Stamped From the BeginningStamped From the Beginning
Score Modern
What it's about
Ibram X. Kendi traces the history of racist ideas in America from their roots in fifteenth-century Europe to the present, through the lives of five figures: the Puritan minister Cotton Mather, Thomas Jefferson, the abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, W.E.B. Du Bois and Angela Davis. His argument is that racist ideas didn't come from ignorance and hate but were created to justify policies that already existed.
Why it's worth reading
It won the National Book Award and reframed how a generation thinks about the history of race in America. Whether you agree with every conclusion or not, it's a sweeping, thought-provoking history.
You'll love it if you liked
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration
Between the World and MeGood to know
It's long, about 600 pages of text, and dense with history. Its framework of segregationist, assimilationist and antiracist ideas is debated by other historians.
By the numbers
- Readers100 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics70 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller46 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz4 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #12 of the 198 history books we rank
- #30 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #60 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story
More by Ibram X. Kendi
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Educated: A Memoir
All the Light We Cannot See
The Book Thief
Americanah
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Quick answers
Is Stamped From the Beginning worth reading?
Yes. It won the National Book Award and reframed how a generation thinks about the history of race in America. It ranks #60 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 88.4 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Stamped From the Beginning about?
Ibram X. Kendi traces the history of racist ideas in America from their roots in fifteenth-century Europe to the present, through the lives of five figures: the Puritan minister Cotton Mather, Thomas Jefferson, the abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, W.E.B. Du Bois and Angela Davis. His argument is that racist ideas didn't come from ignorance and hate but were created to justify policies that already existed.
How long does it take to read Stamped From the Beginning?
About 18 hours (736 pages), or about 5 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has Stamped From the Beginning won?
National Book Award (Nonfiction) winner (2016).
What should I read after Stamped From the Beginning?
If you liked it, try Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson, The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson or Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates.