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kelcarter's review against another edition
3.0
Well researched, overly dry with listings of statistics in places, but solid in its accounting of capitalism and how it's leveraged racism to accelerate. The final chapter (requirements for a successful socialist transformation in the US) made me wish for a sequel that just explored those ideas in greater depth.
breadandmushrooms's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
theythemsam's review against another edition
5.0
Chile…I’m just happy I finished this book after 9 months lol. Highly recommend though as it definitely informed me on how terrible capitalism is and how “Black capitalism” isn’t going to uplift and secure Black people in this racist and capitalist society
laureen0515's review against another edition
4.5
Although I knew many of the subjects covered in this book reading the details brought me to tears on more than one occasion. This is a book that I think every black person should read.
One of the few negatives is that much of the information is dated, which is to be expected considering how old the book is. I also wish that the book gave a more in depth discussion about socialism.
One of the few negatives is that much of the information is dated, which is to be expected considering how old the book is. I also wish that the book gave a more in depth discussion about socialism.
vivling's review against another edition
5.0
5 stars because it's that kind of book.
1980s seems a whole lot like today. My only complaint is that I wish the destruction of black education chapter had more history to it, and more time spent on it, but that's just because Marable's writing style made complex problems simple to grasp, and this was a good read, even with horrific subject matter.
1980s seems a whole lot like today. My only complaint is that I wish the destruction of black education chapter had more history to it, and more time spent on it, but that's just because Marable's writing style made complex problems simple to grasp, and this was a good read, even with horrific subject matter.
nup's review against another edition
4.0
Marable was a little too enamored with the aesthetics of Rodney, but the dry repetition of entire paragraphs of statistics where a graph would suffice did help illuminate the points he was making.
For the time, a very prescient book; but his political analyses definitely leave something to be desired (e.g. his failure to define fascism, which he admits in the updated version, hand-waving some things away as authoritarianism, lack of analysis on the BPP, Verso-style liberalism). But, not something I wouldn't recommend reading for someone interested in a historical analysis of Black underdevelopment.
For the time, a very prescient book; but his political analyses definitely leave something to be desired (e.g. his failure to define fascism, which he admits in the updated version, hand-waving some things away as authoritarianism, lack of analysis on the BPP, Verso-style liberalism). But, not something I wouldn't recommend reading for someone interested in a historical analysis of Black underdevelopment.
wai's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
5.0
Even with this having been written in 1983 and no revisions made, the continued relevancy and seeming prescience of this book are a bit unsettling and disheartening. There are a lot of parallels between Manning's criticism of Reagan and current (2020) criticism of Trump. It is difficult and slow going but absolutely necessary for everyone who is pushing for an antiracist, antioppressive future to read and understand how imperative the dismantling of capitalism is for racial justice and as a result all forms of social justice to really occur.