This is a solid 3.5 on my scale of ratings, tipping to 4, as the mood changes. This book is a nice, solid primer for those who don't know anything about Black History ... or American History for that matter, for it is impossible to distinguish, and absurd to split hairs.

It is to be noted that this book was first published in 1961, when it truly was a landmark for American culture. It has been revised at least 3 times since; and in this revision Lerone Bennett states he re-wrote many of the sections to update it to encompass present knowledge (as opposed to the earlier editions that were 'revised' simply by making a few editorial changes.)

The book is encyclopaedic: Bennett moves back in time in order to be able to deliver context, travelling as far back as history will allow and then takes it to 2007, when this last edition was printed. As one can imagine, needs must move this narrative by leaps and bounds: so one travels from 7th C BC Timbuktu to 15th century AD, in about 30 pages. A nice sweeping coverage for the uninitiated, but I was hoping for something more; something more scholarly perhaps. The other minor quibble I have with it is that Bennett relies mainly on secondary source material -- all fine and good for a survey for general consumption but leaves a mild disappointment for seeking the unadorned, unfiltered truth.

It's a must-read and a fascinating overview.

To be noted: the book is not quite as daunting as its 700+ pages might suggest. Only 430 or so pages of narrative, with lots of photographs to enhance the storyline; the next three hundred pages can be used as a quick reference chronology which begins in AD 1300 -- little snippets of important events that one can fly through with ease. (I think it might be quite a handy tool for high school teachers, for instance; and for those kids who prefer to get their information in Twitter-sized notes. Better to ingest it this way, than not at all, imho.) There is a nice section entitled Black Firsts -- giving voice to those moments in time when Black Americans were finally able to break through the various social and cultural prisons carved out for them. It's humbling to see life in that way: that one's merits had to be judged on the colour of the skin, and not the colours in their hearts and minds.

In the end, a very quick (and informative) read from a hefty five pound book.

Read for one of my history courses while attending San Diego City College. This book is powerful. Spanning centuries of history, a great introduction and original text on African American History. 15 Chapters:
1. The African Past
2. Before the Mayflower
3. The Founding of Black America
4. Behind the Cotton Curtain
5. Blood on the Leaves: Revolts and Conspiracies
6. The Generation of Crises
7. Black, Blue and Gray: The Civil War Nobody Knows
8. Black Power in Dixie
9. The Life and Times of Jim Crow
10. Red, White and Black: Race and Sex
11. From Booker T. Washington to Martin Luther King Jr.
12. The Time of the Whale
13. The African-American Century
14. The Perseverance of the Black Spirit
15. Black America's Gifts to America and the World

Read it over 20 years ago. Was and still is important to me.

I allowed this book to linger on my shelves for far too long. It is an excellent history of early Black Americans up until the Civil Rights era. I will be reading/consulting this book again. I read the revised 1966 edition.

An excellent overview of black history from Africa to the arrival in the Americas. This book goes into the nuances of events such as the slave trade, reconstruction, the Jim Crow era, and more. Bennett also introduces the average reader to many unrecognized figures in African-American history and dispels the myth that blacks had little involvement in the events of U.S. history. One interesting story that comes to mind is that of Crispus Attucks. I had never heard of this man before, yet he is credited as being the first casualty of the revolutionary war.

It has always been hard to find works on black history that don't have an agenda of one kind or another. I was expecting this book to be biased towards Afro-centrism (though to be honest, some claims Bennett makes in this work, especially regarding the Africans of antiquity, are quite dubious- it is without much evidence that Sakanouye No Tamuramaro was a black Shogun, for example), however I was pleasantly surprised that Bennett mostly seems to "tell it like it is." It is a long book but the writing is easy to follow. I recommend.

4.5 stars. It amazing sad when one ingests such great revealing literature about historical truths of the past, which declares how much in our current time how much further we still need to travel. Remember when God would deliver the children of Israel their circumstances. And afterwards there would be a tabernacle set up for them for remembrance? This book is a token of remembrance. Recommended

Before The MayFlower is a book that should be taught from in all of America’s schools. As a minimum, it should be in every home library. There is important history included in this book that shares true history instead of the white washed history taught in America’s schools due to the efforts of the United Daughter of the Confederacy.

This books shares a reality of the important role African americans and Africans played in the foundig, creation and building of the United States of America. If someone asked me how can we help psh America towards that, “more perfect union,” I would tell them to read this book and then gift it to all of their friends and relatives during gift giving seaons like Christmas, Kwanzaa and Birthdays.

I read it inperson and online with a group of people from mixed backgrounds. We had many conversations and used it as a reference source to look up more facts. We read, discussed, learned and grew together. We became better Americans.
This is a must read and a must own book!

A classic account of African American history that I am so happy I finally got around to reading! Despite being written in the early 1960s, Bennett's perspective and approach is never dated. He offers an always insightful synthesis that draws on a wide range of sources. His writing is especially accessible and often reminds me of the sweep and style of two other great 'journalist historians'- WJ Cash and Bernard DeVoto.

The beginning of the book is my favorite; starting with the distant history; of the civilizations of Africa. The most important piece in this work, however; is the census of 1850!

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.

I think it was real good

Mentioned by Nikole Hannah-Jones on Aug. 22, 2019.