Four Hundred Souls

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Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619–2019
First edition cover
EditorsIbram X. Kendi
Keisha N. Blain
Cover artistBayo Iribhogbe (art)
Michael Morris (design)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
SubjectAfrican-American history
PublisherOne World
Publication date
February 2, 2021
Media typePrint (hardcover and paperback), e-book, audiobook
Pages528
AwardEarphones Award for Best Audiobook (AudioFile)
ISBN978-0-593-13404-7 (First edition hardcover)
OCLC1184240347
973/.0496073
LC ClassE185 .F625 2021

Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619–2019 is a 2021 anthology of essays, commentaries, personal reflections, short stories, and poetry, compiled and edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain. Conceived and created to commemorate the four hundred years that had passed since the arrival of the first Africans in Virginia, the book concerns African-American history and collects works written by ninety Black writers. A winner or finalist of multiple awards in its print and audiobook editions, Four Hundred Souls has been widely praised by reviewers for its prose and historical content.

Background[edit]

From 1841 to 2019, the vast majority of books telling a history of African America were written by individuals, also almost always male.[1] As the 400th anniversary of Black Africans' arrival in British North America approached, Ibram X. Kendi contemplated how to commemorate the "symbolic birthday of Black America" and the whole 400-year period. Kendi resolved to invert the trend by "bringing together a community of writers" and encouraging them to both write history and make history, creating an artifact capturing what Black Americans were thinking during that anniversary year.[2]

Kendi and Keisha N. Blain collaborated to compile and edit the book project, titled Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619–2019, and together they invited ten poets and eighty writers from a diverse range of professions—including historians, anthropologists, journalists, novelists, economists, theologians, educators, and more—to contribute.[3] Reviewer Don Polite called the resulting contributor list a "who's who of African America" and "a remarkable cross section of the Black community".[4] Many contributors are "huge names", but Four Hundred Souls also features numerous "up-and-coming writers".[5] Most of the authors wrote their chapters in 2019.[2]

Blain remembered the process being a "moving experience". The COVID-19 pandemic began while Kendi and Blain were in the process of assembling the book; feeling that she was at work on something historically significant comforted Blain during a time of intense loss and loneliness.[6] The book is dedicated "to Black lives lost to COVID-19".[2]

While contrasting with past single-author histories of Black America,[1] Four Hundred Souls also emerges in a tradition of Black-written anthologies "of historical observations, poetry, scholarship, and vignettes" in the vein of Abraham Chapman's Black Voices: An Anthology of Afro-American Literature and Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.[7]

During a later stage of producing the book, Kendi and Blain decided that for the audiobook version, they wanted to "actualize what [Kendi] wrote about" in his introductory description of the book's "community of writers [being] like a choir". To evoke this effect, they chose to pursue a full-cast audiobook.[8] The cast features eighty-seven narrators, some of whom are contributors to the book who narrate their own chapters. Others feature only as narrators in the audiobook; this cast includes actress Danai Gurira, broadcast journalist Soledad O'Brien, and singer Phylicia Rashad, among many others.[9] In the interest of enabling each narrator to give a passionate performance, the producers did not assign chapters to narrators and instead allowed cast members to choose which contributions they were interested in narrating. Narration was recorded in December 2020 and January 2021. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, most narrators recorded at home studio setups.[8]

Summary[edit]

An 1864 portrait of Phillis Wheatley, an eighteenth-century African American. She sits at a table with a quill in her right hand, seemingly about to write on a sheet of paper on the table. Her left hand cups her chin and cheek, as if she is thinking.
Phyllis Wheatley is the subject of a chapter in Four Hundred Souls.

Four Hundred Souls features essays, biographical sketches, short stories, and poems by ninety Black writers. It chronologically spans the 400-year length of African-American history, beginning in 1619 with the arrival of the first Africans in Virginia and ending in 2019.[10] The book is divided into ten sections, each of which examine a period of 40 years. Each section concludes with a poem.[3] There are eighty essays featured in the book, each of which chronicle a five-year period.[6] Kendi and Blain invited some contributors to write about specific topics, such as asking Barbara Smith to write about the Combahee River Collective. With other writers, they worked together to find subjects that were good fits. In every case, the choice was up to the contributor.[2] This "democratising approach" makes Four Hundred Souls a "people's history" told by and about African Americans themselves.[11]

Following an introduction by Ibram X. Kendi,[2] the anthology begins with an essay by Nikole Hannah-Jones, who developed The New York Times' 1619 Project. Chapter subjects include policy, political events, elements of culture, revised historical narratives, and biographies.[12] Some chapters offer fresh insight on well-known subjects, such as the essays on Phyllis Wheatley, Booker T. Washington, and Black Power; while others spotlight little-known history, such as the life of Black New Yorker James McCune Smith.[3][13] Each essay can function and be read individually,[4] but together they highlight the "entangled histories" of African America.[7] The book's final essay is written by Alicia Garza, who co-founded the Black Lives Matter movement.[3]

Thematic threads weave through the chronological chapters, such as the theme of white–Black sexual encounters or perceptions (threading "Whipped for Lying With a Black Woman", "Sally Hemings", "Lynching", and "Anita Hill").[13] Another theme is the dynamism of enslavement and racism, as chapters explore how white Americans shifted strategies in attempts to preserve power and how Black Americans perpetually "sought to define their freedom."[4] The resilience of the Black American community is another important theme in Four Hundred Souls.[3] The book portrays "the endurance and resilience of how Blacks resisted, revolted, organized, demanded, protested and rebelled", as reviewer George McCalman describes.[14] Four Hundred Souls also leverages its diverse pool of contributors to deconstruct the notion of a monolithic African America.[15] Advancing this theme, the book's "eighty different minds, reflecting eighty different perspectives" reveals a "community of difference" that brings together Black America without homogenizing the many individuals in the community.[1]

The anthology's overall voice is earnest and intimate.[7][14] A "human element" lies at the heart of Four Hundred Souls' success as a book.[4] The poetry, punctuating every forty-year section, contributes to humanizing and "elaborat[ing] on the historical narratives", enhancing the punch of academic information by giving it a personal edge.[12][7]

For the audiobook edition, each chapter is read by one of the cast's eighty-seven narrators.[8] The readings vary in tone across the book, ranging between "straightforward or theatrical as appropriate" to the chapter. Between chapters, multiple narrators read the transitions simultaneously, their voices overlapping in collective lines.[16] In the credits, each cast member speaks their own name.[8]

Publication[edit]

One World, an imprint of Random House, published Four Hundred Souls and released the book on February 2, 2021.[3] The book sold as a 528-page hardcover for $32 (~$36.00 in 2023) (USD) on release.[17] The cover, designed by Michael Morris, features artwork by Bayo Iribhogbe that according to editor Blain depicts the book's "spirit of community".[18] A paperback edition was released a year later, on February 1, 2022.[19]

Penguin Random House released the audiobook of Four Hundred Souls in February 2021, selling the trade edition for $22.50 and the library edition for $95.[20] The audiobook edition does not include the endnotes of the print version. Its runtime is fourteen hours and two minutes.[21]

Reception[edit]

Ahead of and upon its release, Four Hundred Souls met wide approval from readers and reviewers. The book debuted at number two on The New York Times nonfiction bestseller list for the week ending February 6, 2021.[22] In September 2021, GOBI Library Solutions ranked Four Hundred Souls second in a list of forty academic bestsellers for that year.[23] Washington Post editors and reviewers numbered it among the Post's "50 notable works of nonfiction" in 2021.[24] Four Hundred Souls was also an IndieBound Bestseller.[3]

Publishers Weekly described the book as an "energetic collection" that "stands apart from standard anthologies of African American history."[10] Writing for Booklist, Leslie Williams wrote that Four Hundred Souls "crackles with rage, beauty, bitter humor, and the indomitable will to survive."[12] In a starred review, Kirkus Reviews called it an "impeccable, epic, essential vision of American history as a whole and a testament to the resilience of Black people." Kirkus singled out the essays of Raquel Willis, Robert Jones Jr., Barbara Smith, and Esther Armah as the "standouts" in the book.[3] Binghamton University newspaper BingUNews called Four Hundred Souls "one of [Keisha N.] Blain's most significant professional accomplishments".[25] Seattle Book Reviews rated Four Hundred Souls five stars out of five.[17]

Raquel Willis, an African American trans woman, speaking at the 2017 Transgender Day of Remembrance event in San Francisco.
According to Kirkus Reviews, the contribution by Raquel Willis (above) was a "standout" chapter.

Numerous reviewers urged the public to read it and for libraries to stock it.[3][17] Library Journal declared Four Hundred Souls essential to include in libraries.[21] Reviewer Don Polite especially praised its essay format, suggesting the book is "almost tailor-made" to accompany undergraduate courses or inspire discussion in community spaces.[4]

In an otherwise glowing review of the book, Randal Maurice Jelks pointed out Four Hundred Souls' "sparse attention" to Black-created institutions such as churches, banks, businesses, cubs, temples, mosques, and more; only a few chapters in the book directly address Black institutions despite their importance in the African American experience.[7] Although the book includes endnotes, Library Journal suggests that readers seeking a traditionally "scholarly treatment of the history of racism in the United States" might be better served by a book like Kendi's Stamped from the Beginning.[21]

The magazine BookPage recognized Four Hundred Souls' audiobook edition with a starred review and praised the cast as a "heartfelt chorus of voices". BookPage's review noted the "layered, echoing voices" used in the audiobook's transitions and complimented the "haunting, emotional effect" achieved by such collective lines.[16] AudioFile magazine spotlighted J. D. Jackson, Kevin R. Free, January LaVoy, and Robin Miles for being especially "masterful" while adding that "at least two dozen more" narrators deserved the same praise.[20]

In 2021, AudioFile recognized Four Hundred Souls with its Earphones Award for Best Audiobook.[20] The American Library Association shortlisted Four Hundred Souls as a finalist for the 2022 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction.[26] Four Hundred Souls was also a 2022 finalist for the Multi-voiced Performance category of the Audie Awards administered by the Audio Publishers Association.[27]

Table of contents[edit]

Four Hundred Souls is comprised of four parts, each of which contains ten essays and ends with a poem.[3] The audiobook adds narrators.[9]

Period Writer Narrator[28] Title
Introduction Ibram X. Kendi Ibram X. Kendi "A Community of Souls"
Part One 1619–1624 Nikole Hannah-Jones Nikole Hanna-Jones "Arrival"
1624–1629 Molefi Kete Asante Zainab Jah "Africa"
1629–1634 Ijeoma Oluo Soneela Nankani "Whipped for Lying with a Black Woman"
1634–1639 DaMaris B. Hill Bahni Turpin "Tobacco"
1639–1644 Brenda E. Stevenson Imani Parks "Black Women's Labor"
1644–1649 Maurice Carlos Ruffin Adam Lazarre-White "Anthony Johnson, Colony of Virginia"
1649–1654 Heather Andrea Williams James Monroe Iglehart "The Black Family"
1654–1659 Nakia D. Parker Brianna Collette "Unfree Labor"
Poem Jericho Brown J. D. Jackson "Upon Arrival"
Part Two 1659–1664 Jennifer L. Morgan Chanté McCormick "Elizabeth Keye"
1664–1669 Jemar Tisby Donte Bonner "The Virginia Law on Baptism"
1669–1674 David A. Love Peter Francis James "The Royal African Company"
1674–1679 Heather C. McGhee Heather C. McGhee "Bacon's Rebellion"
1679–1684 Kellie Carter Jackson Kellie Carter Jackson "The Virginia Law That Forbade Bearing Arms; or the Virginia Law That Forbade Armed Self-Defense"
1684–1689 Laurence Ralph Terrence Kidd "The Code Noir"
1689–1694 Christopher J. Lebron Bill Quinn "The Germantown Petition Against Slavery"
1694–1699 Mary E. Hicks Susan Heyward "The Middle Passage"
Poem Phillip B. Williams Bahni Turpin "Mama, Where You Keep Your Gun?"
Part Three 1699–1704 Brandon R. Byrd Leslie Odom Jr. "The Selling of Joseph"
1704–1709 Kai Wright Kai Wright "The Virginia Slave Codes"
1709–1714 Herb Boyd William DeMerrit "The Revolt in New York"
1714–1719 Sasha Turner T. L. Thompson "The Slave Market"
1719–1724 Sylviane A. Diouf Robin Miles "Maroons and Marronage"
1724–1729 Corey D. B. Walker J. D. Jackson "The Spirituals"
1729–1734 Walter C. Rucker Zenzi Williams "African Identities"
1734–1739 Brentin Mock Torian Brackett "From Fort Mose to Soul City"
Poem Morgan Parker Morgan Parker "Before Revolution"
Part Four 1739–1744 Wesley Lowery Sullivan Jones "The Stono Rebellion"
1744–1749 Nafissa Thompson-Spires Karen Chilton "Lucy Terry Prince"
1749–1754 Dorothy E. Roberts Jamal Henderson "Race and the Enlightenment"
1754–1759 Kyle T. Mays David Sadzin "Blackness and Indigeneity"
1759–1764 Tiya Miles Kristen Ariza "One Black Boy: The Great Lakes and the Midwest"
1764–1769 Alexis Pauline Gumbs Shayna Small "Phillis Wheatley"
1769–1774 William J. Barber II Leonard Dozier "David George"
1774–1779 Martha S. Jones Danai Gurira "The American Revolution"
Poem Justin Phillip Reed Andia Winslow "Not Without Some Instances of Uncommon Cruelty"
Part Five 1779–1784 Daina Ramey Berry Dashawn Barnes "Savannah, Georgia"
1784–1789 Donna Brazile Dominic Hoffman "The U.S. Constitution"
1789–1794 Annette Gordon-Reed January LaVoy "Sally Hemings"
1794–1799 Deirdre Cooper Owens Tashi Thomas "The Fugitive Slave Act"
1799–1804 Craig Steven Wilder Rhett Samuel Price "Higher Education"
1804–1809 Kiese Laymon Kevin R. Free "Cotton"
1809–1814 Clint Smith Keith David "The Louisiana Rebellion"
1814–1819 Raquel Willis Ron Butler "Queer Sexuality"
Poem Ishmael Reed Adam Lazarre-White "Remembering the Albany 3"
Part Six 1819–1824 Robert Jones Jr. Desmond Manny "Denmark Vesey"
1824–1829 Pamela Newkirk Anita Welch "Freedom's Journal"
1829–1834 Kathryn Sophia Belle Marisha Tapera "Maria Stewart"
1834–1839 Eugene Scott Damian Thompson "The National Negro Conventions"
1839–1844 Allyson Hobbs Imani Jade Powers "Racial Passing"
1844–1849 Harriet A. Washington Ethan Herisse "James McCune Smith, M.D."
1849–1854 Mitchell S. Jackson Dion Graham "Oregon"
1854–1859 john a. powell Leon Nixon "Dred Scott"
Poem Donika Kelly Tashi Thomas "Compromise"
Part Seven 1859–1864 Adam Serwer James Fouhey "Frederick Douglass"
1864–1869 Jamelle Bouie Prentice Onayemi "The Civil War"
1869–1874 Michael Harriot Mirron Willis "Reconstruction"
1874–1879 Tera W. Hunter Samira Wiley "Atlanta"
1879–1884 William A. Darity Jr. Sean Crisden "John Wayne Niles"
1884–1889 Kali Nicole Gross Adenrele Ojo "Philadelphia"
1889–1894 Crystal N. Feimster Heather Alicia Simms "Lynching"
1894–1899 Blair L. M. Kelley Joniece Abbott-Pratt "Plessy v. Ferguson"
Poem Mahogany L. Browne Mahogany L. Browne "John Wayne Niles ... .--. . .- -.- ... / - --- Ermias Joseph Asghedom"
Part Eight 1899–1904 Derrick Alridge Jerome Harmann-Hardeman "Booker T. Washington"
1904–1909 Howard Bryant Ryan Vincent Anderson "Jack Johnson"
1909–1914 Beverly Guy-Sheftall Robin Eller "The Black Public Intellectual"
1914–1919 Isabel Wilkerson Quincy Tyler Bernstine "The Great Migration"
1919–1924 Michelle Duster Jade Wheeler "Red Summer"
1924–1929 Farah Jasmine Griffin Karen Murray "The Harlem Renaissance"
1929–1934 Robin D. G. Kelley Andre Blake "The Great Depression"
1934–1939 Bernice L. McFadden Phylicia Rashad "Zora Neale Hurston"
Poem Patricia Smith Patricia Smith "Coiled and Unleashed"
Part Nine 1939–1944 Chad Williams Amir Abdullah "The Black Soldier"
1944–1949 Russell Rickford Sheryl Mebane "The Black Left"
1949–1954 Sherrilyn Ifill Sherrilyn Ifill "The Road to Brown v. Board of Education"
1954–1959 Imani Perry Lisa Renee Pitts "Black Arts"
1959–1964 Charles E. Cobb Jr. Genesis Oliver "The Civil Rights Movement"
1964–1969 Peniel Joseph Dennis Logan "Black Power"
1969–1974 Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor Tovah Ott "Property"
1974–1979 Barbara Smith Ella Turenne "Combahee River Collective"
Poem Chet'la Sebree Robin Miles "And the Record Repeats"
Part Ten 1979–1984 James Forman Jr. Jesus Martinez "The War on Drugs"
1984–1989 Bakari Kitwana Cary Hite "The Hip-Hop Generation"
1989–1994 Salamishah Tillet Keylor Leigh "Anita Hill"
1994–1999 Angela Y. Davis Angela Y. Davis "The Crime Bill"
1999–2004 Esther Armah Joshua David Scarlett "The Black Immigrant"
2004–2009 Deborah Douglas Soledad O'Brien "Hurricane Katrina"
2009–2014 Karine Jean-Pierre Nicole Lewis "The Shelby Ruling"
2014–2019 Alicia Garza Alicia Garza "Black Lives Matter"
Poem Joshua Bennett Joshua Bennett "American Abecedarian"
Conclusion Keisha N. Blain Keisha N. Blain "Our Ancestors' Wildest Dreams"

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Kendi, Ibram X. (2021). "A Community of Souls: An Introduction". In Kendi, Ibram X.; Blain, Keisha N. (eds.). Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619–2019. New York: One World. pp. xiii–xvii. ISBN 978-0-593-13404-7.
  2. ^ a b c d e Dwyer, Dialynn (February 2, 2021). "Ibram X. Kendi's New Book Brings Together a 'Choir' of Writers to Tell the History of African America. Here's What He Wants You to Know". Boston.com. Archived from the original on November 21, 2021. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619–2019 edited by Ibram X. Kendi; Keisha N. Blain". Kirkus Reviews. February 1, 2021. Archived from the original on February 23, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e Polite, Don (August 2022). "Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019. Edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain". Journal of Southern History (review). 88 (3): 593–594. doi:10.1353/soh.2022.0156. S2CID 251047252.
  5. ^ Gifford, Matt (February 2021). "Six Books Reveal the Dreams of America's Black Forefathers and Foremothers and Inspire New Dreams for a More Just World". BookPage. Archived from the original on May 25, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Mosley, Tonya; McMahon, Serena (February 18, 2021). "In 'Four Hundred Souls,' 90 Writers Tell Their Stories of 4 Centuries of African America". WBUR.org. Archived from the original on August 14, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d e Jelks, Randall Maurice (February 22, 2021). "All Souls Rising". Los Angeles Review of Books (review). Archived from the original on February 22, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c d "Ibram X. Kendi, Keisha N. Blain, Sarah Jaffe, Amber Beard & Molly Lo Re: Behind the Scenes of the Year's Most Astounding Full-cast Audiobook". BookPage (interview). June 2021. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021.
  9. ^ a b Kai, Maiysha (January 25, 2021). "Four Hundred Souls: A Landmark Anthology Announces a Star-Studded Audiobook Cast". The Root. Archived from the original on January 19, 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Nonfiction Book Review: Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619–2019 by Edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain. One World, $32 (512p) ISBN 978-0-593-13404-7". Publishers Weekly. December 14, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  11. ^ Grant, Colin (April 11, 2021). "Four Hundred Souls, edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain Review – A Resounding History of African America". The Observer (review). Guardian Media Group. Archived from the original on October 4, 2021.
  12. ^ a b c Williams, Leslie (February 2021). "Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019". Booklist (review). 117 (11): 15 – via Gale in Context: Biography.
  13. ^ a b Bancroft, Colette (February 18, 2021). "A Choir of Voices Recounts Black History in 'Four Hundred Souls'". Tampa Bay Times (review). Archived from the original on December 23, 2021.
  14. ^ a b McCalman, George (February 2, 2021). "Spanning 400 Years, 'Souls' Is a Communal Telling of Black Resilience". Datebook. San Francisco Chronicle (review). Archived from the original on January 28, 2022.
  15. ^ Reister, Stephanie (February 19, 2022). "Respecting Black History as US History". Library Notes. Salisbury Post. Archived from the original on February 19, 2022.
  16. ^ a b "Four Hundred Souls By Keisha N. Blain, narrated by Cast". BookPage (review). May 30, 2021. Archived from the original on November 27, 2021.
  17. ^ a b c Hamto, Maileen (April 2021). "Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619–2019". Seattle Book Review (review). Archived from the original on December 1, 2021.
  18. ^ Blain, Keisha N. [@KeishaBlain] (November 4, 2010). "The stunning cover was designed by the talented graphic designer Michael Morris. It features the breathtaking artwork of Nigerian artist Bayo Iribhogbe. The cover beautifully captures the spirit of community that shapes this landmark collection" (Tweet). Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2022 – via Twitter.
  19. ^ Kendi, Ibram X. [@DrIbram] (November 4, 2010). "On this first day of #BlackHistoryMonth, I'm happy to announce the paperback release Four Hundred Souls. Many thanks to @KeishaBlain and the 90 writers who contributed to this epic undertaking--a community writing the 400-year history of a community" (Tweet). Archived from the original on February 1, 2022. Retrieved November 6, 2022 – via Twitter.
  20. ^ a b c "Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619–2019". AudioFile (review). February 2021. Archived from the original on February 21, 2021.
  21. ^ a b c Glaviano, Cliff (May 2021). "Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619–2019". Library Journal (review). 146 (5): 40 – via Gale In Context: Biography.
  22. ^ "Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction - Best Sellers - Books - Feb. 21, 2021". The New York Times. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  23. ^ "A Promised Land, Four Hundred Souls, What Racism Costs Everyone, and More in US History | Academic Best Sellers". Reviews+. Library Journal. September 15, 2021. Archived from the original on November 6, 2022.
  24. ^ "50 Notable Works of Nonfiction". The Washington Post. November 18, 2021. Archived from the original on December 31, 2021.
  25. ^ Coker, Rachel (May 6, 2022). "Keisha N. Blain Is Making History". BingUNews. Archived from the original on June 8, 2022.
  26. ^ "2022 Andrew Carnegie Medal Winners Announced". American Libraries. January 23, 2022. Archived from the original on June 6, 2022.
  27. ^ "2022 Audie Awards®". Audio Publishers Association. Archived from the original on October 29, 2022. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  28. ^ For the audiobook edition

External links[edit]

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