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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
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
A fairly thorough overview of the beginning and brutal end of the BPP. The book starts strong, but drags some in the middle, eventually picking back up and ending very strongly. I would’ve loved some focus on groups today emulating the BPP, as well as more space given to the misogynoir and colorism that plagued the BPP, but overall, a solid read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Definitive and objective. I sure would be interested to hear what the authors would say about Black Lives Matter, as it seems to fit their definition of a revolutionary movement. The book concluded somewhat pessimistically about the chances of a new organization that would have the impact of the Black Panther Party. While BLM doesn't have free breakfast for children, I think the care that is shown among protesters is equivalent for the times, and I do believe it will have lasting impact and will, in fact, change the world. I hope it does.
A very informative and well written history of the Black Panthers. It was the right mix of lots and lots of info and history but also an engaging writing style that kept the book moving (often histories end up being too data heavy and dry but not this one)
The history portion was stronger when addressing the early and middle history of the BPP and had less info about the later years and the part about the eventual fall of the movement felt rushed. And while it did address some of the gender issues and the often unacknowledged role of women in the movement it didn’t really address the later allegations of sexual misconduct/assault and still often tackled the role of women through the lens of the men in their lives
All in all an excellent (if incomplete) history of the Black Panther Party
The history portion was stronger when addressing the early and middle history of the BPP and had less info about the later years and the part about the eventual fall of the movement felt rushed. And while it did address some of the gender issues and the often unacknowledged role of women in the movement it didn’t really address the later allegations of sexual misconduct/assault and still often tackled the role of women through the lens of the men in their lives
All in all an excellent (if incomplete) history of the Black Panther Party
Well researched and thorough. A great comprehensive look at the Black Panthers. It could have benefitted from more editing, though. The chronology was confusing in spots, which made the telling disjointed, and some of the sections and word choices were repetitive. I think women's roles in the party was covered three separate times, presenting the same material, and he could have benefited from a thesaurus. These effects were magnified by the audiobook format and the narrator's delivery, so I recommend this in print over audiobook. That said, this is a good survey for gaining an understanding of the Panthers.
My exposure to the history of the Black Panther Party prior to reading Black Against Empire is relatively thin. There is the axiomatic approach to the Civil Rights movement in American education, wherein Martin Luther King Jr. represented the peaceful wing of the movement and Malcolm X represented a more militant arm that flirted with violence. I associated the Panthers vaguely with the Malcolm X wing of the movement and knew that they were vaguely menacing guys with natural hair, leather jackets and berets.
So basically I knew nothing.
But in our political moment in 2020, they suddenly seem much more interesting. As millions of people rally to try and advance the cause of racial justice in the United States, you start to look around for examples. And the Civil Rights-era tack of nonviolent resistance seems pointedly antiquated. Which serves up the Panthers as a credible alternative. So what is their history?
Bloom does a REALLY succinct job summing up that history in the first paragraph of his conclusion:
What the Panthers would demonstrate from a historic perspective is that a genuine insurgent movement depends on very specific conditions that can evaporate at any time. They were able to channel existing conditions along with specific alliances to the heights of political power from 1968-70. But those conditions were tenuous and those alliances subject to being co-opted by political opportunists.
They are, in a lot of ways, an able demonstration of the limits of armed insurrectionist tactics within the United States. If the black population in the United States is indeed a colony as party leaders contend, than it is still a minority party and the odds of achieving lasting military alliances within the larger country are small. The capacity of the American state for violence is awesome and it's difficult to see any group standing up to such a challenge, even with broad-based support.
Still, one of the enduring legacies of the Black Panthers is the enduring example of state repression that they provoked in their time. Fire-bombings, assassinations, agents provocateur -- these are things we know authorities both local and federal are capable of committing because of the exaggerated response they conducted against the Panthers. The story of Fred Hampton alone should be taught in American schools to demonstrate the capacity of the state for ruthless violence.
And while the violence advocated for and provoked by the Panthers might be especially memorable, Bloom does take care to talk at length about the social work that they did as well, in many places giving shame to LBJ's Great Society with programs like free breakfasts for kids. In a lot of ways social democratic programs like these -- buses to prisons, free clinics, etc. -- were more enduring, but they weren't as radical or effective politically, so they do tend to fade into the background of the story.
This was a really compelling read for me on a bunch of different axes. Just learning more about the history of American black leadership is eye-opening. So too is the idea that there has never been another credible insurrectionist challenger to the American political system. It's instructive as it is fascinating.
So basically I knew nothing.
But in our political moment in 2020, they suddenly seem much more interesting. As millions of people rally to try and advance the cause of racial justice in the United States, you start to look around for examples. And the Civil Rights-era tack of nonviolent resistance seems pointedly antiquated. Which serves up the Panthers as a credible alternative. So what is their history?
Bloom does a REALLY succinct job summing up that history in the first paragraph of his conclusion:
"When Civil Rights practices proved incapable of redressing the grievances of young urban blacks in the late 1960s, the Black Panthers armed themselves and promised to overcome poverty and oppression through revolution. They organized the rage of ghetto youth by confronting the police and resisted repression by winning the support of moderate black, antiwar, and international allies. These allies, like the Party, recognized the limited recourse available for real change through traditional political channels. But as blacks won greater electoral representation, government employment, affirmative action opportunities, as well as elite college and university access; the Vietnam War and military draft wound down; and the United States normalized relations with revolutionary governments abroad, it became impossible for the Panthers to continue advocating armed confrontation with the state and still maintain allied support. The Party, racked by external repression and internal fissures, quickly and disastrously unraveled." - Pg. 390
What the Panthers would demonstrate from a historic perspective is that a genuine insurgent movement depends on very specific conditions that can evaporate at any time. They were able to channel existing conditions along with specific alliances to the heights of political power from 1968-70. But those conditions were tenuous and those alliances subject to being co-opted by political opportunists.
They are, in a lot of ways, an able demonstration of the limits of armed insurrectionist tactics within the United States. If the black population in the United States is indeed a colony as party leaders contend, than it is still a minority party and the odds of achieving lasting military alliances within the larger country are small. The capacity of the American state for violence is awesome and it's difficult to see any group standing up to such a challenge, even with broad-based support.
Still, one of the enduring legacies of the Black Panthers is the enduring example of state repression that they provoked in their time. Fire-bombings, assassinations, agents provocateur -- these are things we know authorities both local and federal are capable of committing because of the exaggerated response they conducted against the Panthers. The story of Fred Hampton alone should be taught in American schools to demonstrate the capacity of the state for ruthless violence.
And while the violence advocated for and provoked by the Panthers might be especially memorable, Bloom does take care to talk at length about the social work that they did as well, in many places giving shame to LBJ's Great Society with programs like free breakfasts for kids. In a lot of ways social democratic programs like these -- buses to prisons, free clinics, etc. -- were more enduring, but they weren't as radical or effective politically, so they do tend to fade into the background of the story.
This was a really compelling read for me on a bunch of different axes. Just learning more about the history of American black leadership is eye-opening. So too is the idea that there has never been another credible insurrectionist challenger to the American political system. It's instructive as it is fascinating.
Grade: A-
Hands down the most thorough and engrossing read on the Black Panther Party to date. The research is exhaustive and the story is well told. This will make the majority of the public rethink their vision of the Panthers and their significance in history. Its been 45+ years since the peek of the Panther party and we have yet to have another movement so instrumental in changing societal thought and attempting to address the grievances of the oppressed. Besides documenting the governments programs to undermine, debase, and assassinate leaders of the party, the authors also look at their movement from a broader perspective, analyzing why the party exploded onto the American consciousness when it did and why we haven't had another such movement since. If you're a fan of history, the Civil Rights movement, or dissenters in the 1960s, this is a must ready!
Hands down the most thorough and engrossing read on the Black Panther Party to date. The research is exhaustive and the story is well told. This will make the majority of the public rethink their vision of the Panthers and their significance in history. Its been 45+ years since the peek of the Panther party and we have yet to have another movement so instrumental in changing societal thought and attempting to address the grievances of the oppressed. Besides documenting the governments programs to undermine, debase, and assassinate leaders of the party, the authors also look at their movement from a broader perspective, analyzing why the party exploded onto the American consciousness when it did and why we haven't had another such movement since. If you're a fan of history, the Civil Rights movement, or dissenters in the 1960s, this is a must ready!
challenging
informative
slow-paced
Incredibly well written and digestible. It is not too academic; however it is still a lot of information and a heavy book too read
Incredibly informative & insightful. Defo a must read to learn about the Panthers
Important read, a definitive work on the history of the blank panther party.
It is a story though reads as a history book at times.
It is a story though reads as a history book at times.