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seek2prevail's review against another edition
5.0
Kwame Ture lays out what Black Power is, and why we need it. Kwame Ture argument for Black political power still find true today and is an inspiration to all African part of the diaspora. The Afterwords in 1992 are great criticisms of the book, ideas and vision for the community as well. Black Power should be in every Africans Book home and/or reading device.
laureen0515's review
4.75
The book was well researched and had more of a scholarly feel than I expected. However, it is a very approachable book and one that I would highly recommend. I think that every black person should read this book. It is an aspect of our history that is generally not taught in an honest way, if at all. The only mild criticism that I have is that some of the references are no longer relevant (but most are). I am hesitant to list some of the dated references as a negative; which I will admit is not a fault of the book and is somewhat addressed with and addendum at the end of the book which have reflective commentaries of the authors twenty five years after its publication.
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
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
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.