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A review by ngaz
Ida: A Sword Among Lions by Paula J. Giddings
5.0
“Ida: A Sword Among Lions” is almost 700 pages and well worth the reading! This was a well written story told in intimate detail about the life of Ida B. Wells-Barnett. I really enjoyed the in-depth study of her life because it paints a rich picture of activism in this important time in black American history, and really goes to great lengths to capture the personality of African Americans collectively in this crucial time of having to elbow their way into American society.
This book details how Mrs. Wells-Barnett understood the crucial task before the race of needing to outmaneuver white intent to create and legitimize a system of neo-slavery. Like Malcolm X and Marcus Garvey, she was a great orator and a behind-the-scenes organizer, tireless in both. These figures are such rare jewels in history, and it has been decades since Black America has had any. Without leaving behind any famous quotes, actions, movements, or legends, she has sadly hung in the margins of African American history. But Gidding’s book highlights the truth that Wells-Barnett was a cornerstone in the shaping of contemporary black American socio political life.
Because she has been largely neglected, this is a critically important book. It is worthy of its length with the impressive analyses of the dynamics of gender and class in shaping a black American social and political identity. With few direct sources into Wells-Barnett‘s inner experiences, the author does an excellent job of piecing together a useful psychological profile, without making too many assumptions, that helps us understand the intent and motivations of this woman who endured decades of often unrewarding struggle to create attention to the cause of racial justice and gender equality, and to build institutions to support them. We see that she was a highly principled woman, who was not matched in character by other black leaders including the most famous she crossed paths with, including Frederick Douglass and WEB Du Bois. These are important things we African Americans need to know about history.
If you are interested in either African American history, or late 19th and early 20th century American history, I highly recommend this book.
This book details how Mrs. Wells-Barnett understood the crucial task before the race of needing to outmaneuver white intent to create and legitimize a system of neo-slavery. Like Malcolm X and Marcus Garvey, she was a great orator and a behind-the-scenes organizer, tireless in both. These figures are such rare jewels in history, and it has been decades since Black America has had any. Without leaving behind any famous quotes, actions, movements, or legends, she has sadly hung in the margins of African American history. But Gidding’s book highlights the truth that Wells-Barnett was a cornerstone in the shaping of contemporary black American socio political life.
Because she has been largely neglected, this is a critically important book. It is worthy of its length with the impressive analyses of the dynamics of gender and class in shaping a black American social and political identity. With few direct sources into Wells-Barnett‘s inner experiences, the author does an excellent job of piecing together a useful psychological profile, without making too many assumptions, that helps us understand the intent and motivations of this woman who endured decades of often unrewarding struggle to create attention to the cause of racial justice and gender equality, and to build institutions to support them. We see that she was a highly principled woman, who was not matched in character by other black leaders including the most famous she crossed paths with, including Frederick Douglass and WEB Du Bois. These are important things we African Americans need to know about history.
If you are interested in either African American history, or late 19th and early 20th century American history, I highly recommend this book.