Reviews

Collective Amnesia: American Apartheid – African American’s 400 Years in North America, 1619-2019

One of the sad realities of our world is that racism in the world at large, but especially in the United States, still exists today. As John Lewis once said, “The scars and stains of racism are still deeply embedded in the American society.” In author Eugene DeFriest Bétit’s book Collective Amnesia: American Apartheid: African Americans ’400 Years in North America, 1619–2019, the true history of African Americans over the course of 400 years on the North American continent are explored.

In this book, the author thoroughly explores the sad and continuing history of discrimination, violence, and persecution of African Americans in North America. From slavery and the Civil War to the huge contributions made by African Americans during both World Wars, and modern-day slayings of innocent, unarmed African American people in our modern age, this book captures the raw emotional toll and tragic history of an entire group of people in our world.

The book captures the sadness and injustice that African American individuals have endured over the last 400 years. While the actions of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War may have begun the idea of equality, racism and discrimination against African Americans did not end once the Civil War did. Actions and words over the last 400 years are still felt to this day and represent a horrible mentality that has not yet found a way to be erased over the last few centuries, a mentality of pure racism and hatred.

This is a read for anyone interested in history, tales of injustice, and anyone interested in the long history of African Americans as a whole. As a historical buff, it was both fascinating and sad to hear the events that have transpired and the continuation of the discrimination African American people have faced for centuries. With our current society still embroiled in these acts of racial violence and discrimination, this book is much needed to teach the true history of not just our nation but the history of African Americans as a whole.

A thought-provoking, detailed and thorough read, Collective Amnesia: American Apartheid: African Americans ’400 Years in North America, 1619–2019 by Eugene DeFriest Bétit is a brilliant narrative that explores a tragic history that must not be forgotten. This book is incredible, brutally honest, and necessary. Read this book and then change yourself and your world.

War’s Cost: The Hite’s Civil War

5.0 out of 5 stars — Excellent!

Thomas Carlyle once observed, “history is the essence of innumerable biography.” Eugene Betit’s first book offers a great reminder to all about the value of individual stories. Those stories, as Carlyle believed, help us build a deeper connection to the past. Through the eyes of the Hite Family, Betit’s book offers tremendous insight into how families responded to the American Civil War and why all members of the Hite family who were of military age (40 in total) enlisted to fight for the Confederacy. In addition to gaining a glimpse into the lives of these young men Betit’s finely crafted and cogent volume, tugs at the heart strings as he recounts the stories of some members of the Hite family, such as George Smith Hite who enlisted in the 19th Virginia Infantry at the tender age of fourteen and did not live to see fifteen—having succumbed to wounds received at the Battle of Gaines’ Mill in 1862. Beyond the fascinating glimpses Betit offers, this study provides insight into the broader history of the Civil War era in Virginia, and specifically the Shenandoah Valley. Betit’s fine book is a worthwhile addition to anyone who interested in the lives of Confederate soldiers, the conflict in the Old Dominion, or who desire to gain a deeper understanding of how our American Iliad deeply impacted families, not only during the conflict, but years after the guns fell silent.

 

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