On Juneteenth

By: Annette Gordon-Reed

Narrated by: Karen Chilton

The essential, sweeping story of Juneteenth’s integral importance to American history, as told by a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and Texas native.

Weaving together American history, dramatic family chronicle, and searing episodes of memoir, Annette Gordon-Reed’s On Juneteenth provides a historian’s view of the country’s long road to Juneteenth, recounting both its origins in Texas and the enormous hardships that African Americans have endured in the century since, from Reconstruction through Jim Crow and beyond.

All too aware of the stories of cowboys, ranchers, and oilmen that have long dominated the lore of the Lone Star State, Gordon-Reed - herself a Texas native and the descendant of enslaved people brought to Texas as early as the 1820s - forges a new and profoundly truthful narrative of her home state, with implications for us all. Combining personal anecdotes with poignant facts gleaned from the annals of American history, Gordon-Reed shows how, from the earliest presence of Black people in Texas to the day in Galveston on June 19, 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger announced the end of legalized slavery in the state, African Americans played an integral role in the Texas story.

Reworking the traditional “Alamo” framework, she powerfully demonstrates, among other things, that the slave- and race-based economy not only defined the fractious era of Texas independence but precipitated the Mexican-American War and, indeed, the Civil War itself. In its concision, eloquence, and clear presentation of history, On Juneteenth vitally revises conventional renderings of Texas and national history. As our nation verges on recognizing June 19 as a national holiday, On Juneteenth is both an essential account and a stark reminder that the fight for equality is exigent and ongoing.

©2021 Annette Gordon-Reed (P)2021 Recorded Books Inc.

A must listen

Insightful inspiring hopeful sad hard to understand best written balanced telling of Juneteenth. I will look to read her other books as well.

Excellent Introduction

Excellent brief history of Juneteenth and the State of Texas. Provides a beautiful way of looking at America's tortured, violent and racist past that is both honest and hopeful.

Enlightening

Enjoyed thoroughly! Well read and captured historical events truthfully. I highly recommend this for all ages.

On Juneteenth

Wow! So much history I did not know. I felt like I was seated in the author’s classroom in an excelerated session. This was a great book. I wish to thank Ms. Reed and her team for their incredible work poured into this book. I am blessed and thankful for the truths I now can share with my children, and grandchildren. ❤️

African American Growing Up in Texas

Very well written. I learned so much about the African American experience in Texas.

Great book

This had a lots of great points. enjoy the voice of the reader and history of Juneteenth

Four stars

I struggled with Chapter 4’s depictions of “Indians” (that is, peoples native to the lands many now call the Americas) and lack of focus or unifying theme. However, I really enjoyed the rest of the book, especially its use of oral history/memoir to inform the reader of essential historical events.

a short but compelllng book

"The image of Texas has a gender and a race. Texas is a white man.”

Juneteenth is an annual recognition of June 19, 1865, the date that the news of the end of the Civil War finally reached Texas, albeit 2 months after the War had ended and thus the date that legalized slavery ended in the state. On Juneteenth is a look at the role Black Texans played in the state throughout history, as told through the medium of personal memoir.

Written by law professor and historian Annette Gordon-Reed, the book is full of "personal anecdotes and poignant facts” taken from American history. A short but compelling book that strives to put history into context, providing an important, moving account of the fight for equality that continues to this day. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Brief and Powerful

The author is a distinguished, credible scholar. The history shared here fills in some of the blanks we should all know in order to be a true democracy with an informed citizenry. This should be included in education curriculums in all 50 states.

Brilliant

A mix of personal memories and historical milestones that brilliantly reveals the crucial place of contingency in the shaping of our history