Cover Image: Collective Amnesia

Collective Amnesia

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

This is a hard but informative book to read. The author tries to include 400 years of history and it does fall short but what is included is important. It is a good starting point for understanding the history. The book can be dry and dense. It is a heartbreaking read that should be read in small doses.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Xlibris and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy!

Now available.

Precise yet horrifying, Eugene DeFriest Betit's Collective Amnesia sets out to answer the question - why did the Nazis look up to America as a leader in racial subjugation and how does that narrative play a role today? Starting with the history of American plantations, Betit casts an unflinching gaze into the deep, bloody history of American racial politics. Most of the information is known, but it sits differently when presented in such a rapid fire manner. While the information presented was clear, I didn't enjoy Betit's writing style, finding it a bit dry and pompous which is a personal preference. Overall, an informative read.

Was this review helpful?

This book was a hard book to read. A gut-wrenching history that literally had me crying. My history is a middle class white woman, born in 1953 in a suburb of Cleveland, where I lived until 1969. I then moved to Daytona Beach Florida where I went to school, which was the first time I interacted with Black children. To me there was no difference between black and white to me. My knowledge of black history is mostly limited to movies like Roots, Glory, Mississippi Burning and Hidden Figures. This book is an eye-opener and hard to read but should be required reading for students, along with Night by Elie Wiesel, for those who have little or no knowledge of the Holocaust. I received an e-book from NetGalley in return for an unbiased review. Thank you NetGalley and thanks to the author for this comprehensive look into Black history.

Was this review helpful?