The Sword and the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.
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- Create Date：2021-10-07 08:51:13
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Peniel E. Joseph
- ISBN：1541619617
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Summary
This “landmark” （Ibram X。 Kendi） dual biography of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King 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 versus nonviolence， Black Power versus civil rights， the sword versus 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。 Now updated with a new afterword， this is a strikingly revisionist account of Malcolm and Martin， the era they defined， and their lasting impact on today’s Movement for Black Lives。
To most Americans， Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr。 represent contrasting ideals: self-defense versus nonviolence， Black Power versus civil rights， the sword versus 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。 Now updated with a new afterword， this is a strikingly revisionist account of Malcolm and Martin， the era they defined， and their lasting impact on today’s Movement for Black Lives。
Reviews
caitlyn :）
，
This wasn’t the worst history books i’ve ever read。 it’s really informative amd didn’t read like a textbook and more like a story
Jessica Sant
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I learned a ton that I didn't know about the lives of these two incredibly influential men。 How they're different approaches and philosophies evolved as they gained more life experiences and how they both impacted the trajectory of the US civil rights movement。 This book was a good entry into both of their legacies and makes me want to dive in further to each of them。 I learned a ton that I didn't know about the lives of these two incredibly influential men。 How they're different approaches and philosophies evolved as they gained more life experiences and how they both impacted the trajectory of the US civil rights movement。 This book was a good entry into both of their legacies and makes me want to dive in further to each of them。 。。。more
Darrell Rice
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An outstanding， must read novel。 A book that has taught me more about two black heroes and phenomenal leaders than I ever knew existed。 At first glance， this book could be discerned as a delineation of two black， historical figures with flaws that almost outshined their righteous endeavors。 However， after acknowledging the imperfect human natures that Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr。 possessed in this book that， I was able to perceive the gravity that their presence and name brought to the g An outstanding， must read novel。 A book that has taught me more about two black heroes and phenomenal leaders than I ever knew existed。 At first glance， this book could be discerned as a delineation of two black， historical figures with flaws that almost outshined their righteous endeavors。 However， after acknowledging the imperfect human natures that Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr。 possessed in this book that， I was able to perceive the gravity that their presence and name brought to the global economy。 They did not settle。 They did not quit when hampered by friend or foe。 They both equally believed in one's resolve to enliven a reality that would equalize a nation， and the world， for all to live freely， unbothered by the color of anyone’s skin。 Complimenting and assisting the other on a journey that once appeared as opposition to the other， later distinguished an unbelievable dynamic force。 Alive they fought for and， posthumously， achieved radical black dignity and citizenship for those rendered less than human， less than equal。 Although the fight for equality continues in a myriad of ways， Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr。 are both venerated and honored as exemplary， historical leaders。 。。。more
Jiyoung
，
History frequently paints Malcolm X as the firebrand black nationalist who encouraged violent uprising （the Sword）， while MLK Jr is portrayed as a noble pacifist whose oratory and civil disobedience （the Shield） became the popular face of the Civil Rights Movement。 Joseph challenges these easy characterizations with something more nuanced， presenting a well-written， thorough history of the two men's political activism。 The book does a nice job of exploring the tension/differences in tactics betw History frequently paints Malcolm X as the firebrand black nationalist who encouraged violent uprising （the Sword）， while MLK Jr is portrayed as a noble pacifist whose oratory and civil disobedience （the Shield） became the popular face of the Civil Rights Movement。 Joseph challenges these easy characterizations with something more nuanced， presenting a well-written， thorough history of the two men's political activism。 The book does a nice job of exploring the tension/differences in tactics between the two， as well as the push/pull of begrudging influence they continually had on each other （at times almost petty！）。 For as much as they were pitted against each other as foils， I actually did not realize that Malcolm X and MLK Jr had only met in person once in their lives。 Overall the prose was crisp and well paced， but a minor thing that annoyed me was Joseph's tendency to repeat certain descriptors or phrases to refer to events （especially when he was in "fact dump" mode rather than historical analysis mode）。 Made it seem like the chapters were written a bit disjointedly。 Joseph also mentions the problematic sexism both men exhibited in their political movements without delving too much into detail beyond their womanizing and subscription to more traditional gender roles。 。。。more
Suzanne Newell
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A thorough dive into the lives of two pillars of the civil rights movement in the US。 Inextricably linked， their styles and philosophies differed， but their goals were similar。 This book helped me to more deeply understand the context of the world I was born into in the 60s。
Alexis
，
DNF 10%I plan to come back to this one， but it expired on my Kindle。 The first couple chapters were a bit slow for me。 The second chapter was basically just a 30 minute summary of Malcolm X's autobiography， which I have already read （although I did learn one interesting fact， which was that Malcolm was briefly engaged to someone else before he met Betty - he did not mention this in his autobiography！）。 DNF 10%I plan to come back to this one， but it expired on my Kindle。 The first couple chapters were a bit slow for me。 The second chapter was basically just a 30 minute summary of Malcolm X's autobiography， which I have already read （although I did learn one interesting fact， which was that Malcolm was briefly engaged to someone else before he met Betty - he did not mention this in his autobiography！）。 。。。more
Patricia Marr
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Excellent。 Clarifies a LOT。
Mills College Library
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323。092 J835 2020
Chris Holmes
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Excellent book。 Read in anticipation of MLK Jr。 Day。 Too often MLK and Malcom X are contrasted with one another。 This book demonstrates nuanced connections and the overlap of their work for racial justice in the US。
Beth Shorten
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My son has to read this for his history class， so I decided I should read it too。 It's never to late to learn and though I knew much， I didn't know all。 My son has to read this for his history class， so I decided I should read it too。 It's never to late to learn and though I knew much， I didn't know all。 。。。more
Janis
，
Peniel E。 Joseph compares and contrasts the lives of two major civil rights leaders in The Sword and the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr。 Generally， the book is organized chronologically， starting with the civil rights movements of the 1950s。 This approach provides an in-depth analysis of how the two men influenced each other throughout their lives and how Malcolm X’s more radical views eventually influenced King’s approach to black activism。 Joseph also th Peniel E。 Joseph compares and contrasts the lives of two major civil rights leaders in The Sword and the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr。 Generally， the book is organized chronologically， starting with the civil rights movements of the 1950s。 This approach provides an in-depth analysis of how the two men influenced each other throughout their lives and how Malcolm X’s more radical views eventually influenced King’s approach to black activism。 Joseph also thoughtfully explores the legacy of each man and their impacts on current-day racial protest movements such as Black Lives Matter。 。。。more
Christopher Smith
，
This book is a great start for someone wanting to understand both MLK and Malcolm X at a base level。 That being said， this book gives a more robust and nuanced look at two characters from history that are more caricatures than the real men full of conviction and doubt that they truly were。 This is especially true of MLK whom current American history has castrated of his more dynamic positions to make him more suitable for all audiences。 It is an equally inspiring and sad book given the state of This book is a great start for someone wanting to understand both MLK and Malcolm X at a base level。 That being said， this book gives a more robust and nuanced look at two characters from history that are more caricatures than the real men full of conviction and doubt that they truly were。 This is especially true of MLK whom current American history has castrated of his more dynamic positions to make him more suitable for all audiences。 It is an equally inspiring and sad book given the state of race and poverty in the US right now。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Edward Gray
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Great book ！ This book reveals that Martin and Malcolm were from the same cloth 。 I am fascinated about the two Washington DC meeting that Malcolm and Martin had。 In the end Martin's last March in 1968 was the march Malcolm articulated in 1963 ， a march to confront the American government and shut it down regarding its inadequacies 。 A highly recommended book。 Great book ！ This book reveals that Martin and Malcolm were from the same cloth 。 I am fascinated about the two Washington DC meeting that Malcolm and Martin had。 In the end Martin's last March in 1968 was the march Malcolm articulated in 1963 ， a march to confront the American government and shut it down regarding its inadequacies 。 A highly recommended book。 。。。more
Erica
，
Interesting topic that I *wanted* to like but I just couldn't get into it。 The language/writing isn't engaging & gets bogged down in name-dropping， references， & technical aside that disrupt the plot points。 I've spent 11 months trying to read this， got about 1/2 way & am giving up Interesting topic that I *wanted* to like but I just couldn't get into it。 The language/writing isn't engaging & gets bogged down in name-dropping， references， & technical aside that disrupt the plot points。 I've spent 11 months trying to read this， got about 1/2 way & am giving up 。。。more
Timothy
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The topic and work in this book for sure gets a 5 out of 5。 The writing though， as an academic work， is more a 3。5。 which is still solid， but would distract me from the message too often。 4。5 stars。 Joseph achieves what he set out to do， by taking the very simplistic versions of these two monumental men and try and give their lives more context to see that both were compassionate and both were revolutionary。 Both were loyal and both were dissidents。 While reading this book， I learned so much abo The topic and work in this book for sure gets a 5 out of 5。 The writing though， as an academic work， is more a 3。5。 which is still solid， but would distract me from the message too often。 4。5 stars。 Joseph achieves what he set out to do， by taking the very simplistic versions of these two monumental men and try and give their lives more context to see that both were compassionate and both were revolutionary。 Both were loyal and both were dissidents。 While reading this book， I learned so much about the growth that both men did in their lives。 Both were imperfect， yet they were still better people than most I have ever known。 For sure a necessary read。 。。。more
Jim Milway
，
Good history of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X。 I always thought of King as the reasonable， moderate voice and Malcolm X as the radical， uncompromising one。 That's how they started。 But the author shows that Malcolm X was realizing the positive elements of King's approach to civil rights。 King， on the other hand， became closer in philosophy and speech to Malcom X in the last couple years of his life。 He was one of the first to be against the war in Vietnam - earning criticism from some of left Good history of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X。 I always thought of King as the reasonable， moderate voice and Malcolm X as the radical， uncompromising one。 That's how they started。 But the author shows that Malcolm X was realizing the positive elements of King's approach to civil rights。 King， on the other hand， became closer in philosophy and speech to Malcom X in the last couple years of his life。 He was one of the first to be against the war in Vietnam - earning criticism from some of left-leaning stalwarts of the press。 He was positively socialist in his views of inequality and the need for an expanded welfare state。 And he broke with LBJ who had achieved so much legislatively on civil rights。An interesting step back from the heat of today's racial conflicts。 。。。more
Samantha Grant
，
A great look into the lives of two revolutionaries。 I loved the way the book highlighted the polarity between each as they both strive towards one end goal of ending the suppression of the Black people。
Lincoln
，
Engaging and thoroughly researched comparative biography of two giants who gave their lives in pursuit of dignity and the full rights of citizenship for all Black people。 It's a good education。 Engaging and thoroughly researched comparative biography of two giants who gave their lives in pursuit of dignity and the full rights of citizenship for all Black people。 It's a good education。 。。。more
Ellen Prewitt
，
I've read a lot about Dr。 King and a lot about Malcolm X， and was really eager to read this book that placed them in the same circle。 It didn't disappoint。 It added greatly to their individual stories to have them juxtapositioned。 Mostly， it strove to get waaaaay past the "violent Malcolm， peaceful Dr。 King" trope， which I much appreciated。 I've read a lot about Dr。 King and a lot about Malcolm X， and was really eager to read this book that placed them in the same circle。 It didn't disappoint。 It added greatly to their individual stories to have them juxtapositioned。 Mostly， it strove to get waaaaay past the "violent Malcolm， peaceful Dr。 King" trope， which I much appreciated。 。。。more
James P
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Good book。 Reading this book gave me new and further insights， including their motivations， aspirations and understandings; into the lives of both MLK and Malcolm X。
Hannah
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Dry。
Susan
，
Very informative and helped me to understand what the philosophies and goals behind these leaders' actions were all about。 It is unfortunate they are not still with us because， unfortunately， we still need them。 Very informative and helped me to understand what the philosophies and goals behind these leaders' actions were all about。 It is unfortunate they are not still with us because， unfortunately， we still need them。 。。。more
Nick Holevar
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Good intro to the the lives of these two radical figures。If you already studied Malcolm or REALLY studied Martin （I'm talking more than just three campaigns） a lot will feel the same。 However， great analysis towards the end！ Good intro to the the lives of these two radical figures。If you already studied Malcolm or REALLY studied Martin （I'm talking more than just three campaigns） a lot will feel the same。 However， great analysis towards the end！ 。。。more
William O'Ffill
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A fantastic read， really shows that these two icons were much more two sides of the same coin， and sometimes simply the same side， when pursuing the struggle for black humanity in the United States of America。
Terence
，
Joseph argues in this book that Malcolm X’s and Martin Luther King’s goals and strategies were more often complementary rather than adversarial， and became more so as both men matured and grew in the experience of representing black struggles for justice and equality。 I wish I had more extensive knowledge about the time and its actors but the author’s argument is persuasive， and it’s an impression I’ve always had about the two men。And it’s topical – oh， is it topical – as I write these words in Joseph argues in this book that Malcolm X’s and Martin Luther King’s goals and strategies were more often complementary rather than adversarial， and became more so as both men matured and grew in the experience of representing black struggles for justice and equality。 I wish I had more extensive knowledge about the time and its actors but the author’s argument is persuasive， and it’s an impression I’ve always had about the two men。And it’s topical – oh， is it topical – as I write these words in mid-April 2021。 The Civil Rights Era made enormous gains but conservative and racist agents began to mount efforts to reverse them before the ink was dry on Johnson’s legislation。 An assault that only grew in intensity （and， unfortunately， efficacy） after Reagan became president in 1980; when the Democratic Party， like their Republican counterparts during Reconstruction， abandoned their commitment to civil rights and threw in their lot with Republicans。There’s a passage about halfway through the book where Joseph is quoting from a speech Malcolm X gave where he’s talking about what he would do to achieve racial equality that reads as if it were written today: “He promised to form whatever is necessary – whether it’s a black nationalist party or black nationalist army – to achieve black citizenship that would end police brutality， eliminate the newly instituted stop-and-frisk law， and integrate public schools” （182-3）。And politicians’ and the media’s responses were similar to those from today。 The former （for the most part） were cowards who only supported the movement when it became clear is was unstoppable; and， even so， they tried to rein it in when its politics became “too radical。” And the latter treated the “good” activists with kid gloves， while excoriating others as violent subversives who， if not communists themselves， were controlled by them。 As long as King’s speeches remained limited to civil rights， he was a media darling。 When his analysis of U。S。 society became broader， more probing and critical， they tried to ignore him。 Malcolm X drew the media because of his fiery prose but God forbid anyone address the substance of his arguments – or at least why he was so angry。Highly recommended。 。。。more
Renee
，
I've been trying to fill in some of the gaps in Civil Rights history。 I only started to learn about Malcolm over the past couple of years and find him quite interesting。 On the other hand， King seems somewhat dull。 This book fit the bill for me in allowing me to learn more about King without having to read a book just on him。 The men are often presented as opposites--the militant and the pacifist。 In fact， as time passed they started to influence each other's views。 This book made me wish that K I've been trying to fill in some of the gaps in Civil Rights history。 I only started to learn about Malcolm over the past couple of years and find him quite interesting。 On the other hand， King seems somewhat dull。 This book fit the bill for me in allowing me to learn more about King without having to read a book just on him。 The men are often presented as opposites--the militant and the pacifist。 In fact， as time passed they started to influence each other's views。 This book made me wish that King's later life got more attention。 Like Malcolm， he died when he was evolving into something different and more nuanced。 。。。more
Sophia
，
Solid intellectual history of two figures， comparing and exploring how their lives intersected。 Some of it was material I was already familiar with， but there was also some new material I was interested to learn about， especially about Malcolm X's actions post-Hajj and Martin Luther King's work with the Poor People's Campaign。 I'm also interested in learning more about Stokely Carmichael， which I think this author has a book about。 Solid intellectual history of two figures， comparing and exploring how their lives intersected。 Some of it was material I was already familiar with， but there was also some new material I was interested to learn about， especially about Malcolm X's actions post-Hajj and Martin Luther King's work with the Poor People's Campaign。 I'm also interested in learning more about Stokely Carmichael， which I think this author has a book about。 。。。more
Alyssa Staley
，
This book looks at Malcolm X and Martin Luther King jr。 show readers that we are far from achieving racial justice。 But the author examines how these two men were fighting for the exact same thing just with different approaches。 After Malcolm's death， Martin Luther King jr。 becomes more radical and revolutionary than what students learn in public school。 It is time to re-examine the lives of these unforgettable leaders and be part of the ongoing fight for justice by following their leads！ This book looks at Malcolm X and Martin Luther King jr。 show readers that we are far from achieving racial justice。 But the author examines how these two men were fighting for the exact same thing just with different approaches。 After Malcolm's death， Martin Luther King jr。 becomes more radical and revolutionary than what students learn in public school。 It is time to re-examine the lives of these unforgettable leaders and be part of the ongoing fight for justice by following their leads！ 。。。more
Hezekiah
，
Yet another fresh look at dual competing but complementary lives Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr。 Unlike other reads， the author puts the world of each man in proper context showing that they had more in common than not。 The goal was the same even if the methods were different。
Mitch
，