The Sword and the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.

The Sword and the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.
ISBN-10
154161786X
ISBN-13
9781541617865
Series
The Sword and the Shield
Category
Biography & Autobiography
Pages
368
Language
English
Published
2020-04-07
Publisher
Basic Books
Author
Peniel E. Joseph

Description

A dual biography of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King that transforms our understanding of the twentieth century's most iconic African American leaders To most Americans, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. represent contrasting ideals: self-defense vs. nonviolence, black power vs. civil rights, the sword vs. the shield. The struggle for black freedom is wrought with the same contrasts. While nonviolent direct action is remembered as an unassailable part of American democracy, the movement's militancy is either vilified or erased outright. In The Sword and the Shield, Peniel E. Joseph upends these misconceptions and reveals a nuanced portrait of two men who, despite markedly different backgrounds, inspired and pushed each other throughout their adult lives. This is a strikingly revisionist biography, not only of Malcolm and Martin, but also of the movement and era they came to define.

Other editions

Similar books