Slavery by Another Name

The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II

By: Douglas A. Blackmon

Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris

Pulitzer Prize, General Nonfiction, 2009

In this groundbreaking historical expose, Douglas A. Blackmon brings to light one of the most shameful chapters in American history: an Age of Neoslavery that thrived from the aftermath of the Civil War through the dawn of World War II.

Using a vast record of original documents and personal narratives, Douglas A. Blackmon unearths the lost stories of slaves and their descendants who journeyed into freedom after the Emancipation Proclamation and then back into the shadow of involuntary servitude shortly thereafter.

By turns moving, sobering, and shocking, this unprecedented account reveals the stories of those who fought unsuccessfully against the re-emergence of human labor trafficking, the companies that profited most from neoslavery, and the insidious legacy of racism that reverberates today.

©2009 Douglas A. Blackmon (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Shocking....Eviscerates one of our schoolchildren's most basic assumptions: that slavery in America ended with the Civil War.” ( The New York Times)

“The genius of Blackmon's book is that it illuminates both the real human tragedy and the profoundly corrupting nature of the Old South slavery as it transformed to establish a New South social order.” ( The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

History everyone should know

Would you listen to Slavery by Another Name again? Why?

No. It's not entertaining. The stories are seared into one's memory.

Who was your favorite character and why?

No favorite character

Which scene was your favorite?

Suntrust revealing to its employees that the Bank's starting equity was largely the result of massive profits from slave labor well into the 1900s.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Same as book

Any additional comments?

Shocking. Powerful. Insightful. Must Listen American History

Great narrative, not so great narrator

What did you love best about Slavery by Another Name?

This book tells about a piece of our nation's past that many people do not know about. The author puts the story together well, and it is well researched.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The narrator mispronounced too many words -- the most frustrating mispronunciation was that of W.E.B. DuBois -- he pronounced the name DuBwah. Every time I heard the name mispronounced, I cringed. Someone who is going to narrate a work of history should really check out how to pronounce the names of famous historical figures before he begins.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

There already is a film coming out -- I will have to see what the tag line is.

I asked myself if it was a good book......

I've exposed myself to weighted recounts of the horrors and tragedies of humanities past before, but when I started this book I wasn't expecting it to rival the emotional taxation of other tellings.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's, The Gulag Archipelago was my introduction to hard to swallow realities of what mankind is capable of executing on their fellow brethren. I've had to take breaks to contemplate the barbaric capabilities of what, when pushed, men can subjugate others to. If you are familiar with this recounting by Solzhennitsyna, then you'll have the context to understand this short review.

I was caught off guard as to how this book was formated, and in the end I recognize that the telling of human destruction is likely most powerful when it is a raw recount of the conditions and brutality that our ancestors have endured, and enacted.

When the book was finished and the usual voice says, "this has been a production of Audible, we hope you liked it", I quickly began to ask myself, was this a good book. Before I could finish that thought I physically broke down weak and weeping in recounting of what I had just finished exposing myself to.

I encourage you to listen, but I charge you, do not believe you can grasp the realities conveyed here with a light heart.

A stunning revelation of unvarnished history!

I loved this book, although difficult to digest. Difficult because I was unprepared to come into such brutal truth. This audible journey provided a revelation and understanding of American history that I have not before comprehended. This book is a must for those seeking a deeper understanding of the American dynamic!

Awesome Read

Was very educational and informative of the struggles and injustices of black Americans. Must read.

Required reading

A powerful and engrossing telling of our shameful history. Particularly important for this moment in time. This should be on everyone's required reading list.

Touching

This should be required reading/listening in both high school and college history classes. It provides needed context.

I read it twice.

A champion write for quieted voices. So many events that were known but forced to be forgotten. Still, they all continue to affect our country and societal values today. An eye opener for those that still live in denial or those that are still learning the history shaped their country.

Brilliant

It really inspired me to think about American history differently and I learned so much

Tough history

A hard but important story to read. History very few of us know. Please read.