Looking for Farrakhan [Paperback]

Florence H. Leninsohn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 16, 2009

While the racial polarity over the O. J. Simpson trial was powerful and dramatic, there are far deeper and wider differences over Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam. It is no exaggeration to say that since the Million Man March, Farrakhan has become perhaps the most respected and admired American black man among his fellow blacks_and the most feared and despised black man by whites in America. In her new book, Looking for Farrakhan, Florence Levinsohn offers a searching biographical portrait of the man behind the myth. Here is a man far more complex, far more dangerous than the one seen in tensecond sound bites on the evening news. While Ms. Levinsohn is unsparing in her descriptions of FarrakhanOs bigotry, she shows that he is a religious zealot who sees himself in a long tradition of black saviors, who sense white hostility everywhere_and is often right. She explores FarrakhanOs impact as an agent of antiSemitism, and suggests that the root beliefs of Farrakhan and the Nation may illuminate some of the tensions now buried in white and black mutual anger. Looking for Farrakhan is a thoughtful, revealing appraisal of perhaps the most enigmatic figure on the American political scene.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This impressionistic biography of Louis Farrakhan begins with the first back-to-Africa movements of the 19th century. In "Antecedents," Florence Hamlish Levinsohn surveys the many ways in which black Americans have sought to reject America and embrace Africa; she ends the summary with the Moorish Science Temple predecessors to the Nation of Islam (NOI). Levinsohn continues her search for Farrakhan in the history of the NOI, ending with the story of Louis Eugene Walcott, as Farrakhan was known before becoming a Muslim. She finally concludes that he is "the most influential man in the black world," and "a con artist, a charlatan, a demagogue, and an egomaniac." This is an important addition to the body of work about Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Recently, two accomplished Jewish authors, Levinsohn and Arthur Magida, have attempted to write the definitive biography of Louis Farrakhan. Unfortunately, both books have fallen short of the mark. While Magida's Prophet of Rage (LJ 7/96) provided a thorough background on Farrakhan, it lacked insight into the motivation that was his driving force. Levinsohn's unorthodox biography, which reflects on the black experience and how it changed young Eugene Walcott into Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam, attempts to make sense of this prominent figure in American politics. Levinsohn's training in political journalism helps her delve into these issues, extricating myriad motivating factors in her subject's life. The author paints a portrait of Farrakhan as a complex person whom she believes to be more insidious than the media depict. Many questions remain, some of which may be answered only through interviews with Farrakhan. Still, Levinsohn's book is recommended for African American studies collections.?Michael A. Lutes, Univ. of Notre Dame Lib., Ind.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Ivan R Dee (February 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566637848
• ISBN-13: 978-1566637848
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,996,930 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed..., August 8, 1999

By 

Ask Doctor Java - See all my reviews

This review is from: Looking for Farrakhan (Hardcover)

It is obvious after reading this book that the author has not even heard Farrakhan speak or at least did not listen with an open mind.

I doubt that the author has even been to the mosque to hear any of the ministers.

If you have an opinion on the Nation of Islam, it is better to hear a speech first hand or talk directly to a member. Save your money by not buying this book.

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Looking for Farrakhan., August 1, 2001

By 

Daniel Pipes, Middle East Forum, Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Looking for Farrakhan (Hardcover)

Levinsohn, has an intelligent mind and a good knowledge of race relations in the United States, but she remains captive to a far-left mentality that distorts her understanding of this subject (poor black women in search of domestic work she terms "victims") as well as international politics (the Kuwait conflict she dubs "George Bush's curious war against Iraq"). Her ignorance sometimes causes her needlessly to speculate about well-known facts (such as the physical characteristics of the NOI founder, W. D. Fard, whose huge portrait has graced many of the movement's public events). She repeats old mistakes (that Farrakhan was expected to succeed Elijah Muhammad, that Malcolm X was more powerful than Elijah Muhammad) and initiates new ones (Farrakhan never mentions in speeches the old NOI goal of a separate black state, that the NOI does not follow up on its threats of violence).

Despite these shaky underpinnings, Levinsohn does offer insights to help decipher Farrakhan, showing the role of his family's West Indies background and explaining the "aura of madness" that surrounds him. She calls him "the most influential man in the black world" but also "one of the shrewdest opportunists in recent history," someone who "doesn't care" about such issues as job training and the problems of the black poor. Instead, his "interest is in building a great and strong Nation of Islam, with branches wherever there are black people."

Middle East Quarterly, December 1998