From acclaimed columnist and political commentator Michael Harriot, a searingly smart and bitingly hilarious retelling of American history that corrects the record and showcases the perspectives and experiences of Black Americans.

America’s backstory is a whitewashed mythology implanted in our collective memory. It is the story of the pilgrims on the Mayflower building a new nation. It is George Washington’s cherry tree and Abraham Lincoln’s log cabin. It is the fantastic tale of slaves that spontaneously teleported themselves here with nothing but strong backs and negro spirituals. It is a sugarcoated legend based on an almost true story.

It should come as no surprise that the dominant narrative of American history is blighted with errors and oversights—after all, history books were written by white men with their perspectives at the forefront. It could even be said that the devaluation and erasure of the Black experience is as American as apple pie.

In Black AF History, Michael Harriot presents a more accurate version of American history. Combining unapologetically provocative storytelling with meticulous research based on primary sources as well as the work of pioneering Black historians, scholars, and journalists, Harriot removes the white sugarcoating from the American story, placing Black people squarely at the center. With incisive wit, Harriot speaks hilarious truth to oppressive power, subverting conventional historical narratives with little-known stories about the experiences of Black Americans. From the African Americans who arrived before 1619 to the unenslavable bandit who inspired America’s first police force, this long overdue corrective provides a revealing look into our past that is as urgent as it is necessary. For too long, we have refused to acknowledge that American history is white history. Not this one. This history is Black AF. 

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Booklist Reviews

*Starred Review* Combine Neil deGrasse Tyson's professorial encouragement with Kevin Hart's stinging snark and you've got journalist/storyteller Harriot streaming through the headset. His Uncle Junior taught him "not to trust anyone's version of history unless [he] corroborated it with an independent source." With 50-plus pages of sources and citations (omitted on audio), Harriot debunks the "fantastical, overwrought, and fictive tale" called American history. Some assertions include that "The heralded ‘first Americans'" were ill-prepared cannibals who murdered pregnant women and ate children; the Founding Fathers included thieves, human traffickers, drug smugglers, and—no surprise—rich white men; Drapetomania, "the disease causing slaves to run away," was a documented mental illness; the Civil War was not about slavery; the third and final iteration of the Confederate flag was devised by "white frat boys" whose "hillbilly pronunciation" of their Greek-inspired name, "Kyklos" Clan, was Ku Klux Klan; and Jim Crow was American apartheid. Step aside, MLK and Malcolm X, Black women were the foundation of the civil rights movement. With his "advanced degree in wypipology," Harriot threads an illuminating (and occasionally jaw-dropping) Q&A format throughout to educate. "Like its history, this nation is a mirage. Its greatness is a figment of a collective white imagination." Harriot gifts readers a brilliant, Black AF antidote. Copyright 2024 Booklist Reviews.

Library Journal Reviews

Poet, journalist, and broadcaster Harriot (The Situation in South Carolina) pens a corrective retelling of United States history, highlighting the contributions, accomplishments, and experiences of Black and Indigenous people. This incisive account is peppered with heartwarming stories of his own family's experiences, from lighthearted events to real-life injustices. Harriot exposes hypocrisy with humor, easing the pain a bit as he rips off the nation's band-aid. Narrating this work himself, the author has conversations with members of his family as well as a "Racist Baby" (drawn from his opinion column at The Root). The Racist Baby dialogues break down long-standing misconceptions about the Lost Cause, Confederate monuments, and the real meaning of reparations. Listeners may feel that Harriot is speaking to them personally, removing barriers and artifice while revealing historical facts that provide much more context than the United States' traditional origin story. It doesn't stop there; Harriot breaks down history from 1619 to the present, opening listeners' eyes to new truths about what is needed to move forward. VERDICT A stimulating, deeply researched history that is simultaneously entertaining and heartbreaking. Harriot's self-narrated work is an essential purchase for all audio history collections.—Laura Trombley