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

by W.E.B. Du Bois, Herbert Aptheker (Editor)

The African American educator and social activist looks back on his life and work

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History, Autobiography, Sociology, Memoir, African American

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

In 1868, William Edward Burghardt Du Bois (pronounced 'doo-boyz') was born in Massachusetts. He attended Fisk College in Nashville, then earned his BA in 1890 and his MS in 1891 from Harvard. Du Bois studied at the University of Berlin, then earned his doctorate in history from Harvard in 1894. He taught economics and history at Atlanta University from 1897-1910. The Souls of Black Folk (1903) made his name, in which he urged black Americans to stand up for their educational and economic rights. Du Bois was a founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and edited the NAACP's official journal, "Crisis," from 1910 to 1934. Du Bois turned "Crisis" into the foremost black literary journal. The black nationalist expanded his interests to global concerns, and is called the "father of Pan-Africanism" for organizing international black congresses.

Although he used some religious metaphor and expressions in some of his books and writings, Du Bois called himself a freethinker. In "On Christianity," a posthumously published essay, Du Bois critiqued the black church: "The theology of the average colored church is basing itself far too much upon 'Hell and Damnation'—upon an attempt to scare people into being decent and threatening them with the terrors of death and punishment. We are still trained to believe a good deal that is simply childish in theology. The outward and visible punishment of every wrong deed that men do, the repeated declaration that anything can be gotten by anyone at any time by prayer." Du Bois became a member of the Communist Party and officially repudiated his U.S. citizenship at the end of his life, dying in his adopted country of Ghana. D. 1963.

More: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/t...

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stori...

http://www.math.buffalo.edu/~sww/0his...

http://www.americaslibrary.gov/aa/dub...

Reviews

[Mawande Lushozi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Du Bois led a very inspiring life. I was left in awe of the amount of valuable sociological work he did, I'm also curious about whether anyone has taken the baton and continued the program of capturing the status of Black people in as much detail.
How a man can stay so motivated in the face of such daunting odds is a mystery. Born in the aftermath of the civil war to end enslavement, so disturbed was he by the plight of the Black race in America that he dedicated his whole life, and all of his incredible intellectual talent to pursuing the liberation and uplift of the Black race. It is interesting that this earnest and dogged pursuit leads him to Socialism/Communism.

At the height of the "red scare", it took incredible courage to stand as an unabashed communist. He held firm and courageously to what was right, often to his own detriment. The events of the final third of his life think reveal an important truth about the US imperialism that persists to this day: it is intimately dependent on militarism and on violence. This is why the seemingly innocuous Peace Information Center was met with such harshness by the state.
This is a lesson to those in the West genuinely interested in helping the third world. Pursuing peace, and ending US militarism is the most revolutionary thing you can do.

There are a lot of insights that he shares that are still pertinent. I am especially impressed by his prescience regarding the neo-imperialist challenges that Africa would face in the 20th century.

I see in Du Bois a man who, through honest and diligent intellectual labor, gave the his people so much of value, and in turn, attained a deep understanding of how the world truly works.
There are so many gems in this book. As a Black Communist myself, this is the best thing I've ever read.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my brain, Du Bois had been stuck in the "Talented Tenth" mode. And it took this book to make me realize that he's way more than that idea. I appreciate the self-reflection present and the clear ideological evolution that Du Bois lays out. He basically starts from a black liberal to a transformationist and I appreciated reading about that journey.

[Wizzard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hadn't known how DuBois was blacklisted for his work in the peace movement, specifically for his making explicit the connections between war, the growth of industry, and colonialism. In the early 1950's he was banned as a speaker on college campuses, suffered a press black out in the Black and mainstream media, and observed by government agents.

This book charts the development of his international perspective that grows from a driving concern about the "color line" to incorporate Marxism and socialism in his powerful viewpoints on American developments.

He is not what you would call an "organic intellectual" but he must be one of the finest academic intellectuals the nation has produced. Many of his sentences are prophetic and could apply as sociological observations of the present day.

"The most sinister evil of this day is the widespread conviction that war is inevitable and that there is no time left for discussion. It is doubtful if the mass of Americans who accept this judgment realize just what its implications are."

Yes, it is told from his limited, subjective perspective. Still the book is an impactful lesson in integrity.

[will · Rating 3 out of 5]

A somewhat dry telling of an amazing life, Du Bois's diversions and speculations are the highlight of this book. Du Bois's accomplishments and the scope of his experiences are incredible: he lived from 1868 to 1963 and traveled both the country and the globe extensively. Du Bois himself comes across as a bit humorless and he has a tendency to overquote from his letters and speeches. The read is worth it, however, for his account, in the third part of the book, of his red-scare prosecution when he was in his 80s.

[Alexandra]

When I get the book I will let you all know how it was . Until then wait until i fuckin read it . Have a nice day!

[Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

W.E.B. Du Bois was one of the greatest geniuses this nation has ever produced. Among scholars, and historians he has no real competition and his writing is some of the most beautiful I've ever read. All around he was an amazing man, and this autobiography does him justice. Outside of that it's history lived not just recited. This is literally an epic.

[David Withun · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Lorie’s Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Autobiography of W.E.B Du Bois gives insight into the development of W.E.B Du Bois as both a man and a scholar. The book details the impact of his childhood, college, and graduate studies on his quest to developing strategies to better the African American community. Furthermore, Du Bois discusses his viewpoints on capitalism. More specifically, he laments about capitalism impact on marginalized people across the world. The rich get richer, while the poor remain poor. Du Bois discusses external factors which inhibit mobility for marginalized people. He argues, marginalized people are not poor because of their own doing. They are poor because of systems and institutions. They are not the "cause, they are the symptom. As Du Bois is grappling with the structure of capitalism and exploitation, he is indicted by the government for his work with the Peace Information Center. Through this experience, Du Bois learns that countries are not based on truth seeking. On the contrary, countries seek to distort history and ideology for their own gain. Countries go to war not for the sake of peace, but for the sake of profit and wealth. To grant context he uses Europe exploitation of Africa. At the onset of Africa's liberation, he warns Ghana to take a position of isolation to protect itself from dependency. Also, the book gives intimate details about Du Bois' life and his relationships. Overall, great read. It reveals the candor, vulnerability and character of Du Bois.

[Krislu]

I think the greatest gift of the Soviet Union to modern civilization was the dethronement of the clergy and the refusal to let religion be taught in the public schools.”

[Shawn Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

The words of W.E.B. DuBois in his own pen are an invaluable thing to both read and possess, there are few figures in American History that the United States government has done more to silence and failed so spectacularly. You owe it to yourself and Mr. DuBois to give this a read.

And for those of you who enjoy finishing a challenging thick tome, this will satisfy immensely.

Juxtapose this autobiography with biography of Buckminster Fuller to see how differently the US treats white and black genius, the two men lived the same era and were in possession of similar genius and yet their lives cannot have been more different

[Michael E Winkler · Rating 1 out of 5]

While I have admiration for W.E.D. Du Bois I have always struggled with his Marxist-based "pan-Africanism" philosophy which was a cornerstone of his ideology. Forever championing antiquated socialist principles. I do undertsand and agree that a lot of the meddling into African affairs, even post colonial involvement, has not typically been for the betterment of various African countries as a whole, I find his complete rejection and opposition to external political and economic involvement from outside influences from other countries in African affairs; whether socially, politically or economically, as short-sighted at best.

Africa as a whole is a very complex and diverse set of countries making up this rather large continent. Du Bois had a habit of oversimplifying the varied experiences of the people of African ancestry as a result.

Just take the recent BLM movement and how his ideas were hi-jacked to push greater divisions, specifically in the United States but also here in Europe. I am not suggesting he is to blame from BLM's total mismanagement of their "non-profit" organisation to help disenfranchised black-Americans as he was not alive during its inception.

However BLM used his ideas amongst other influential black historians and writers to further legitimise an organisation that truly failed their own people, ultimately only enriching the very creators of this movement as we have witnessed years after its creation.
Thus I find it ironic how many of my black friends and colleagues wonder why so many African Americans voted for Trump in 2024? Well Malcolm X answered that question many years ago where he said "white liberals are black folks’ worst enemy." I believe he stated this because when it comes down to it, many white liberals are nothing more than self serving virtue signalers who don’t really care about black Americans, only the ‘appearance’ of caring.

They see black people as pets who they care for and nurture for Democratic votes. You disagree? Then simply watch how black people who have courageously strayed from the Democratic “plantation.” Just look at the vitriol they have been scorned with by their own black democratic leadership. It doesn't take a degree in physics to see how they have been unfairly used and abused by this inept party for decades!

Further, his work and other's was used and plagiarised for BLM's existence and arguably has only made race relations worse off today than they were during the 1970's when I was growing up in the southern part of the U.S. as a child and teenager.

In closing, no matter what your thoughts are on the man, he was and continues to be an inspiration to many and certainly makes some valid points, especially in his other writings, so I suggest everyone read his work and decide for yourself how his legacy should go down in history.

[Larisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is written with the same poetic style as most of his other work, and you
will definately benefit by reading the almost century long journey of one of the greatest thinkers and writers the world has ever seen.

it was good to read again his thoughts and perceptions as history unfolded before his eyes.

[Talmadge Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not Du Bois' best work, but then when I'm 93 I hope I can write just as well. Du Bois the historian is competing with Du Bois the literary figure. Too much of it is taken (paragraph by paragraph) straight from documents and speeches. When he moves away from that, some of the passages really shine though.

[Alie · Rating 4 out of 5]

if only I didnt put this book on the top of my car before I drove away from our campsite... This was Du Bois's last autobiography and it was really interesting to see his political evolution into a communist. He makes his declaration as a communist at the age of (i think) 90. damn.

[Chris Brimmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not just good writing but clear history and social comment. This is another of those books I feel an American should read as a part of basic education.