Customer Reviews

The Essential Harold Cruse: A Reader

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Harold Cruse was one of the most intellectual and insightful men of his time. The Essential Harold Cruse:A Reader is a collection of essays that provides into how he was thinking and what he thought as a black man during times, past and present, of racial strife and struggle.

Mr.Cruse critiques some of the most well known people of his time. Chapter four of the book sticks out in mind, for example. James Baldwin, one of the most well known and respected author's ever, wrote a play called Blues for Mr. Charlie. Mr. Baldwin was emphatic when discussing Mr. Charlie that it was not a Negro play, but just a a play that had some resonant social themes. Cruse criticizes Baldwin for not being true to himself or to the cause. Mr. Cruse was very outspoken and always wrote or said what he thought.

The Essential Harold Cruse:A Reader edited by William Jelani Webb was a very difficult book to read at times because some of the essays were very indepth and I felt as though the author was talking over my head and overanalyzing. On the other hand the collection of essays was insightful and informative and I feel that in reading this book that I learned a lot.

Reviewed by Simone A. Hawks

After all of these years this compilation of studies by Mr. Cruse is still relevant. His analysis aren't simply incisive or alarmist. They are underpinned by a logic that cannot be negated. 'Rebellion or Revolution', 'Plural but Equal' and 'Crisis' should be be read in their entirety as well. When one peruses the bookshelves, its ostensible that this kind of scholarship is absent from contemporary Black thought. This is a great collection.