HOW THE WORD IS PASSED (ADAPTED FOR YOUNG READERS)

Cherry-Paul presents an adaptation for young readers of Smith’s 2021 original, a riveting exploration of the lasting impact of slavery in the United States.

The author, a New Orleans native, grew up surrounded by “the echo of enslavement” but without being fully aware of his “hometown’s relationship to the centuries of bondage” that had shaped it. After witnessing the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee from downtown New Orleans in 2017, he decided to investigate the history of slavery and “how it is remembered.” This work documents his visits to the Monticello Plantation, the Whitney Plantation, Angola Prison, Blandford Cemetery, Galveston Island, New York City, and Gorée Island, off the coast of Senegal. At Monticello, Smith spoke with visitors who were grappling with their newfound knowledge of Thomas Jefferson’s history of separating families and other abuses. At Angola, Smith uncovered racial disparities in incarceration and the slaverylike conditions the prisoners continue to endure. In New York City, Smith took a walking tour of the Underground Railroad and learned the jaw-dropping fact that New York City was home to the second largest slave market in the U.S. This lyrical, moving, and engrossing investigation offers readers outstanding examples of ways to engage with and talk about the history that shapes our present-day lives, whether we’re aware of it or not. Readers will approach their own visits to historical sites with a more sophisticated understanding and awareness.

An important and phenomenally executed book.