The Sword and the Shied is a must-read. Learning more about the complex and often divergent doctrines of these historical figures was fascinating. You could even summarize that they were able to build upon their philosophies based on the opposing views of the other intellectual. Thank you, NetGalley and Basic books for the book to review.

This was a very interesting book. I have read and heard about both of these historic figures and it was fascinating to learn how they influenced each other. It has prompted me to reread books on/ by them as well. Very much recommended.

Two men, From different backgrounds and seemingly different tactics, have one common goal; and that is to liberate African Americans from segregation and Jim Crow laws. This book tackles the civil rights era of Malcom X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Not much of their personal lives, but their beginnings in the movement until their untimely assassinations. This was a very well researched and well written book.

I Received a copy of this book via netgalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

I’ve long been interested in Malcolm X and MLK, Jr. I was excited to hear of this book that purported to tell the interweaving tale of the two. I just wish it was readable.

The book, I’d say, is 70% about Martin Luther King and 30% about Malcolm X. The purpose of the book, I believe, is to describe how to highly influential characters began as perceived polar opposites, moved towards wanting the same goal but with different methods and, by Martins death, ended up pretty much aligned in their beliefs.

That thesis was what got me reading.

Unfortunately I only finished through struggle. I don’t understand how the editors let the Prologue go to print. It is the literary equivalent of the person at the party who doesn’t stop talking and every time you try to interrupt to tell them to leave, they keep going on and on. You don’t know what they are saying or why they are saying it, you just want them to get to the point and shut up.

The rest of the book is slightly better written but unfortunately is less about clearly defining a point and more about documenting every movement and sneeze that Martin Luther King ever had. It’s kind of written like a text book, but one that rambles on without clearly having a point.

I’m really disappointed. I wanted to like this book so much that I actually read it all. Now, I wish I just read James Baldwin’s Esquire piece about the two of them.

Sigh.

#netgalley #theswordandtheshield

A wonderful addition to the volumes currently in existence, as well as those still to come, within the history genre. The Civil Rights Era spanned for decades and still exists in the modern world, just as a new chapter, but Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X are two of the most well-known individuals within this topic. The Sword and the Shield looks at the lives of both men and their work within some of the most adversarial decades of the twentieth century for African American civil rights. While I was more familiar with Dr. King’s life and legacy than of the life of Malcolm X, I learned more about how the two men complemented each other during the fight for civil rights and how their respective methods impacted the culture of the United States of America.

Fascinating subject matter told in a comprehensive way. Diving into this book teaches you so much. Highly recommend, although it feels weighty In your heart.

In the new book The Sword and the Shield, Paniel Joseph presents a dual biography of two leaders who have often been compared: Martin Luther King and Malcom X. Often, we see their differences in a facile way: Malcolm X as a proponent of defense and MLK as the King of peace. Joseph suugests that there is a more interesting comparison if instead of looking at their tactics, we look at their mutual political growth over time. Both men became more radical over time, connecting their Civil Rights activism to larger questions of class and human rights in general. Joseph’s analysis is more subtle than the usual trite portrayals in the popular imagination, but his basic argument is already widely understood by both scholars and activists. Still, the book is accessible to a large audience and will bring these facts to a larger audience.

I grew up with a picture of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. hanging on my wall. Malcolm is on the left looking straight at you and King is on the right looking at Malcolm. Growing up I don’t think I ever questioned why King was looking at Malcolm rather than looking straight ahead too, but now I understand after reading Peniel Joseph’s forthcoming book The Sword and the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. (Release date: March 31, 2020).

Joseph’s book shreds the myths that we have about Martin and Malcolm, specifically that we have viewed them as the complete opposite of the other: the Sword vs. the Shield, Magneto vs. Professor X (Malcolm vs. Martin respectively). Yes, King advocated for nonviolence and X advocated for self-defense, but that is not the whole story. Joseph effectively shows that both leaders evolved to a place where they were more alike at the time of their respective deaths. Malcolm evolves from his more militant black separatist position to one that was more focused on human rights issues while still being a strong advocate for black dignity. King, who was known as the “apostle of nonviolence”, became more radical after Malcolm’s assassination especially as it relates to economic justice issues.

Ultimately, this is a good book for those who think they know these two leaders but are actually unaware of the trajectories their short lives both took. King is more than his “I Have A Dream” speech and Malcolm is more than his “by any means necessary” self-defense mantra. Joseph’s book informs the reader about the sides of these two men that society rarely emphasize.

The typical MLK Jr or Malcolm X narrative is that King was a peaceful, moral voice and the embodiment of the civil rights struggle, and that Malcolm was his polar opposite, a fiery, by-any-means necessary renegade in that same fight. King was more approachable, more part of the establishment. Malcolm stoked fear, and was an outsider looking in. In Peniel E. Joseph's THE SWORD AND THE SHIELD: THE REVOLUTIONARY LIVES OF MALCOLM X AND MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. we see how our notions about these icons have been too simplified, too mythologized. We are reintroduced to two men who were never friends, but who had political visions that became more closely aligned over time. It's a more complex portrait of King and Malcolm than readers have seen, and therefore a more complex view of the era too. Joseph, a historian at the University of Texas at Austin, has presented readers with a compelling, deeply satisfying history that will force them to reconsider what they have been taught about Malcolm and King, and perhaps inspire them to take political action in this troubled time.

I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an early copy of this manuscript in exchange for this honest review.

A unique look at two influential contemporaries, who are often contrasted, but rarely studied side-by-side. This juxtaposition allows the reader insight into two men, with very different life stories, who were ultimately working toward the same goal. There was a lot of information I've read in other books but never seen presented in one analysis. Interesting if you like biographies or this era of history.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Read if you: Want a challenging but fascinating dual biography of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.

There are many biographies of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X; as they were contemporaries ((who rarely actually interacted), biographies of each man will include some information/context about the other. The Sword and the Shield is fascinating and unique in that Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr are both featured on most pages. As their backgrounds, beliefs, and actions were mostly very different (although Peniel does effectively convey how King's cynicism and beliefs were significantly changed toward the end of his life), this makes for a compelling and invigorating read.

Librarians and booksellers: This is a fantastic addition to your civil rights history and biography sections. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to Perseus Books/Basic Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.