a more complete and honest account of this history.

© 2025 Everbook Summaries (Audiobook): 9798318433788

Release date

Audiobook: 22 March 2025