Martin & Malcolm & America: A Dream or a Nightmare

Cone does a great work of explaining the importance of these two giants. He doesn't over romanticize Malcom X and Martin Luther King, Jr., yet he elevates both figures to an appropriate place in the history of the world. Read it.

Finally the air is cleared about who MLK and Malcolm X really were.The militant left saw MLK as passive and non strategic.The establishment saw Malcolm as too radical,too violent.What we find in this book is another view of both men. The picture that is most enlightening is the evolution of both men toward each others'views. The establishment's fears of a planned meeting between the two men and what might transpire if the two men ever put their heads together and worked on a united front.Both were assasinated with the more militant being plucked down first. When MLK exposed his views on the war in Vietnam,that was the final straw that the establishment couldn't stomach.There are many layers of untruth the government has been guilty of going back as far as 1898 and even before.This government has always lied to its citizenry. We have always had lying politicians leading our country. They have just gotten more brazen in their demonstration of greed. They gain control of media outlets and control what news and how it is desiminated.....what kind of spin they put on a story determine how it is publically seen.This book is highly recommended for those who tend to judge without knowing the facts.

Excellent book. One of the best books out there covering the two and the civil rights movement itself. Should be a reading requirement in all schools.

This is the most comprehensive side by side work of Malcolm and Martin I’ve ever encountered. It ought to be required reading for secondary US History classes. You cannot appreciate the extraordinary leadership of either of these two men without a proper perspective of the other.

This is a fine book, and as good a comparison/contrast of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X as you will find. Readers who have some prior knowledge of King and X will find it especially rewarding (Clayborne Carson on King and Alex Haley on Malcolm are recommended). James Cone illustrates the great comparative strengths and limitations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X as religious and civil rights leaders for the black community (and their relevance to whites as well). While King had the stronger, pragmatic view of nonviolent civil disobedience, Malcolm had a fuller appreciation of the heart of the black man's outrage, and spoke directly to it. Both men were indeed figures of Prophetic stature, whose life-examples and experiences provide understanding that is timeless and memorable. Cone has done a superior job capturing their respective roles and belief systems. I highly recommend it.

I liked how this book compared and contrasted the two. It was a good overview of their lives and i especially liked how it talked about the ways they complimented each other

James Cone really is a leader in Liberation Theology and Civil Rights.This book is broken up chronologically and will talk about Malcolm's early years than Martin's. Malcolm and women, than Martin and women, etc.The book gives a great overview of the leaders, and how they came to adopt their stances. Where they overlap and how by the end of thier lives they really were not too different. Good read for academics or for fun.On the whole though, Cone seem to ignore and downplay women as a whole, though this is a general critique of his works.

Malcom X has been an image I try to live up to, the most important (for me) is to respect the truth enough to change your mind and opinions. I hadn’t known how much Malcom X and Martin King complemented and informed each other.

James H Cone's `Martin & Malcolm & America' is an impressive study comparing and contrasting the thoughts and philosophies of the two most important black Americans of the twentieth century. Through his penetrating analysis, Cone shows that there were more similarities between these two men than has often been thought.The book is, for the most part, organised by comparing the two leader's philosophies on an alternate, chapter by chapter basis. Each chapter focuses on how one of the leaders saw a certain topic (ie, integration or American society) and then comparing it with the other. As the book progresses King and Malcolm's views are increasingly merged - as they were in reality.Cone does not offer any groundbreaking insights when studying Martin and Malcolm as individuals; there is not much here written on each figure that cannot be found somewhere else. What makes the work important is the way he has intertwined and related their views together, showing that King and Malcolm's careers should not be studied in isolation, as they usually are, but that they are both crucial to understanding the plight of African Americans in the twentieth century, and today.

Me interesaba sobre todo leer sobre Martin Luther King. El contraste con Malcolm resultó muy interesante y completaba las alternativas con las que se enfrentaba la lucha contra el racismo. Buena lectura. Lamentablemente, a pesar de progresos, la lucha continúa...

Very good analysis that moves beyond the usual dichotomy Malcolm/MLK. Well written and with plenty of food for thought.