Customer Reviews

Autobiography of W.E.B. Dubois: A Soliloquy on Viewing My Life from the Last Decade of Its First Century

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book should be read by everyone who is interested in civil rights. Dubois was the pioneer of the civil rights movement and anything he had to say deserves to be read. This book is just as important as the Autobiographies of both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. After reading this book I realized what bravery was all about. Dubois didn't have the luxury of a "movement" behind him, he stood alone. He spoke his mind to whomever he felt was hindering the progress of blacks in America. Not only did he stand alone and speak his mind but he did it in a time when a black man would be lynched simply for looking at a white person the wrong way. This book is written with the same poetic style as most of his other work and continues the story of his battle against oppression where "Souls of Black Folk", and "Darkwater" leave off. You will definately benefit by taking the time to read the almost century long journey of one of the greatest thinkers and writers the world has ever seen.

I really wanted to like this book...I really did. And it's not really that bad. DuBois grants us a very revealing look at his young life, along with his education and intellectual development. His early observations and analysis of life are insightful and thought provoking. Still his writing lacks pace and fails to flow in any way other than tediously. Despite being regarded by many as one of the great men of the 20th century, his memoirs grant little to convey that greatness and leaves the reader unfulfilled at truly grasping his many accomplishments. However, DuBois' revelations regarding the N.A.A.C.P. are very interesting, and one of the better parts of the book. If you have plenty of time to spare (it's over 400 pages long) you may attain more from it than this reviewer did.