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carlosmartinez's review
4.0
I was expecting to absolutely love this book. Gerald Horne, writing about Paul Robeson, in the Pluto Revolutionary Lives series? Seems like a match made in heaven. And yet it didn't quite live up to expectations.
Gerald Horne is of course entirely sympathetic to Robeson's politics, so it was a pleasure not to deal with an idiotic anti-communist author either criticising or scrambling to justify Paul Robeson's lifelong commitment to socialism; to the fight against fascism, racism and colonialism. And on this, the book certainly has lots of interesting details and nuggets of information. You get a solid and trustworthy account of the major parts of Robeson's extraordinary life, and a useful analysis of what he represented to the world - as well as the cynical political forces that worked relentlessly to suppress his voice. McCarthyism as a complex political phenomenon is covered well.
Perhaps what's slightly dissatisfying about the book is its brevity. Robeson lived an incredible life and contributed to the most important political struggles of the 20th century. He was a brilliant singer, campaigner, linguist, actor and orator, and he was deeply committed to fighting oppression and discrimination in all its forms. He was a close personal friend of WEB DuBois, Kwame Nkrumah, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sergei Eisenstein and many more. He was revered from the mining valleys of Wales to the slums of apartheid South Africa. Maybe 200 pages just isn't enough for a life like that.
That said, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. Should ideally be read in conjunction with [b:Here I Stand|274265|Here I Stand|Paul Robeson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1173326364l/274265._SX50_.jpg|1092502] and, if you can find it, [b:Paul Robeson Speaks: Writings, Speeches, and Interviews, a Centennial Celebration|274267|Paul Robeson Speaks Writings, Speeches, and Interviews, a Centennial Celebration|Philip S. Foner|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391481943l/274267._SY75_.jpg|265943].
Gerald Horne is of course entirely sympathetic to Robeson's politics, so it was a pleasure not to deal with an idiotic anti-communist author either criticising or scrambling to justify Paul Robeson's lifelong commitment to socialism; to the fight against fascism, racism and colonialism. And on this, the book certainly has lots of interesting details and nuggets of information. You get a solid and trustworthy account of the major parts of Robeson's extraordinary life, and a useful analysis of what he represented to the world - as well as the cynical political forces that worked relentlessly to suppress his voice. McCarthyism as a complex political phenomenon is covered well.
Perhaps what's slightly dissatisfying about the book is its brevity. Robeson lived an incredible life and contributed to the most important political struggles of the 20th century. He was a brilliant singer, campaigner, linguist, actor and orator, and he was deeply committed to fighting oppression and discrimination in all its forms. He was a close personal friend of WEB DuBois, Kwame Nkrumah, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sergei Eisenstein and many more. He was revered from the mining valleys of Wales to the slums of apartheid South Africa. Maybe 200 pages just isn't enough for a life like that.
That said, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. Should ideally be read in conjunction with [b:Here I Stand|274265|Here I Stand|Paul Robeson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1173326364l/274265._SX50_.jpg|1092502] and, if you can find it, [b:Paul Robeson Speaks: Writings, Speeches, and Interviews, a Centennial Celebration|274267|Paul Robeson Speaks Writings, Speeches, and Interviews, a Centennial Celebration|Philip S. Foner|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391481943l/274267._SY75_.jpg|265943].
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