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This Quick Read edition includes both the full text and a summary for each chapter.
- Reading time of the complete text: about 6 hours
- Reading time of the summarized text: 12 minutes
"The Souls of Black Folk" is a book written by W.E.B. Du Bois that discusses the history of African Americans and their struggle for equality and justice. Du Bois coined the term "double-consciousness" to describe the feeling of always being viewed through the eyes of others. He also introduced the metaphor of the veil, which represents the color line and the problem of racism. The book discusses the importance of education and the success of the Freedmen's Bureau in providing free elementary education to all classes in the South. Du Bois argues that the granting of the ballot to black men was a necessity and the only way to compel the South to accept the results of the Civil War. The book also discusses the importance of black folk culture, including Negro music and the sorrow songs. Du Bois's concept of double-consciousness and other ideas from the book have been highly influential on other scholars in their interpretations of black culture and religion. The book has been criticized for its gendered narrative and its focus on black male intellectuals as the only possible leaders of the unified race. Du Bois made minor changes to the book in later editions to avoid any possible misunderstanding of his intentions.
