Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America
by Ibram X. Kendi
28 jurisdictions · Banned 2020-2025 · Published
Stamped from the Beginning is Ibram X. Kendi's 2016 National Book Award-winning history of racist ideas in America, banned or restricted in 28+ U.S. jurisdictions since 2020.
Why it was banned
The adult original of Stamped has been banned alongside its young-adult adaptation, often as part of broader removals of books labeled "critical race theory" by state legislatures. Cited reasoning frequently consists of single sentences pulled from a 600-page work of academic history.
Cited reasons
- divisive content claim
- anti-American framing claim
Primary states
Florida, Texas, Tennessee
Why it matters
Stamped from the Beginning won the 2016 National Book Award for Nonfiction. It traces the history of racist ideas in America through five major figures: Cotton Mather, Thomas Jefferson, William Lloyd Garrison, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Angela Davis. It is one of the most rigorous works of American historical synthesis published this century and was the foundation for the young adult adaptation that followed.
Themes
- history of racism
- American history
- academic nonfiction
Awards
- National Book Award for Nonfiction (2016)
Where to buy
The Ledger recommends Black-owned booksellers. Each stocks this title or can order it.
- MahoganyBooksNational Harbor, Maryland · Founded
Independent bookstore specializing in books written for, by, and about people of the African diaspora.
- Marcus BooksOakland, California · Founded
The oldest independent Black-owned bookstore in the United States, named for political activist Marcus Garvey.
- Semicolon Bookstore and GalleryChicago, Illinois · Founded
Chicago's only Black woman-owned independent bookstore, with a mission to raise literacy rates among Chicago Public School students.
- Hakim's BookstorePhiladelphia, Pennsylvania · Founded
Philadelphia's oldest Black-owned bookstore, specializing in African American history, philosophy, and religion.
The Ledger may earn commission on affiliate links. All commissions route to Black-owned booksellers.
Related banned books
Books in the catalog that share themes with this one.
Documented by The Ledger. A record of what Black America built and what was taken.
Book cover via Open Library. Editorial use under fair use.