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166 reviews for:
Black against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party
Joshua Bloom
4.48 AVERAGE
166 reviews for:
Black against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party
Joshua Bloom
4.48 AVERAGE
I was a white teenager in the (then) white suburb of Inglewood in Southern California during the late 60s and early 70s. So I had a certain biased perspective of the Watts riots, the activities of the Black Panther Party, the SDS and the anti-war movement. My dad was a Republican Nixon supporter but I also had a lot of leftist, McCarthy supporters as friends (almost all white). I knew my understanding of the Panthers was distorted. I wanted to get an analysis of that group and that time period from a different angle. This book was perfect for that. It not only covers the history of the Party in depth, it necessarily puts it in context with the broad political and social movements and events of the time.
My interest in learning was completely satisfied. An unexpected result was the depth of anger I felt at the FBI and the Federal and state governments of the time. There is also the maddening realization of the parallels to our current leaders.
The book is somewhat like a text book but really more like a long magazine article. It took me a long time to read but I was thoroughly engrossed. It's well researched and we'll organized.
My interest in learning was completely satisfied. An unexpected result was the depth of anger I felt at the FBI and the Federal and state governments of the time. There is also the maddening realization of the parallels to our current leaders.
The book is somewhat like a text book but really more like a long magazine article. It took me a long time to read but I was thoroughly engrossed. It's well researched and we'll organized.
challenging
informative
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Racism, Police brutality
The Black Panther Party was genuinely revolutionary for four incredible years, and this book meticulously details how and why. So so so so SO GOOD!!!!!
So informative! So many things I vaguely assumed about the Black Panther Party were totally wrong. For one thing, the party never organized guerrilla actions. They fed way more hungry kids than I thought. FBI and local police's actions against the party and everyone who might possibly be inclined to support them were even worse than I thought. I always wondered how the party broke up and why it lasted such a short time, and this book gives a pretty complex and multi-faceted answer to that, too.
Amazing book. Whether you feel like you know a little, some or a lot about the BPP, this book is worth the read.
challenging
informative
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
A thorough, objective and gripping historical and political analysis of the Black Panthers: the historical context in which they emerged, the efficacy of their politics, and the reasons for their successes, failures and disintegration.
informative
medium-paced
It's clear why this is a classic, and it's an enjoyable narrative read that makes it good either as an intro to the topic or as a refresher\synthesis for people already familiar with much of the material