Black Power: The Politics of Liberation in America

This book is from the 1960's, so race relations in the US have progressed a bit since then, but I suspect that in much of the South and urban inner-city areas this book is still very relevant. I also was noting while reading this one how different the part of the West is where I live, compared to the parts of the US Carmichael is directly discussing. The trendy-popular notion that the US is really 12-13 nations/societies squished together is supported by reading books like this. My area has racism too, but it is not centered around Black and White. Here the conflict is between White and Hispanic, and is caught up with immigration issues. I also liked the bits about political strategies used during the civil rights movement by people who show more had so little leverage to use towards gaining group power. show less

An eloquent document of the civil rights movement that remains a work of profound social relevance 50 years after it was first published.

This book is from the 1960's, so race relations in the US have progressed a bit since then, but I suspect that in much of the South and urban inner-city areas this book is still very relevant. I also was noting while reading this one how different the part of the West is where I live, compared to the parts of the US Carmichael is directly discussing. The trendy-popular notion that the US is really 12-13 nations/societies squished together is supported by reading books like this. My area has racism too, but it is not centered around Black and White. Here the conflict is between White and Hispanic, and is caught up with immigration issues. I also liked the bits about political strategies used during the civil rights movement by people who show more had so little leverage to use towards gaining group power. show less

(Sigh) So to begin this book started with kindling that fire that is at the base of every black man woman and child but then in the middle, I began to see; unlike this books forefathers (i.e. the mis-education of the Negro) it offered no solutions to any of the obvious problems it points out. FOR MYSELF it was to akin to listening to one of my older uncles talk, and talk all day about how the world is wrong and explain in detail what is wrong with it yet they do noting and give no advice on how to solve the problems they see.If you’re looking for a book to explain everything that "the man", "America" and everybody else has done to black people then get this book.If you want some "solutions" and or "methods" on improving yourself as a show more black person or a person in general I'd get "the mis-education of the negro" and read this later.I really wanted to like this book but I could not. It’s too much a complaint, too much of "I’ve been victimized and Im mad about It." but it lack what I was looking for "what are you going to do about it?" show less

If you have the 1967 version of this book on your shelf and you decide to read it now in 2007, you will find that absolutely nothing has changed. The authors were dead on point then and are on point to this date.

The authors then basically given an excellent definition of Black Power, why it is needed, for whom it is for, and why it is not designed to be against anyone, anything, or anyplace.

It is a very good concept, that should be understood by most politicians.

Reviewed in the July 1968 issue of the Socialist Standard:

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