Born in Blackness: Africa, Africans, and the Making of the Modern World, 1471 to the Second World War [Kõva köide]

"Born in Blackness is enlivened with personal anecdotes I found the book to be searing, humbling and essential reading." -- Nigel Cliff - The New York Times "There are few words that can express the resounding impact of Frenchs breathtaking work on the known historiography of African and African American history . . . Highly recommended for any audience." -- Monique Martinez - Library Journal "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." -- Peter Frankopan - The Observer "A recasting of the history of the modern world that places Africa and Africans at the centre of the story. French argues that the rise of the west to global dominance was made possible by the exploration and exploitation of Africaand, above all, by the slave trade. He recounts the destruction of complex African societies and the scale and brutality of slavery. At the time of Black Lives Matter this is an intensely political message. But Frenchs book is no work of propaganda and has been hailed as a masterpiece by Peter Frankopan, professor of global history at Oxford." -- Financial Times "A very personal bookwritten with a steely and elegant indignationit is also an impressively detailed historical account of the role of Africa and Africans in the development of Europe and the Americas... If the strength of Mr. Frenchs book lies in its quiet but adamant righteousness, it rests also in its empirical force.... It is his viewwith which few would rush to argue after reading Born in Blacknessthat the sooner the denial about the role slaves played in creating Americas prosperity is put to rest, the better Americans as a people will come to understand their countrys true place in world history." -- Tunku Varadarajan - Wall Street Journal "Born in Blackness is an extraordinary book that draws deep on [ Frenchs] decades of experience as he seeks to explain the circumstances of Africas history with Europeans who were first attracted to the continent in the search of gold and slaves... Frenchs narrative is a bold retelling of what has often been told, but with additional details that might have escaped the attention of many historians In many surprising ways, [ Born in Blackness] provides a brilliantly argued case for recognition of Africas immense contribution to modernity." -- Stephen Williams - African Business "French writes not only to correct the historical record but to urge readers to understand how their world has been made by Africas contributions. Born in Blackness is therefore an entry into a larger debate about how to reckon with the past...For French, transforming the way we perceive ourselves as citizens of the most powerful country in the world, and transforming how we understand the part Africans played in building it, are necessary steps toward justice and quality" -- Adom Getachew - The New York Review of Books