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Elaine Brown

A Taste of Power: A Black Woman's Story Paperback – Illustrated, December 1, 1993

by Elaine Brown (Author)

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“A stunning picture of a black woman’s coming of age in America. Put it on the shelf beside The Autobiography of Malcolm X.” —Kirkus Reviews

Elaine Brown assumed her role as the first and only female leader of the Black Panther Party with these words: “I have all the guns and all the money. I can withstand challenge from without and from within. Am I right, Comrade?” It was August 1974. From a small Oakland-based cell, the Panthers had grown to become a revolutionary national organization, mobilizing black communities and white supporters across the country—but relentlessly targeted by the police and the FBI, and increasingly riven by violence and strife within. How Brown came to a position of power over this paramilitary, male-dominated organization, and what she did with that power, is a riveting, unsparing account of self-discovery.

Brown’s story begins with growing up in an impoverished neighborhood in Philadelphia and attending a predominantly white school, where she first sensed what it meant to be black, female, and poor in America. She describes her political awakening during the bohemian years of her adolescence, and her time as a foot soldier for the Panthers, who seemed to hold the promise of redemption. And she tells of her ascent into the upper echelons of Panther leadership: her tumultuous relationship with the charismatic Huey Newton, who would become her lover and her nemesis; her experience with the male power rituals that would sow the seeds of the party's demise; and the scars that she both suffered and inflicted in that era’s paradigm-shifting clashes of sex and power. Stunning, lyrical, and acute, this is the indelible testimony of a black woman’s battle to define herself.

“A glowing achievement.” —Los Angeles Times

“Honest, funny, subjective, unsparing, and passionate. . . A Taste of Power weaves autobiography and political history into a story that fascinates and illuminates.” —The Washington Post

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Editorial Reviews

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“Profound, funny. . . . Movie makers, where are you? This narration is as wild and moving as Bonnie and Clyde. It’s as adventurous as Lawrence of Arabia. It has more gore than 14 Terminators. And it also has beautiful, touching, heartbreaking accounts of a lonely black childhood. . . . Brown sees racial oppression in national and global context; every political word she writes pounds home a lesson about commerce, money, racism, communism, you name it. . . . A glowing achievement.” —Los Angeles Times

“A Taste of Power is chilling, well-written, and profoundly entertaining.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Honest, funny, subjective, unsparing, and passionate. . . A Taste of Power weaves autobiography and political history into a story that fascinates and illuminates.” —Washington Post

“A stunning picture of a black woman’s coming of age in America. Put it on the shelf beside The Autobiography of Malcolm X.” —Kirkus Reviews

“A superb achievement. Finally I understood what the Black Panthers were all about. They were bold, daring, and beautiful, and so is A Taste of Power.” —Claude Brown, author of Manchild in the Promised Land

“What Elaine Brown writes is so astonishing, at times it is even difficult to believe she survived it. And yet she did, bringing us that amazing light of the black woman’s magical resilience, in the gloominess of our bitter despair.” —Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple

“This is the kind of book you develop a relationship with—one of those tumultuous, passionate relationships commonly reserved for lovers. I drank my morning coffee with it, and arrived at work in anticipation of returning to it in the evening. . . . Fascinating. . . . Remarkable.” —Farah Jasmine Griffin, Boston Review

“The writing is lyrical, poetic, searing, and staunchly intelligent, much I suspect like the author herself.” —Marita Golden, author of Long Distance Life

“With this book, Elaine Brown makes a crucial contribution to American history, African-American history, women’s history.” —Hattie Gossett, author of presenting sister noblues

“This is a powerful book on a personal level that tells Brown’s own story without sentimentality but with insight and candor. . . A must for anyone interested in any insight into the organization.” —New York Amsterdam News

From the Publisher

Brown's account of her life at the highest levels of the Black Panther parly's hierarchy. More than a journey through a turbulent time in American history, this is the story of a black woman's battle to define herself.

Publisher : Anchor; Illustrated edition (December 1, 1993)
Language : English
Paperback : 452 pages
ISBN-10 : 0385471076
ISBN-13 : 978-0385471077
Item Weight : 1.3 pounds
Dimensions : 5.97 x 1.05 x 9.18 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #33,463 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #111 in Social Activist Biographies
- #330 in African American Demographic Studies (Books)
- #333 in Black & African American Biographies

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Jae

A good memoir

Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2020

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About a smart and resourceful woman that became leader of the Black panther party. This book was informative but I found certain details unnecessary which made the book feel bloated and somewhat tedious to read at times. Also, Elaine Brown seemed like an opportunist at certain stages of her membership in the party. She had various sexual relationships with notable party members which made me question her discernment and her seeming lack of self awareness. She was pretty much Huey Newton's sidepiece, which ultimately led to his appointing her his replacement as leader of the party after fleeing the country to avoid arrest for the murder of a young girl. Furthermore, she depicts certain popular figures of the BPP as violent sociopaths that drink cognac, snort cocaine, and discriminate against woman to keep the party a toxic boys club. Interesting read, but it definitely could've been a hundred pages less.

One person found this helpful

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Clarissa

Everyone needs to read this book

Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2020

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It is honestly one of the greatest books ever written, please read it. It reads like a novel and is really thrilling, but is also at its core a history book on a piece of history that certain people have done their best to hide and destroy. The Black Panther Party is a huge and vital part of American History that everyone should know the truth about. Elaine Brown is such a strong, talented, inspirational woman and I can't remomend enough reading her story.

One person found this helpful

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Johnny 88

Very insightful perspective from a brilliant woman within the Black Panthers

Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2012

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A Taste of Power gives great insight on leading individuals within the Black Panther Party - which includes the author herself - Elaine Brown.
She was close to Huey Newton, and was able to convey in this book his brilliant strategy. It goes like this: In the beginning to get the black community to support the Black Panther Party, the Party had to show it will stand up against the police that brutalize their communities. This was done using guns and many very tough men and women. Many Panthers were killed, jailed and beaten, but this was not going to be an on going strategy - it was simply to rally the black community behind the Party. It then transitioned to being heavily focused on community programs, including an elementary school that I believe was rated the best in all of California. The Party transitioned so brilliantly from an armed gang to being a legitimate organization in the eyes of the black community, prominent businesses and politicians all the way up to Governor Jerry Brown. Women within the party led this brilliant transition after Huey Newton went into exile to Cuba. He appointed Elaine Brown his temporary replacement at the top of the Black Panther Party, and she appointed other very capable women in positions that were focused on community programs. It was truly amazing, and I highly recommend reading about this history. One downside of this book is that it does not delve into great detail about all the programs and achievements. However, the book is 450 pages long and Ms Brown covers plenty. The tragic part of the amazing transition is that when Huey Newton returned the heavy-handed sexism, and gang mentality/activity returned. The prominent women were side lined and some severely beaten. Elaine wrote that Huey did not want this, but could not bring himself to muzzle the overt macho sexism that was brewing under the surface of so many male Panthers.

This book also opened my eyes on the extreme sexist view black men have against women. Never was aware of that. Also, this book covered to some degree the struggle between the Black Nationalists who were promoting a race war, and the Black Panthers were promoting a class war.

Ms. Brown had many lovers who were prominent within the Black Panther party ( and she wrote about many lover before even entering the BPP) This was a bit of a distraction. However, she was in close contact with many brilliant and capable black men within the black movement, so that put her in this unique position to write about from a first hand knowledge. The way Ms. Brown wrote about George Jackson and Fred Hampton I will definitely want to read more about those two individuals.

About the first 75 pages of the book is about Ms. Brown growing up very poor, in bad parts of town, being raised by a single mother. Very descriptive and eye opening on how hard life is growing up in those oppressive circumstances. You understand that there is almost no way out for kid. They are stuck there forever. Then maybe another 30 pages as a young woman, before she gets involved with the Black Panthers. She gets hooked up with Jay Kennedy who was influential at that time. This was when she was living the high life. What the book does not cover is that it would seem that Jay Kennedy was a FBI informant. Also, there are some questions about Elaine Brown. She was caught with cocaine while trying to visit someone in prison, and she miraculously was released. Typically, if the government got its hands on a Black Panther they would try to put them away forever. If Ms. Brown was involved in any way is unknown.

I highly recommend reading 'Seize the Time' by Bobby Seale. It was written in 1970, so it was fresh in the memory of Mr. Seale. This is a fantastic book to give you an idea of how the Black Panthers stood up to the police in the early years. But also, it shows how various government agencies can pick away and eventually cripple any group that challenges the states authority. Ms Brown's book came out in 1992, so all the conversations in quotation marks are approximations at best. Also, Ms Brown did not have much good to say about Mr Seale, but you would be making a mistake not also reading that book.

What this book did not cover in much detail is where all the money came from, who controlled it, and what was it spent on. It seemed that some money came from extortion against other criminal enterprises, rich white liberals, and some legit BPP businesses. But no sense of the breakdown on how much from where. Also, it seemed like when Huey Newton was in exile, the money was being managed more carefully by the woman. The men seemed to be more inclined to dip their hands in the till to fund a night of debauchery. The money issue is unclear but it seemed the BPP had quite a bit at times.

6 people found this helpful

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Tee

A True REVELATION

Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2014

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I never understood the Black Power movement until I read this book. Ms. Brown's descriptions of the inner workings of the Black Panther Party were eye opening. It allowed me to see the other side of the coin and not just the propoganda I'd been taught all my life. This is a must read for all women - young and old!

6 people found this helpful

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CIARA P.

So telling...

Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2017

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I never knew how active, or successful, or dysfunctional the BPP was. I certainly knew NOTHING about Elaine Brown, although I had always heard that much of the success was from the work of the women. I'm both inspired and discouraged by how little things have changed with regard to gender relations. Elaine Brown - Salute!

One person found this helpful

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Rejoice!

Brilliant book!

Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2020

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Grateful for this glimpse into this part of the sixties. Well written, fascinating, core truth.
Bravo!

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Robert

A Cautionary Tale!

Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2015

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A fresh perspective on the Black Panther Party without all the glamour and romance. This book gives the gritty truth about an organization that was not as organized as we all thought. After reading this book, it is understandable why the party eventually collapsed. This is a great book for anyone trying to avoid the pitfalls that plague socially conscious organizations.

One person found this helpful

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Best Of All

A Survivor

Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2006

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Elaine Brown went from the hood to the governor's office in her search for identity as a black woman coming of age in the 1970s and to make the black power movement - the Black Panther Party - a powerful voice in California state politics.

The autobiography is seemingly an act of catharsis as Brown bares her soul without justifying what she has done with her life. It is what it is and she keeps it real.

There will be segments that you'll be touched by, others that will repulse you and some where you question why, but it ultimately is her life story. Sexuality and violence - oftentimes at the hands of her lovers in the BPP - overshadows Brown's quest for love and acceptance, but you will find segments of her life that intertwine with snapshots from your past.

Brown takes what I consider some unnecessary swipes at Angela Davis - it is taken for granted that many in the black power movement questioned her membership in the Communist Party, USA - but she does have unapologetic portraits of people throughout her life.

If you are looking for an autobiography solely on the BPP from a party member's perspective, you may want to look for another book to read. But you will be missing one of the most powerful writings on one's life that has ever been published.

2 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Fabulous37

This is a book for the sistas! And anyone wanting to know the truth about the Black Panthers!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 15, 2017

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I bought this to replace the original one I had as I had lent it to someone who didn't return it back! This is one of my top five best books ever read. The narrative is not one that you will hear in the mainstream and for those of you interested in the works of the Black Panthers you will really enjoy this book. However, it did bring tears to my eyes as to what could have been in an ideal world. Maybe things would have been different now if they had not been infiltrated as at their very essence m they were about raising the consciousness of poor and disadvantaged people, primarily black, but for all. Their good works are rarely mentioned and the fact is that they did a lot of good.

A voice in the dark

Brilliant and compelling

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 9, 2016

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A brilliant read that is powerful, dramatic, funny and at times terrifying. Elaine Brown's book is an inspiring account by someone at the heart of the struggle for freedom in the late 1960's and 1970's. Some of her comrades may differ on her account but this book is compelling and worth investing in some serious time reading.

Blue

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 6, 2017

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Good book, highly educational and recommended

Inspiring and insightful read! Great autobiography

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 19, 2015

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Great book! Really enjoyed this autobiography from such a powerful woman. Enjoyed reading how her life changed so much over the years. Recommended this book to many people; a great read!

Annabelle Ejem

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 29, 2016

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arrived in good condition

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