Vendor
	Mohrbooks Literary Agency Marie Arendt
Categories
Politics & government

BORN IN BLACKNESS

Howard W. French

Africa, Africans, and the Making of the Modern World, 1471 to the Second World War

Revealing the central yet intentionally obliterated role of Africa in the creation of modernity, Born in Blackness vitally reframes our understanding of world history.

In a sweeping narrative that traverses 600 years, one that eloquently weaves precise historical detail with poignant personal reportage, Pulitzer Prize finalist Howard W. French retells the story of medieval and emerging Africa, demonstrating how the economic ascendancy of Europe, the anchoring of democracy in America, and the fulfillment of so-called Enlightenment ideals all grew out of Europe's dehumanizing engagement with the "darkest" continent. Born in Blackness dramatically retrieves the lives of major African historical figures whose stories have been repeatedly etiolated and erased over centuries, from unimaginably rich medieval African emperors who traded with Asia; to Kongo sovereigns who heroically battled seventeenth-century European powers; to ex-slaves who liberated Haitians from bondage. In doing so, French tells the story of gold, tobacco, sugar, and cotton - and the greatest "commodity" of all, the millions of people brought in chains from Africa to the New World, whose reclaimed histories fundamentally help explain our present world. A two-time Pulitzer nominee, Howard W. French is a professor of journalism at Columbia University and former New York Times bureau chief in the Caribbean and Central America, West and Central Africa, Tokyo, and Shanghai. The author of five books, French lives in New York City.

Available products
Book Published 2021-10-26 by Liveright

Comments

"There are few words that can express the resounding impact of French's breathtaking work on the known historiography of African and African American history . . . Highly recommended for any audience." Read more...

"French elucidates much neglected history here, especially on relations between early modern Europe and the sophisticatedand pro-slaverypolities of Africa . . . The result is an intriguing ... take on the global economy's dire origins." Read more...

Simplified Chinese: Ginkgo; Brazil: Companhia das Letras

An exclusive 3500 word extract from Born in Blackness has run as a long read in The Guardian (12 October) Read more...

"A Black journalist reframes modern history by restoring Africa to its rightful place at the center of the story . . . This meticulously researched book eloquently debunks conventional understanding of European conquest . . . A fascinating retelling of modern history that restores Africa to its rightful place." Read more...

"The way we think about history is entirely wrong, says Howard W French at the start of this magnificent, powerful and absorbing book." "This is not a comfortable or comforting read, but it is beautifully done; a masterpiece even." "French writes with the elegance you would expect from a distinguished foreign correspondent, and with the passion of someone deeply committed to providing a corrective."

"'Born in Blackness' is laced with arresting nuggets...Filled with pain, but also with pride: pride at the endurance of oppressed millions, at the many slave uprisings and rebellions culminating in the Haitian revolution, which defeated 'the idea of Black slavery itself,' and in the cultural riches of the African diaspora...Searing, humbling and essential reading." Read more...