"In part a history lesson, in part intensely personal, and with the pace of a ;heartbeat, Notes from 1619 takes on America. From the first slave's arrival, through four centuries of cruelty and injustice, to the threats of these bizarre present times, Mungin explores the complex nature of lies and of surviving. Toni Morrison comes to mind and so does Walt Whitman. Don't let this book slip by."
- William P. Baldwin, author of the Lillian Smith Award winner, The Hard to Catch Mercy
"Horace Mungin takes his readers from the forests of Africa to the nightclubs of New York City. His poetry pulsates with the rhythms and horrors of black life in America, teaching us about Patsey, the abused slave, and Platt, her protector, the ;Red Summer of 1919, and the artistic triumphs of Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Amiri Baraka and more. This collection is an artistic triumph. Every classroom in America needs a copy."
- Aïda Rogers, editor State of the Heart anthology series
"One does not have to necessarily be knowledgable about history and poetry to ;be educated and moved by these poems. Coinciding with the 400th anniversary ;of the arrival of slave ships to the American colonies, this collection is a fascinating user-friendly journey of lesser-known points of that history along with Mungin's experiences during his eight decades on Earth."
- Damon L. Fordham, historian and author of Voices of Black South Carolina