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jellybeanshoofly TBR'd a book

Go as a River
Shelley Read
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Molloy
Samuel Beckett
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A Lonely Rage: The Autobiography of Bobby Seale
Bobby Seale
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No More Police: A Case for Abolition
Mariame Kaba
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A Passage to India
E.M. Forster
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Notes of a Native Son
James Baldwin
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jellybeanshoofly wrote a review...
It was humbling to read Revolutionary Suicide. Huey P. Newton writes in a way that is straight forward yet highly eloquent and graceful as he details events of his life that are variously deeply moving and inspiring or heartbreakingly and suffocatingly inhumane and tragic. What stood out to me throughout all of this was his grounded nature and his unwavering dignity, patience, and compassion.
His dedication to his people and his revolutionary spirit and his empathy were always palpable on the page, as was his humility in his willingness to acknowledge his mistakes and shortcomings. It was amazing to learn about his early life and how much he educated himself and how well read be become basically all on his own. I never knew he had such a fondness for poetry, for example.
At points Revolutionary Suicide was almost impossible for me to put down, I was so invested in Huey’s story and so moved by his words. I learned so much about what the Black Panthers truly stood for and how much Huey cared about the people and how much he was willing to sacrifice for the advancement of the revolution.
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Revolutionary Suicide
Huey P. Newton
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Nothing I'm about to say pertains to specific events mentioned in the book and is public record so I don't think the spoiler tag is necessary. If you think otherwise then I wish you luck navigating those emotions.
Man, I just sat this book down for a minute and got to thinking... reading all that he endured and survived and the poise and stoicism with which he did so, for his life to end the way it did over the next decade and a half after this book was published, with his various personal demons and eventual murder on a street corner in the dark of night...that is just tragic.
On the other hand, not long ago I read Assata Shakur's book. There are certainly parallels between the things they each went through but the justice system treated her even worse and with even more brutality. It's nice that she was able to rise past that and live out her days.
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