Malcolm X is not mentioned ...

If you are of African ancestry you have to know your history before you can put your eyes on the future, with success. This is also a very good read for anyone that is not African American but wants to explore the history of Africans in America.

an incredibly influential book for me. changed my perspective on a lot. transformational.

Excellent resource book to have. It provides a detailed history of Black America before coming over on the Mayflower. There are many that have tried to lift up the defeats and successes of the African American. Great historical book to maintain in your home library.

Good book but a slow read.

A terrific compendium of straightforward historical facts. There is certainly some reflection here and there, but the book achieves most in the density of it's information.

I appreciated it quite a bit, yet ironically not much was revelatory from a 2021 East Coast perspective. Granted, this was written in the early 1960s, intended for an audience for most of whom the information contained would have been remarkably new. Thus, I do not fault the book for not always being dazzling; I was dipping backwards 60 years, so I am the one who needs to recalibrate as the reader.

Keep in mind that while there is time spent outlining the black American historical narratives "before the Mayflower," this is actually not the bulk of the book. Much more time is spent after the Mayflower. That is fine, and indeed it was no less interesting. However, I was truly hoping the whole book would be truly about the black history prior to the settlements of Europe in North America, as this is an area that fascinates and interests me to learn more about. I make this note for others to set their expectations; the title is NOT the focus.

As a caveat there were a few points (let me emphasize: VERY few) where the author played a little fast-and-loose with historical facts for effect. The author is not necessarily posturing as an academic historian, and the points were minor, and indeed arguably inconsequential to the narrative put forth. I think that because most of these were originally written for periodicals they had a more casual tone at points, which accounts for these not-quite-perfect historical footnotes here and there. Just something I noted as I was reading, yet did not cause any major distraction.

It was actually wonderful reading a book written before the assassination of Dr. King. There is a tone that is hopeful and fresh, and to see the lionization of Dr. King in it's "real time" perspective was actually inspiring. Throughout the text was a tone that echoed the mood and attitude of the era of civil rights of it's time, bringing the period of the greatest works of Martin Luther King Jr, et. al., to light with more nuance and liveliness. This is not the original intention of the text, clearly, but read from the historical future it becomes a remarkable document illustrating what is for us now part of (recent) history.

Overall it's a terrific primer, and I think it will contain vital and useful information to anyone who reads it, particularly Americans in the US and Canada.

Upon the beloved Lerone Bennett, Jr.' s passing on Valentine's Day of this year, I did what I had been intending to do for years- read this masterpiece. I opened it on a Friday and finished it on Sunday. I could not put it down.
Before the Mayflower touched so many parts of my soul. I traveled many new roads and some parts of the history were recalled. It was truly a long journey in night, into light and mostly into illumination.
Just think, this scholar did all of this research before the advent of the Internet which means he read many documents and labored many hours in libraries and centers of archives.
I could go on and on, but as one reader wrote, every person of color should read it. Actually, anyone of letters who seeks true insight should read it.
What a magnificent record!

Eye opening and wonderfully detailed. I recommend it o anyone who wants a sobering education presented in easy text. Get ready to have your mind opened up.

Very thorough, this book can easily be used as a sort of encyclopedia

I must confess that I do not remember 95% of this book but I remembered how it made me feel. I felt secure, grounded, and informed. Even at that time, I knew I was absorbing only a fraction of that unprecedented information and doing so to get a good grade out of a college class.

Great Book! I have read previous versions. There are some new updates in this one.

Bennett was editor of “Ebony” magazine among other publications. “Before the Mayflower,” is a sentinel history of African Americans, commencing with their African past, their movement to the Americas, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, the Civil War, the Reconstruction era, Jim Crow, World Wars I and II, the Great Migration of hundreds of thousands of African-Americans north and west, segregation, the great leaders, including Martin Luther King, Jr. I read the first edition, which ends in 1961, although the book has been updated through the Clinton presidency. Bennett discoveries unknown and previously unnamed African-Americans, bringing their story to light; what we should have learned in US history courses in school, but didn’t. Rich and disquieting, this book brings truth and depth to the struggle and plight of African-Americans while also celebrating their courage and persistence