The 272 - Rachel Swarns - 2023

 


Thanks Uncle Steve for the recommendation! 

This book is nonfiction and not that long. It is about 9 hours on audio. I say listen to this one. The audio person’s voice is peaceful (it’s not the author). 

This book shows that history is alive. Basically someone asked what happened to the enslaved people discussed in this book and no one knew. Then this book was born (and many other important things happened as a result such as apologies, fundraising, and networking among the descendants of the 272).

It is super relevant if you are catholic (that’s me) and are from Maryland (me again) or if you went to Georgetown (Uncle Steve is all three). If you were born in Iowa (for example or anywhere other than Maryland or Louisiana) you may not find this book as relevant. 

This book is super factual and there are a lot of names to keep track of. Sometimes I was bored. On the whole it tells the true history of the Jesuit slaves (slaves owned by the Jesuits) in Maryland and their role (which is a sad and difficult one) in the efforts to pay down debt owed by Georgetown University (I think it was called Georgetown College at the time). The events in the text span from approximately 1800 to 1900. 

Page it if you are from Maryland or would like to learn about the role the Catholic Church had regarding slavery pre and post civil war. There is also a nice epilogue about the current reparations Georgetown and the Jesuits are making because of the actions they took in the past (as detailed in this book).

What to read next???

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