Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America by Michael Harriot

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About the Book

Black AF History is Michael Harriot's searingly smart and sharply funny retelling of American history, one that reframes the national story by placing Black Americans squarely at its center rather than at its margins. Harriot begins from a simple premise: the version of American history most people learn — pilgrims on the Mayflower, Washington's cherry tree, Lincoln's log cabin — is a sugarcoated mythology shaped by errors and oversights, in large part because history books were written by white men with their own perspectives at the forefront.

Drawing on meticulous research grounded in primary sources and the work of pioneering Black historians, scholars, and journalists, Harriot traces a corrective narrative spanning from the earliest Africans who arrived in America before 1619 through slavery, the Civil War, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, and up through the present day. Along the way, he surfaces overlooked figures and stories — including the unenslavable bandit who inspired America's first police force — while connecting historical injustices directly to contemporary issues like economic inequality and mass incarceration. Combining rigorous scholarship with irreverent, provocative wit, the book insists on centering Black resistance, resilience, and self-determination as the true engine of American history, rather than a footnote to it.

Why Choose This Book?

• A New York Times bestseller: Widely praised and embraced as an essential corrective to conventional American history narratives.
• Rigorously researched, unapologetically funny: Combines meticulous primary-source research with sharp, biting humor rare in history writing.
• Praised by leading voices: Endorsed by Ibram X. Kendi as a book that evokes the full range of human emotions — laughter, rage, sadness, and constant discovery, and by MSNBC's Joy Reid as history told "straight, no chaser."
• From a respected columnist and commentator: Michael Harriot is a columnist at theGrio.com covering the intersection of race, politics, and culture, and a political commentator on MSNBC and CNN.
• Connects past to present: Links historical injustice directly to modern issues of inequality and incarceration, making history feel urgently relevant.

About the Author: Michael Harriot

Michael Harriot is a columnist and political commentator whose work has appeared in the Washington Post, The Atlantic, NBC, and BET, and who has been honored by the National Association of Black Journalists for his commentary. He is the creator and cohost of the podcast Drapetomaniax: Unshackled History, and Black AF History marks his acclaimed debut book.

Who Should Read This Book?

• Readers interested in American history told from a Black perspective
• Anyone who enjoys sharp wit paired with serious historical scholarship
• Fans of Ibram X. Kendi and similarly corrective historical nonfiction
• Book club members seeking a thought-provoking, discussion-rich read
• Educators and students looking to broaden their understanding of American history

Why Buy From Us?

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Order now and bring home Black AF History — a searingly smart, laugh-out-loud corrective to the American story you thought you knew.