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The 1619 Project  By  cover art

The 1619 Project

By: Nikole Hannah-Jones, Renée Watson
Narrated by: Nikole Hannah-Jones
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Publisher's summary

The 1619 Project’s lyrical picture book in verse, adapted for audio, chronicles the consequences of slavery and the history of Black resistance in the United States, thoughtfully rendered by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and Newbery honor-winning author Renée Watson.

A young student receives a family tree assignment in school, but she can only trace back three generations. Grandma gathers the whole family, and the student learns that 400 years ago, in 1619, their ancestors were stolen and brought to America by white slave traders.

But before that, they had a home, a land, a language. She learns how the people said to be born on the water survived.

And the people planted dreams and hope,

willed themselves to keep

living, living.

And the people learned new words

for love

for friend

for family

for joy

for grow

for home.

With powerful verse and striking illustrations by Nikkolas Smith, Born on the Water provides a pathway for listeners of all ages to reflect on the origins of American identity.

©2021 Nikole Hannah-Jones (P)2021 Listening Library

Critic reviews

#1 New York Times Bestseller!

An Amazon Best of the Year 2021

A Time Magazine Best Children’s Books of 2021

A NPR Best Books of the Year 2021

A School Library Journal Best Books of 2021

A NYPL Best Books 2021

A Chicago Public Library Best Books 2021

A Barnes & Noble Best Picture Book of 2021

A Publisher’s Weekly Best Book of 2021

A News & Observer Best Books of 2021

An Amazon Best Book of the Month

A New York Public Library Best Book of 2021

A Barnes & Noble Book of the Year finalist

A 2022 Irma S. Black Award Contender

A 2022 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Winner

A 2022 NCTE/CLA Notable Children’s Books in the Language Arts Award Winner

A 2022 SDUSMP Phillis Wheatley Book Award in the Children's (Ages 0-17) Non-fiction Category

A 2022 AAMBC Literary Award Nominee 

"A gift to Black Americans and everyone else who reads it." ―Kirkus Reviews, starred review 

"Black history is not merely a story of slavery and suffering but one of perseverance and hope." ―Publisher's Weekly, starred review

Featured Article: Celebrate and Honor Juneteenth with These Important Listens

On June 19, 1865, Union general Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3 to announce the news of the Emancipation Proclamation to the residents of the state of Texas—finally freeing all remaining enslaved people, nearly two and a half years after President Lincoln’s original proclamation. Juneteenth is an opportunity for the African American community to honor their history, achievements, and important contributions to America. Here are outstanding Juneteenth audiobooks in recognition of our newest federal holiday.

What listeners say about The 1619 Project

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VERY inspiring

This is an awesome telling, of our history. I plan to share this with my granddaughter who is recently studying the minimized version of slavery. Thank you, because this will help her greatly.

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Oh wow; I’m so honored to know the stories

I love this book because it makes sense so much now. This was a great book.

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Beautifully written

I think this book will cause us to ask more questions about our full history

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T45 RNB to Gift membership: M

great dddddddddddddddddddd asdfsdf asdfsdf adfadf addf adsf dddd ddd ddd ddd ddd ddd ddd ddd ddd d

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Knowing

Very very biological I absolutely love this and it has been a complete joy to listen , it was the “knowing” for me

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Very informative

I liked everything about this short story and I would definitely recommend this. It’s very descriptive

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Beautifully written child friendly account.

I could read this over and over again. It was hopeful, realistic, and written to empower and enlighten.

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This book should be required reading in grade school history classes.

That anyone could object in any way to this book is sheer lunacy or deception. Thank you Ms. Hannah-Jones and Ms. Watson! And thank you Audible.

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Our people were born free until they weren’t!

I love this book! My daughter loves this book! It gives meaning to the lives of so many. I am greatly impressed and appreciative of this book!

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Heartbreaking but not Broken

How many teachers assign the “heritage” or family tree unit without an understanding of what they are asking of children who should not have to explain or describe a history that is personal and for many, painful. So many family-trees chopped at the knees in history and brought to knees in the classroom. This story should be required reading for all teachers and the family tree and heritage project and standards need to be totally reconsidered.

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5 people found this helpful