NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A dramatic expansion of a groundbreaking work of journalism The 1619 Project A New American Origin Story offers a profoundly revealing vision of the American past and present.ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR The Washington Post NPR Esquire Marie Claire Electric Lit Ms. magazine Kirkus Reviews BooklistIn late August 1619 a ship arrived in the British colony of Virginia bearing a cargo of twenty to thirty enslaved people from Africa. Their arrival led to the barbaric and unprecedented system of American chattel slavery that would last for the next 250 years. This is sometimes referred to as the countrys original sin but it is more than that It is the source of so much that still defines the United States.The New York Times Magazines awardwinning 1619 Project issue reframed our understanding of American history by placing slavery and its continuing legacy at the center of our national narrative. This new book substantially expands on that work weaving together eighteen essays that explore the legacy of slavery in presentday America with thirtysix poems and works of fiction that illuminate key moments of oppression struggle and resistance. The essays show how the inheritance of 1619 reaches into every part of contemporary American society from politics music diet traffic and citizenship to capitalism religion and our democracy itself.This is a book that speaks directly to our current moment contextualizing the systems of race and caste within which we operate today. It reveals longglossedover truths around our nations founding and constructionand the way that the legacy of slavery did not end with emancipation but continues to shape contemporary American life.Featuring contributions from Leslie Alexander Michelle Alexander Carol Anderson Joshua Bennett Reginald Dwayne Betts Jamelle Bouie Anthea Butler Matthew Desmond Rita Dove Camille Dungy Cornelius Eady Eve L. Ewing Nikky Finney Vievee Francis Yaa Gyasi Forrest Hamer Terrance Hayes Kimberly