Reviews

Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination by Robin D.G. Kelley

kaleighbasso's review against another edition

challenging hopeful informative slow-paced

4.25

In a world filled with cynicism and nihilism, there is Freedom Dreams. This book will guide us forward.

I struggled with the formatting of this book as well as the sheer density of information (especially in chapter 3) but I decided to borrow the audiobook from my library to listen to while I read the physical book and it helped IMMENSELY. I was able to finish the book faster and felt like I actually grasped the information and held it in place in my brain. 

squash789's review against another edition

I listened to the audiobook and would like to one day reread the physical book and take notes on it. Very interesting discussion of colonialism, capitalism, historical documentation of freedom movements, the importance of world building and dreaming of freedom and so much more. 

sumayyah_t's review against another edition

4.0

Excellent history lesson. Should be included in school curriculum.

desela's review against another edition

5.0

• Beautiful and critical
• A primer a love letter
• The kind of book you want to keep near you

ostrowk's review against another edition

An exhilarating intellectual history of the Black radical imagination. I wish I could have read a multimedia annotated version, or at least a hyper-linked one. FREEDOM DREAMS is a treasure trove of other texts and imaginations to visit with next, and I'm glad Kelley gave me a glimpse into his own.

mightythorax's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

3.5

jaclyn_youngblood's review against another edition

5.0

Loving that all these authors are in dialogue with one another's works, even across generations. This was a cogent and urgent request for more imagination, creativity, and dreaming to build the world we want to see, through chapters and lenses of Kelley's own journey. Super fluid, engrossing. Highly recommend.

voidboi's review against another edition

3.0

Good book. I devoured the second to last chapter, because I am in love with black queer feminists. Throughout the book, the author delves into various radical thought and reveals the contributions from black communities, as well as how they deviated from the ideologies we've been introduced to.

mattrohn's review against another edition

4.0

Innovative choices in topic matter and method of approach make this a truly unique book, and stylistically groundbreaking in intellectual history. In some places, particularly those dealing with artistic analysis, the style becomes somewhat disjointed (although this may be because it is expecting a level of familiarity with formal analysis which I lack), but is generally strong and clear throughout

cblueweaver's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

Freedom Dreams is a well-organized, beautiful tribute to (and explication of) Black radical politics. Robin D. G. Kelley wrote the introduction to my volume of Césaire's Discourse on Colonialism and my copy of Foner's Organized Labor and the Black Worker, so it's good to see him contextualize both of these ideas in twentieth-century Black radical politics. Looking forward to reading more of his scholarship.