ABHM Book Club – How The Word Is Passed

About The Book

Starting in his hometown of New Orleans, Clint Smith takes readers on a powerful journey through monuments and landmarks—some that acknowledge the past honestly and others that obscure it. Through these sites, Smith weaves an intergenerational narrative that reveals how slavery has deeply influenced both the history of our nation and our collective identity.

Smith explores the story of Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia plantation, where the author of the Declaration of Independence espoused liberty while enslaving over 400 people. He delves into the Whitney Plantation, one of the few former plantations dedicated to preserving the experiences of the enslaved people who labored there. The narrative also examines Angola, a former plantation-turned-prison in Louisiana, where Black men work across 18,000 acres for little to no pay. And it looks at Blandford Cemetery, the final resting place of tens of thousands of Confederate soldiers.

In this deeply researched and moving exploration of slavery’s legacy, How the Word is Passed reveals how much of our nation’s history is hidden in plain sight—whether in the places we pass by every day, the celebrations of Juneteenth, or the streets of downtown Manhattan, where the legacy of the transatlantic slave trade is deeply embedded.

Rich in scholarship and enlivened by the voices of people living today, Clint Smith’s debut nonfiction work offers profound insights into the role of memory and history in understanding our country’s past and present. It’s a powerful reflection on how history can guide us toward a more hopeful future.