Customer Reviews

Go and Tell Pharaoh

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Apparently convinced that his too-frequent appearances in other media (ie., television and radio) are not enough, America's number one professional protester has produced a book which is nothing less than an exercise in pure narcissism. Making it abundantly clear that he is his own greatest admirer, Al tries to portray himself as a great man and a great leader, and fails miserably on both counts. Instead, the reader is bombarded by the usual self-serving, bombastic, racist drivel which has become Al's trademark. It is thrilling to learn that Al began preaching at the age of four; unfortunately, however, he has not shut his mouth since then. The only thing which has changed is that this self-appointed "leader" has become a devoted anti-Semite and, despite his claim to the title "Reverend", has proven clearly that he worships himself above all others. Indeed, Al has thus far achieved nothing positive for African-Americans; in fact, he has done more to exacerbate racial disharmony than David Duke could have ever imagined, and that's quite an accomplishment. This book is a waste of the reader's time.

As the title of this book suggests, Alvin Sharpton, the self-anointed messiah, would like to be perceived as a modern-day Moses; however, his self-serving "autobiography" abjectly fails to promote that image. Instead, he merely reinforces the ever-growing perception that he is nothing more than a pompous, arrogant loudmouth who has thus far accomplished nothing for the African-American community. Rather, he has damaged race relations through his inability to distinguish between reasoned argument and bombastic posturing. His disgraceful conduct during the Brawley hoax proved that his commitment to "justice" is a sham. Mr. Sharpton has shown himself to be no more than a cheap hoodlum and professional race baiter, who has made a career of rabble-rousing. In fact, he seems to have the same agenda as David Duke, Louis Farrakhan, and Tom Metzger, which is to spread hatred for profit and fame; if America ever realizes the goal of true racial harmony, these fellows will have to find real jobs. This book is a dreadful waste of ink, paper, money, and time - avoid it! Al should be quite ashamed but, alas, he is as incapable of shame as he is of truthfulness. Get a job, Al!

For several years now I've watched references in various newspapers to see how Al Sharpton is portrayed. In general, the references are negative. He is called a racist, a demagogue, a hate-monger, a rabble-rouser, a charlatan, and opportunist...I never saw any column or article that spoke well of him, so I was pleased to find he had this book out, which tells his side of the story.

It seems to me he's gotten a bad rap. His fame comes mainly out of the Howard Beach and Bensonhurst murders and the Tawana Brawley affair. In the Brawley affair he apparently was duped. In Howard Beach and Bensonhurst his actions were, in my view, exemplary and necessary.

Compare the aftermath of the Rodney King verdict in LA to the aftermath of Howard Beach. In LA they had a massive riot. In Howard Beach Reverend Sharpton led a series of peaceful protest marches. It's not farfetched to suggest that a riot could have occurred after Howard Beach. Instead, Sharpton organized marches in the best tradition of nonviolent protest.

Even if Michael Griffith had not been chased out onto the Belt Parkway and struck by a car and killed, the protest marches would have been justified. The reason he was chased was that his car broke down in a neighborhood where the inhabitants had the peculiar idea that they were entitled to decide who could come into their neighborhood, and who could not. It was "their turf ". The same was true of Bensonhurst. The people of Bensonhurst had the idea, supported by years of official acquiescence, that they were entitled to keep blacks out of their neighborhood.

In the South forty years ago that was known as segregation, and people deliberately marched and rode in the front of busses and drank from water fountains to put a stop to it. In New York in the eighties it didn't go by the name of segregation and it wasn't written into the city charter, but it was by and large the same thing. Sharpton could have incited a riot, or given his tacit blessing to the people who are always ready to go that route. Instead, and to his credit, he chose the tactics of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Sharpton rightly points out that New York liberal Democrats don't like to be compared to Dixiecrats, but none of the Democrats in power at the time helped him break down the racial barriers: not Mayor Koch; not Governor Cuomo. They could have helped him take the first steps in the desegregation of Howard Beach and Bensonhurst, but they chose not to, preferring instead a comfortable (for them) status quo.

On the other hand, Rev. Sharpton is completely inaccurate in suggesting the "rage" of the Howard Beach racists was built up by Ronald Reagan and George Bush. In an otherwise well-written and thoughtful book, he claims that Republicans have been "telling white folks that the reason the country doesn't work is blacks..."Why are your taxes so high? Blacks. They're all on welfare and their bankrupting us. Why is there so much unemployment in Howard Beach? Why can't the young people get meaningful work? Blacks."" In a single paragraph he unjustly smears his political enemies in the same way the media smears him. Neither Reagan nor Bush ever blamed the woes of the country on blacks nor advocated violence or hatred, just as Rev. Sharpton never advocated violence or hatred. Nothing useful can come of any of these hyperbolic accusations. In fact, there are more than a few similarities in the way Reagan and Sharpton got into the face of the liberal establishment to force change.

In addition to all the political wrangling, Go and Tell Pharaoh is a story of an interesting man. One can't help but admire a child who began preaching Christianity at the age of four, at a time when so many other four-year-olds were content to watch Captain Kangaroo. Perhaps more remarkable is that he kept at it five years later when a great tragedy struck his family. Like his unusual hair, and the touching story behind it, there is more to Al Sharpton than meets the eye. This book is a closer look.

As a Christian, a person who thinks of himself as a humane and compassionate individual and a true Democrat, I think that Sharpton is, pardon me, full of it. He is a race hustler in the George Wallace/Strom Thurmond mold and a corrupt, cheap gangster. His autobiography shows him to be a big headed fraud.

Yeah, this is worth reading if you want to get mad and/or informed about a would-be hysterical 'leader.' He's pathetic and he knows it.

Alfred Charles "Al" Sharpton, Jr. (born 1954) is an American Baptist minister, civil rights activist, and radio talk show host, as well as a noteworthy public figure. Here are some quotations from the book:

"I didn't have time in those years to explain the beliefs that fueled my actions, and, if the truth be told, few were asking: the media seemed to enjoy portraying me as a substanceless gadfly." (Pg. 4)

"The church was the place where you could be more than a boy." (Pg. 23)

"But strange as it may sound, I don't totally blame those whites. Their rage came from years of white politicians, Nixon into Reagan on through Bush, telling white folks that the reason the country doesn't work is blacks. This led to the reenergizing of racism and race scapegoating." (Pg. 118)

"Farrakhan marched with us, which was unique because he had never before been on a march; the Nation of Islam disapproved of them." (Pg. 122)

"The natural ties that have bound us together in the past must be reestablished. Jewish spokespersons must speak out more forcefully whenever black rights are trampled, just as blacks must protest every instance of anti-Semitism. Whether blacks and Jews on both sides realize it, our civil and human rights are intertwined." (Pg. 204)

"Black Americans are the most stable Africans in the world, but we do not use out $400-billion consumer market wisely, for either ourselves or others, and we squander what could become enormous political power. If we took our $400 billion and consolidated it in economic institutions, undergirded black banks and businesses, there's so much we could do in our own self-contained world that could become a platform of freedom for blacks in America and around the world." (Pg. 248)

Fascinating background to this reluctant Icon's adventures: a Preacher at four; Community Organzier at 16; James Brown accompanist in the recording studio, on stage....and at the White House; candidate for the Senate.

Pseudo-FBI Informant? Rabble-Rouser? Race Baiter? These last three descriptions are dissected by Al Sharpton in this very readable, often hilarious, tome. Was he a victim of the same curved camera lens that made him a celebrity?

The Chapter describing his relationship with Superstar James Brown could have made a great book in itself. All the dialogue rings with reality - I can absolutely hear Brown admonishing Sharpton - but in a serious Paternal way - when the latter needed a "Father Figure"...and when the former needed a "Son Figure", if you will.

As a JB fan, who watched him on Soul Train in 1973 and on stage at Madison square Garden on July 4th, 1974, my heart quickened to learn that the Reverend was behind the scenes in one and on stage in another. I recall vividly when Sharpton presented an award to JB on stage.

He talks about the flight to and Concert in Zaire later that year...and how it almost didn't come about. Al was put in charge [a presumptive assistant to Charles Bobbitt] of assuring the appropriateness of the compensation...yes, the project was a success. Seems sometime in the '80s, overseas, an even more complicated assignment was completed when assurance was needed in the area of financial translation, shall we say.

Outside of music, there were, of course, distressing reports of violence against individuals who contacted Sharpton, and who relied upon him for support and representation. It's hard to understand the "evidence" as presented here, thoigh, and serious issues involving off the cuff accusations of officials and malfeasance on the legal team get very little analysis.

When it was all said and done, when the case was said to have no merit, we read of how the case really didn't get full due process.

I'm a little surprised that such a gifted speaker apparently needed a co-writer for this book. As a lifelong Preacher, seems odd. Well, maybe just another mystery in the life of a very complex man.

I found it rather silly old chap.It made me want to stick my head on the barby.