How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America
by Clint Smith
Award History
| Award | Year | Status |
|---|---|---|
| National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction | 2021 | Winner |
About This Book
Clint Smith visits eight sites tied to American slavery — from Monticello to the Whitney Plantation to Angola Prison — and asks how each institution reckons with or suppresses its history. His lyrical blend of personal narrative and historical inquiry won the NBCC Award for Nonfiction, the Stowe Prize, and the Heartland Prize.
About the Author
Clint Smith is an American poet, writer, and staff writer at The Atlantic whose work focuses on the intersections of race, history, and American memory. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, he earned his BA from Davidson College and his PhD in Education from Harvard University, where his dissertation examined the ways teachers discuss race and racism in the classroom. His debut nonfiction book, How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America (2021), won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction, the Stowe Prize, and the Heartland Prize, among many others. Read more →
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