200-year story of enslaved families
The 272: The Families Who were Enslaved and Sold to Build The American Catholic Church 2023 Book jacket
Author Rachel L. Swarns Audio read by Karen Murray Subject Catholic Church; Georgetown University History; Jesuits United States; Racism United States; Social science/slavery; Slavery Maryland Genre nonfiction Published 2023 Publisher Random House Publication place United States Media type Print, E-book, Audio Pages 352 Awards See Accolades ISBN 9780399590863 OCLC 1354504740 Website Official website
The 272: The Families Who were Enslaved and Sold to Build The American Catholic Church is a nonfiction book written by Rachel L. Swarns and released on June 13, 2023, by Random House .[ 1] [ 2] [ 3] [ 4] It covers the history of and intersection of the author's family with the 1838 Jesuit slave sale .
Synopsis
In 1838, prominent Catholic leaders of the Jesuits Order sold 272 enslaved people to fund Georgetown University . The book chronicles the history behind this event by following an enslaved family for almost 200 years. This book also shows how the Catholic Church in the United States depended on slave labor to run its institutions and grow its influence.[ 1] [ 3]
Accolades
Chosen as a notable book of the year by The New York Times , in the nonfiction category. [ 5] Also, chosen as a best book of year by The New Yorker and The Washington Post .[ 6] [ 7]
See also
References
^ a b
Blight, David W. (June 28, 2023). "The Slave Sale That Saved — and Stained — Georgetown" . The New York Times . Retrieved March 24, 2024 .
^
Araujo, Ana Lucia (July 13, 2023). "An intimate account of the enslaved people sold to save Georgetown" . Washington Post . Retrieved March 24, 2024 .
^ a b Elie, Paul (June 27, 2023). "Confronting Georgetown's History of Enslavement" . The New Yorker .
^ Prusak, Bernard G. (August 19, 2023). "New book 'The 272' traces enslavement practices in the US Catholic church" . National Catholic Reporter .
^ "100 Notable Books of 2023" . The New York Times . 21 November 2023.
^ "The Best Books of 2023" . The New Yorker (magazine) . December 20, 2023.
^ "The 272" . Penguin Random House . June 13, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2024 .
External links
Further reading