dannymason_1's review against another edition
4.0
This was great, I feel like these days it's not as well known as some other books from the civil rights movement but it deserves to be right up there with the best. It strikes a perfect balance between the charisma and power of the revolutionary Kwame Ture and the detailed argumentation and insight of the political scientist Charles V. Hamilton. I know it's a cliche, but most of the book really does feel like it could be written today, a testament to the strength of the arguments being made but sadly also to the extent they've been wrongly ignored.
I particularly enjoyed the first chapter, which makes a convincing case for the idea that the relationship between white and black people in America is colonial in nature, and should be treated as such in order to counteract this dynamic. It's an idea I'd heard in passing before but never fully registered and reading it being argued for so convincingly here definitely opened up new ways of looking at the issue for me.
The case studies used in the later chapters also brilliantly demonstrate the pitfalls of coalition-building with white liberals, and why 'black faces in high places' will not in itself be an effective solution to many of the issues facing black communities, an argument that Cornel West was making only a few weeks ago on CNN in a clip that went viral.
Side note, I finally got around to watching BlacKkKlansman just after I started reading this book and was surprised to see Kwame Ture pop up in that story too, outlining a lot of the ideas that are in this book. So if you enjoyed that scene, I would definitely recommend reading this!
I particularly enjoyed the first chapter, which makes a convincing case for the idea that the relationship between white and black people in America is colonial in nature, and should be treated as such in order to counteract this dynamic. It's an idea I'd heard in passing before but never fully registered and reading it being argued for so convincingly here definitely opened up new ways of looking at the issue for me.
The case studies used in the later chapters also brilliantly demonstrate the pitfalls of coalition-building with white liberals, and why 'black faces in high places' will not in itself be an effective solution to many of the issues facing black communities, an argument that Cornel West was making only a few weeks ago on CNN in a clip that went viral.
Side note, I finally got around to watching BlacKkKlansman just after I started reading this book and was surprised to see Kwame Ture pop up in that story too, outlining a lot of the ideas that are in this book. So if you enjoyed that scene, I would definitely recommend reading this!
belovedsnail's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
A really fascinating book which makes good connections between racial issues in the US and colonialist policy. Even though written in 1967, still fresh and relevant.
misosoupcup's review against another edition
In 2020, the concepts introduced in this book are pretty much acknowledged (superficially) by the mainstream, but are so well explained and expanded on through its poignant and accessible language, illustrated by the specific historical events they have used.
contrary to some of kwama ture's speeches and video clips of him i have seen, this book is quite tame in manner by suggesting reform as an option for Black Power and its adjacent allies to pursue, alongside abolitionist and radical organizing. while i believe in abolition i think it is possible and important for the left to try and accomplish their specific goals by working within the system as much as they can without becoming the system.
contrary to some of kwama ture's speeches and video clips of him i have seen, this book is quite tame in manner by suggesting reform as an option for Black Power and its adjacent allies to pursue, alongside abolitionist and radical organizing. while i believe in abolition i think it is possible and important for the left to try and accomplish their specific goals by working within the system as much as they can without becoming the system.
sparklefarm's review against another edition
4.0
This book is full of things I never learned. Institutional and systemic racism is only recently a concept I found out about. To understand part of the history of racist treatment of Black Americans, especially in the context of the 1960s, this is a good place to start.
foundeasily's review against another edition
5.0
Some of this text may be essentially common knowledge for those in the left in 2019 but not only did it help pave the way but as seen in the afterward by Kwame Ture (the former Stokely Carmichael) many of it's conclusions were such that it sent the movement in the right direction of struggle.
Doubtlessly a classic.
Doubtlessly a classic.
itsaba's review against another edition
‘We must precisely state that what we repeat is not history but our errors under ever-changing material conditions. History does not repeat itself; it cannot. Nothing can. The first law of the universe is everything changes, all the time. Only those who see history as events and not as a process can make this error.’ Kwame Ture’s 1992 afterword
Written clearly and compellingly, the book clarifies what Black Power means and exactly why it's necessary, speaking specifically on the US politics of its time (although the principles remain largely relevant today). Black Power is shown as the only viable solution to ongoing colonial and racist violence, entailing self-identity, self-determination and political modernisation.
Through exploring examples specific to its time, the text highlights why Black people (specifically, African Americans) are not able to rely on white people or white institutions and why there is need for a powerful, Black political base to advocate for their own needs. It's hard to imagine how anyone can read this and misconstrue it as "reverse-racism" when they explicitly outline how and why this isn't the case - white power is based on the domination of Black people, and Black Power is about building a sense of community and breaking out of this sense of dependency and subjugation, and being able to coalesce and participate on equal footing.
While the stories and strategies largely revolve around electoral and independent politics, it's ultimately pragmatic and leaves the door open for innovation, understanding how it's "wasteful, inefficient and unjust" to continue imposing old forms for their own sake when they’ve proven ineffective. An important read, with its influence still visible in modern racial discourse.
valkyriejmu's review against another edition
3.0
Read this years ago, but nothing really stands out about it, except that reading it in the 80s (or maybe the 90s) felt a bit like a time warp.