How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America

Poet and contributor to Clint Smith's insightful, up-to-date portrayal of America as a slave-owning society in The Atlantic

Clint Smith takes the reader on an incredible tour of monuments and landmarks, both honest and not, starting in his hometown of New Orleans. These sites tell an intergenerational tale of how slavery played a major role in forming both our nation's collective history and ourselves.

It tells the tale of the Virginia plantation known as Monticello, where more than 400 slaves were kept under slavery while Thomas Jefferson wrote letters praising the pressing need for liberty. This narrative tells the tale of the Whitney Plantation, one of the few surviving plantations dedicated to conserving the experiences of the enslaved individuals whose labor and lives made it possible. This is the tale of Louisiana's Angola Prison, a former plantation that has the name of the nation from whence the majority of its slaves came, and how it was converted into one of the most horrifying maximum-security facilities in the world. It also tells the tale of Blandford Cemetery, where tens of thousands of Confederate troops were laid to rest.

How the Word Is Passed is a compelling and thoroughly researched examination of the legacy of slavery and its impact on centuries of American history. It shows how some of our nation's most important stories are concealed in plain sight, whether they are in locations we might pass on our way to work, on occasions like Juneteenth, or in entire neighborhoods like downtown Manhattan, where the horrific history of the trade in enslaved men, women, and children has left a lasting impression.

Clint Smith's first nonfiction book is a seminal piece of meditation and insight that offers a fresh perspective on the positive role that memory and history can play in comprehending our nation. It is informed by research and brought to life by the stories of people living today.