Stokely

December 23, 2013
This stunningly thorough appraisal of this radical activist, 50 years after the "heroic period" of the civil rights movement, is both timely and relevant. Excavating a multifaceted and constantly evolving political personality "poised between Malcolm's sword and Martin's shield," Tufts Univ. professor of history Joseph presents an analysis of Carmichael's lifelong international political career. Citing a wealth of primary material, especially speeches and essays, and with an eye for detail that uses specifics such as fashion choices to paint a nuanced image of his public persona, Joseph explores how Carmichael thought and how he was perceived in each moment of his philosophical evolution. He is particularly interested in restoring the memory of Carmichael as a master speaker, a "professorial rhetorician" and "public intellectual," in addition to the "symbol of defiance" that popularized Black Power. Amid Carmichael's career of public action, his personal life seems nearly nonexistent, referenced only rarely, in connection to his marriage to singer Miriam Makeba. Still, his personality remains in focus throughout, even among the panoramic wealth of contextual historical information, a quality that recalls his own "rock star" ability to command attention throughout his life. It's not casual armchair reading, but should surely be considered required material for a fuller understanding of a critical, and ongoing, American struggle.

March 15, 2014
Stokely Carmichael achieved iconic status during the turbulent 1960s with his call for black power. He was widely perceived as a strident counterpoint to the more diplomatic Martin Luther King Jr., the icon of the civil rights movement. But historian Joseph offers a more nuanced portrait of this activist, who started as a community organizer fighting for and with the underclass and who jolted the racist core of the American consciousness. He broadened the scope of his humanitarian concerns beyond the U.S. to develop a Pan-African perspective. He married South African singer Miriam Makeba and developed close friendships with African leaders Kwame Nkrumah and S'kou Tour', further provoking the suspicions of an already suspicious U.S. intelligence force. Like King, Carmichael became a critic of the Vietnam War, and following King's assassination the civil rights establishment distanced itself even more from Carmichael. Despite Carmichael's highly racialized rhetoric, his personal humanistic values suggested a closer link to American core values than many may have thought.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)