Reviews - Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement

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5.09k reviews for:

Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement

Listened to this one as an audiobook, and tbh I've already forgotten most of the content. Probably need to reread at some point because I remember there was good stuff (though I also remember it feeling fairly repetitive across the different speeches and essays by the end). Rating low for now and hoping to feel more of an impact on a future reread.

smwiberg's review against another edition

4.0

I would say you should read this book rather than listen to the audiobook - it was extremely difficult to get in to and follow Angela’s voice and various interviews. Nevertheless, fabulous insight, parallels, and research.

ky_q_xoxo's review against another edition

5.0

challenging informative inspiring medium-paced

I should have read this a long time ago as it’s one of the foundational activist texts, but I’m glad I read it now. I’m excited to read more my Angela Davis.

Content Warnings

afjakandy's review against another edition

4.0

The major challenge of this period is to infuse a consciousness of the structural character of state violence into the moments that spontaneously arise.

I couldn't say anything here that Davis hasn't already said in far better fashion, but I love the central theme of connection and community that links the various interviews, talks, etc., in this book together. Davis makes sure each and every person who reads her book (or attends the talks from which some excerpts of the book were taken) understands the importance of the collective consciousness in the fight against oppression.

But you can’t simply invite people to join you and be immediately on board, particularly when they were not necessarily represented during the earlier organizing processes. You have to develop organizing strategies so that people identify with the particular issue as their issue. This is why I was suggesting in response to the question about Michelle Alexander that these connections need to be made in the contest of the struggles themselves. So, as you are organizing against police crimes, against police racism, you always raise parallels and similarities in other parts of the world.

My experience has been that many people assume that in order to be involved with Palestine, you have to be an expert [...] but too often people feel that they are not sufficiently informed to consider themselves an advocate of justice in Palestine. The question is how to create windows and doors for people who believe in justice to enter and join the Palestine solidarity movement.

This passage punched me in the gut when I heard it for the first time. Davis effortlessly and non-judgementally outlines the problem, then goes on to present accessible countermeasures that reaffirm the importance of each individual's role in a movement. It definitely makes me reconsider my own actions and encourages me to do better as both an advocate and a human being existing within a community.

mskaylajanelle's review against another edition

5.0

challenging informative inspiring medium-paced

Freedom is a Constant Struggle is a compilation of the wise, informative, and moving speeches of activist Angela Davis. Davis champions the importance of fighting for injustices everywhere in the world as they are all connected. Davis speaks of valuing leaders of Civil Rights movements, however, she implores the witnesses not to make the leaders into unreachable “heroes.” Instead, Davis encourages the reader to look at movements as what they are – collective change. Davis urges readers and those who listen to her speeches to further understand and believe in the importance of our actions and our activism efforts.

kayontheway's review against another edition

4.0

Really valuable content.

owlyenthusiast's review against another edition

4.5

informative reflective fast-paced

A great collection of Davis’s speeches and essays, with a coherent premise. The way that it’s assembled (putting speeches that happened a few years apart right next to each other) does make some information come up multiple times in close succession, but it doesn’t take away from the main points.