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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.
alyssamareeeee's review against another edition
4.0
I'm really glad to have read this book. My friend was travelling overseas and gave me a bunch of books to look after and read while she was gone, this was one of them.
It's a very telling book. Even though it was written in the 60s and the afterwords in 1992, it is still as relevant, if not more so now. I believe that like others, this should be a required reading in schools, and not just in the US, in Australia too. There are too many history books written by white Americans floating around and being used as required readings in Australia and it needs to stop, there are so many stories, people, perspectives being missed.
For some reason, there is a paragraph from Kenneth Clark's Dark Ghetto [pg. 63-64] on page 29, that really speaks to me in terms of a sense of belonging:
"Every human being depends upon his cumulative experiences with others for clues as to how he should view and value himself, children who are consistently rejected understandably begin to question and doubt whether they, their family, and their group really deserve no more respect from the larger society than they receive. These doubts become the seeds of pernicious self- and group-hatred, the Negro's complex and debilitating prejudice against himself."
Personally, as a white Australian, I don't know much about the black power movement, let alone the Aboriginal histories of the nation I call home, however, I am reading books like this to educate myself, and highly recommend all to do so as well.
I read a number of reviews before putting my own together after finishing this book. There was one that particularly irked me, stating that this book does nothing to solve the situation that black people find themselves in. Well, to be frank, how can one solve any situation if you don't know the background situation, the history, and haven't formed a plan of action, with like-minded people? I think the afterwords goes to show that they did miss a key part, and go on to explain that until you have not just visible black people, but visible black people with as Charles states merit. They need to be not just working towards their own gain but as a group. I believe one cannot grasp the nature of what Stokely and Charles are really trying to get at when they talk about working as a group, and it's not as simple, as they showcase throughout the book with historical data.
Also here's a link to more books and resources: LINK. This is not my folder, I just found it.
It's a very telling book. Even though it was written in the 60s and the afterwords in 1992, it is still as relevant, if not more so now. I believe that like others, this should be a required reading in schools, and not just in the US, in Australia too. There are too many history books written by white Americans floating around and being used as required readings in Australia and it needs to stop, there are so many stories, people, perspectives being missed.
For some reason, there is a paragraph from Kenneth Clark's Dark Ghetto [pg. 63-64] on page 29, that really speaks to me in terms of a sense of belonging:
"Every human being depends upon his cumulative experiences with others for clues as to how he should view and value himself, children who are consistently rejected understandably begin to question and doubt whether they, their family, and their group really deserve no more respect from the larger society than they receive. These doubts become the seeds of pernicious self- and group-hatred, the Negro's complex and debilitating prejudice against himself."
Personally, as a white Australian, I don't know much about the black power movement, let alone the Aboriginal histories of the nation I call home, however, I am reading books like this to educate myself, and highly recommend all to do so as well.
I read a number of reviews before putting my own together after finishing this book. There was one that particularly irked me, stating that this book does nothing to solve the situation that black people find themselves in. Well, to be frank, how can one solve any situation if you don't know the background situation, the history, and haven't formed a plan of action, with like-minded people? I think the afterwords goes to show that they did miss a key part, and go on to explain that until you have not just visible black people, but visible black people with as Charles states merit. They need to be not just working towards their own gain but as a group. I believe one cannot grasp the nature of what Stokely and Charles are really trying to get at when they talk about working as a group, and it's not as simple, as they showcase throughout the book with historical data.
Also here's a link to more books and resources: LINK. This is not my folder, I just found it.