July 2026 Book Club: The Half Has Never Been Told by Edward Baptist Discussion

Dock C. Bracy Center
3 hours ago
1 min read

Meeting Date: Sunday, July 26, 2026 | 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM ET

Understand the link between slavery and American capitalism. July RFU book discussion.

Silhouetted person wearing futuristic sunglasses on a circuit-patterned background. Text: "Ruha Benjamin, Race After Technology." — Book Cover: The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism

Book Details

Full Title: The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism
Author: Edward E. Baptist
Publisher: Basic Books
Year Published: 2014
Page Count: 528 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0465049660
WorldCat Listing: View on worldcat.org

Synopsis

Edward Baptist reveals how the expansion of slavery in the 19th century drove the modernization and economic growth of the United States, arguing that American success was inextricably linked to enslaved suffering.

About the Author

Edward E. Baptist is a Professor of History at Cornell University, focusing on the history of 19th-century U.S. and enslavement.

Website: Faculty Page
Social Media: Twitter/X @Ed_Baptist

Featured Black-Owned Bookstore

Resist Booksellers (Petersburg, VA)

Website: resistbooksellers.com

About Reading for Understanding

Reading for Understanding (RFU) is a community of readers dedicated to exploring the complex histories and systemic issues that shape our world. We believe that collective dialogue is essential for turning individual seeds of knowledge into a bloom of actionable empathy.

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