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On Juneteenth
A review of

On Juneteenth

Annette Gordon-Reed • Liveright • 2021

Enslavement and Emancipation

by David Meyer

Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winner Harvard professor Annette Gordon-Reed combines personal memoir and history to present a moving portrait of enslavement and emancipation in Texas.

Harvard professor Annette Gordon-Reed offers a personal journey providing context for Juneteenth, the US national holiday commemorating June 19, 1865, when freedom for enslaved African-Americans arrived in Texas.

Gordon-Reed’s African-American family dates back to Texas enslavement and emancipation. Sharing family stories, she illuminates the horrors of enslavement and the injustices of segregation. One doorway to understanding a sweeping saga is through a single individual, and the author opens that door.

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