A biography with some illuminating moments, but which often lacks thoughtfulness.
An impassioned challenge to the career and activism of the Rev. Al Sharpton.
Debut author Sinclair, a native Jamaican who was raised in New York City, makes clear in his book’s title that it isn’t a detached biography of a prominent African-American leader. He seems driven by a desire to tell black Americans that Sharpton is a “charlatan” who’s amassed vast personal wealth on “the commoditization and monetization of racial oppression.” He characterizes it as an activism-for-profit model, which he says has been imitated by a slew of others. This, he asserts, is dangerous for the black community, as it offers a perverse disincentive to actually alleviate the plight of African-Americans. Sharpton very publically embraces protests on behalf of black communities, especially in the media. However, the author posits that one would never find Sharpton working outside of the spotlight—behind closed doors, lobbying politicians and businessmen who could bring about real change. According to Sinclair, the reverend’s private life stands in sharp contrast to his public activism; at various times in Sharpton’s career, the author asserts, he personally profited as a pitchman for white-owned companies, including a predatory financial institution that targeted African-Americans; he sabotaged the careers of black leaders and politicians who might have challenged his status; he took money from conservative Republicans in his 2004 presidential bid; and he served as an FBI informant in the 1980s, allegedly spying on other black activists. Readers who share Sinclair’s objections to Sharpton, and the brand of public black activist that he represents, will revel in the book’s polemic tone. Others, however, will be put off by the author’s overt bias and the text’s dearth of sources, despite the numerous footnotes in the text. Particularly troubling is the author’s negativity toward the black community writ large, as he asserts that African-Americans would rather embrace Sharpton’s brand of hustling and victimization than try to address “Poor education and social skills, poor thought and widespread ignorance, poor health habits, licentious violence, teenage pregnancy, single-parent phenomenon, self-hatred, dissonance and ostentation, and multi-generational dependence on public assistance.”
A biography with some illuminating moments, but which often lacks thoughtfulness.Pub Date: April 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-9994743-0-3
Page Count: 418
Publisher: Aequis International
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s...
Music journalist and musician Wald (Talking 'Bout Your Mama: The Dozens, Snaps, and the Deep Roots of Rap, 2014, etc.) focuses on one evening in music history to explain the evolution of contemporary music, especially folk, blues, and rock.
The date of that evening is July 25, 1965, at the Newport Folk Festival, where there was an unbelievably unexpected occurrence: singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, already a living legend in his early 20s, overriding the acoustic music that made him famous in favor of electronically based music, causing reactions ranging from adoration to intense resentment among other musicians, DJs, and record buyers. Dylan has told his own stories (those stories vary because that’s Dylan’s character), and plenty of other music journalists have explored the Dylan phenomenon. What sets Wald's book apart is his laser focus on that one date. The detailed recounting of what did and did not occur on stage and in the audience that night contains contradictory evidence sorted skillfully by the author. He offers a wealth of context; in fact, his account of Dylan's stage appearance does not arrive until 250 pages in. The author cites dozens of sources, well-known and otherwise, but the key storylines, other than Dylan, involve acoustic folk music guru Pete Seeger and the rich history of the Newport festival, a history that had created expectations smashed by Dylan. Furthermore, the appearances on the pages by other musicians—e.g., Joan Baez, the Weaver, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Dave Van Ronk, and Gordon Lightfoot—give the book enough of an expansive feel. Wald's personal knowledge seems encyclopedic, and his endnotes show how he ranged far beyond personal knowledge to produce the book.
An enjoyable slice of 20th-century music journalism almost certain to provide something for most readers, no matter one’s personal feelings about Dylan's music or persona.Pub Date: July 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-236668-9
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dey Street/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
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BOOK TO SCREEN
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Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
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