Radio Free Dixie: Robert F. Williams and the Roots of Black Power

by Timothy B. Tyson

This book tells the remarkable story of Robert F. Williams--one of the most influential black activists of the generation that toppled Jim Crow and forever altered the arc of American history. In the late 1950s, as president of the Monroe, North Carolina, branch of the NAACP, Williams and his followers used machine guns, dynamite, and Molotov cocktails to confront Klan terrorists. Advocating "armed self-reliance" by blacks, Williams challenged not only white supremacists but also Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights establishment. Forced to flee during the 1960s to Cuba--where he broadcast "Radio Free Dixie," a program of black politics and music that could be heard as far away as Los Angeles and New York City--and then China, Williams remained a controversial figure for the rest of his life.

Historians have customarily portrayed the civil rights movement as a nonviolent call on America's conscience--and the subsequent rise of Black Power as a violent repudiation of the civil rights dream. But Radio Free Dixie reveals that both movements grew out of the same soil, confronted the same predicaments, and reflected the same quest for African American freedom. As Robert Williams's story demonstrates, independent black political action, black cultural pride, and armed self-reliance operated in the South in tension and in tandem with legal efforts and nonviolent protest.

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"Stunning. . . . Radio Free Dixie presents an engaging portrait of one man's continuous struggle to resist political and social oppression.-- Emerge

"[A] radiant biography. . . . Tyson is that rarest of a successful scholar who can actually tell a compelling story in clear, even handsome language.-- Village Voice Literary Supplement

"Tyson's firecracker text crackles with brilliant and lasting images of black life . . . across the South in the '40s, '50s and '60s. . . . Tyson successfully portrays Williams as a troubled visionary, a strong, stubborn and imperfect man, one who greatly influenced what became the Black Power Movement and its young leaders.-- Publishers Weekly

This book tells the riveting story of controversial black activist Robert F. Williams (1925-1996). In the late 1950s, as president of the Monroe, North Carolina, NAACP, Williams organized armed resistance to KKK terrorists--in the process challenging not only white supremacists but also Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights establishment. As Radio Free Dixie reveals, however, the civil rights movement and the Black Power movement grew out of the same soil, confronted the same predicaments, and were much closer than traditional portrayals suggest. In the civil rights-era South, independent black politics, black cultural pride, and "armed self-reliance" operated in tension and in tandem with legal efforts and nonviolent protests in the quest for African American freedom. -->

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Race, Biography, African American, Politics, American History

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Timothy B. Tyson (born 1959) is an American writer and historian who specializes in the issues of culture, religion, and race associated with the Civil Rights Movement. He is a senior research scholar at the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University and an adjunct professor of American Studies at the University of North Carolina.
His books have won the Frederick Jackson Turner Award, the James A. Rawley Prize (OAH), the University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award in Religion, and the Southern Book Award. In addition, two of his books, Radio Free Dixie: Robert F. Williams and the Roots of Black Power (1998) and Blood Done Sign My Name (2004), have been adapted into films, and the latter was also adapted into a play.
In 2017, Tyson published The Blood of Emmett Till, which won the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award and was longlisted for the National Book Award, but which was later subject to controversy regarding a reported confession made by Emmett Till's accuser Carolyn Bryant to Tyson which could not be substantiated.

Reviews

[Craig Werner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crucial book for anyone who wants to read past the convenient and reassuring myths of the Civil Rights Movement as a moment of interracial friendship and non-violence. Nice story. Unfortunately, as Tyson makes clear, it doesn't have a whole lot to do with reality. Shifting the camera from Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks (and, for that matter, Malcolm X), Tyson illuminates the story of Robert F. Williams, one of the very few working class individuals to lead a chapter of the NAACP (in Monroe, North Carolina). Deeply grounded in the traditions of the black South, but with substantial experience in Detroit, New York and California, Williams articulated a theory of "armed self reliance" that insisted on the need for black people to defend themselves when threatened by white supremacist violence. The fact is that King and every other leader was defended by people who knew how to use guns; King himself acknowledged that if white supremacists attacked his family, he would feel justified in responding with force. The difference was that Williams made his position clear and didn't back down when the NAACP told him to cool it. Eventually, that forced him and his family--Mabel Williams is a fascinating and important figure in the story--into exile, first in Canada, but soon thereafter in Cuba, North Vietnam and China at a time when very few westerners had any direct contact with Mao or the other Chinese leaders. Writing in a power story-teller's voice, Tyson does a brilliant job establishing Williams as a figure who deserves--demands, really--much more attention than he's received. The take-home message is that the distinction between "Civil Rights" and "Black Power" is to a significant degree an illusion. I prefer to refer to both as phases of an ongoing African American Freedom Movement, in large part because of what I learned from Tyson's book.

[Sandra Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

The more I read about North Carolina's extremely racist history, the more shocked I am (I grew up in North Carolina), the more appalled I am, and the more the burn of injustice and just plain moral wrong wells up inside me.

On the other hand, my appreciation for my parents grows more profound and deep (my dad was a North Carolina native, who was born and raised in Burlington, while my mom grew up in Greenville, SC) because they taught me, and modeled without exception as an example for me, to treat everyone with dignity, honor, and respect, no matter who they were, what their skin tone was, where they lived, how much or how little they had, and what they did to earn a living.

The story of Robert Williams, who was maligned by just about everyone on all sides, including the NAACP, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Black Panther party, and, until this book by Timothy Tyson, misrepresented and mischaracterized as something he was not (he was a smart man, a measured man, and actually avoided the polarized positions that seemed to be the norm, but he made mistakes and they, sadly, were what became his codified legacy) spotlights the depth of racism in North Carolina as it existed (and, I suspect, still does and probably has been given the green light to come out of hiding with the resurgence of extreme white nationalism throughout the country since President Trump's election in 2016) in the 20th Century.

Monroe, NC, Williams' birthplace, is at the center of much of Williams' story. Monroe is a suburb of Charlotte, and the birthplace of Jesse Helms (NC senator who was a dyed-in-the-wool racist) and his father, a Monroe police officer who terrorized and severely beat African-American citizens just for fun.

Monroe was a hotbed for Klan activity and racial tensions there boiled over frequently throughout the last century. Williams fought fire with fire, with the aim for the African-American citizens of Monroe to be able to defend their families and their homes from attacks by the Klan and other white nationalist factions that found a welcome mat for their vitriolic rhetoric and their harassment and, often, murder of African Americans.

Williams ended up spending a little more than a decade as an expatriated American because of a trumped up kidnapping charge in which he was not guilty of the crime.

The charges against him were dropped by North Carolina in 1976, allowing him to return to the United States, but he never again lived in Monroe, instead spending the last twenty-two years of his life in rural Michigan out of the spotlight.

This is a piece of history that none of us can afford to be ignorant about. I highly recommend this book.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

An impressively ambitious, often successful look at the man who offered immense inspiration to the black nationalist and black power movements of the late 1960s. Tyson goes well beyond straightforward biography to look at the roles of class and gender in Williams' quest for respect and equality, and effectively, convincingly makes a case for the deep roots of the beliefs that would eventually become known as "black power."

While I would have liked a clearly chronology at times and more details about Williams' constant travel (both domestically and internationally), Radio Free Dixie remains both compelling and important.

[* · Rating 5 out of 5]

No longer using this website, but I'm leaving up old reviews. Fuck Jeff Bezos. Find me on LibraryThing: https://www.librarything.com/profile/...

This book is an fantastic read about a particularly amazing person, and the horrific circumstances of the Jim Crow South. It takes as its thesis that the traits of the Black Power movement in the 70s existed indigenously within the black freedom struggle throughout the 50s and 60s, despite the popular narrative of Civil Rights history. The thesis is framed by a biography of Robert F Williams, a surprisingly uncompromising and militant black liberation leader whose chapter of the NAACP was one of the only chapters to embrace poor blacks, and organize for self defense against marauding Klansmen.

The popular narrative is that Black Power was an aberration, that the Civil Rights struggle was tainted by troublemakers, and that some of the worst injustices of the Jim Crow South included being forced to sit in the back of the bus. The reality is that the roots of Black Power were being practiced (not even pioneered) by Williams in the 50s and 60s as well, and that blacks witnessed or fell victim to vigilante brutalization encouraged and empowered by white supremacist law enforcement that maintained an order where blacks were subhuman.

Breathtaking descriptions of mob violence against peaceful demonstrations leading into car chases and fire fights are made all the more intense because the reader is forced to acknowledge that this isn't a movie: That shootouts with the Klan, or threats of the same were regular occurrances for Williams.

Given the popular narrative's carefully sculpted ignorance of the indigenous nature of black militancy in their liberation struggle, this book is required reading.

[Leroy Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably of my favorite books for more reasons than I feel like going into. I read this book for an undergrad class. It's one of the few books I didn't sale once the class was over. A great read for history buffs or those interested in African American History.

[S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not necessarily saying this book was the truth because one of my former professors at UW-Madison wrote it. I'm saying it, because it is. Robert F. Williams said eff your state-sanctioned violence, and if you come around my way with it, I'm blasting you.

[Kusaimamekirai · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘I told them that I was black, and that prison did not scare me because black men are born in prison. All they could do was put me in a smaller prison.’

‘Nonviolence is a very potent weapon when the opponent is civilized’ Williams stated, ‘but nonviolence is no repellent for a sadist’

Robert F. Williams today is a little remembered man outside of select circles and those with an interest in the racial upheavals of the 1950’s and 60’s. It is a shame because Williams was an exceedingly brave, intelligent, and multi faceted man who was without a doubt one of the forerunners of the Black Power movement that would rise out of the frustration with the nonviolence campaigns of Martin Luther King. Huey Newton cited Williams memoir “Negroes With Guns” as the inspiration for forming the Black Panther Party. Rosa Parks at Williams funeral eulogized his “courage and his commitment to freedom” and added that “The work he did should go down in history and never be forgotten”.
Williams consulted with luminaries like Malcom X and was the friend and personal guest of Mao Zedong and Fidel Castro.
So who was Robert Williams?
At heart, Williams was a man who wanted to protect and uplift his community. On a micro level community meant his hometown of Monroe, North Carolina where he fought for integration of the city’s public pool, engaged in sit-ins of local lunch counters, and organized what can best be described as a heavily armed local militia to protect the homes of his neighbors from the KKK and other hostile whites(in one of the books many interesting side plots we see sadistic policeman Jessie Helms Sr. and his son and future Senator Jesse Helms Jr, both from Monroe, as leading figures in the persecution of the Black community there).
On a macro level community meant oppressed Black communities in “the social jungle you call Dixie” as well as around the United States and the world.
Williams would become a spokesman for them while traveling the world to tell their stories.
As one might imagine, Williams made more than a few enemies. The FBI had a file on him since his early 20’s as a soldier in the US army when he spoke out about the substandard and segregated living conditions for black soldiers as well as their being denied positions beyond artillery or supply sergeants. Or as one picketer asked:

‘We die together, why can't we eat together?’

Williams would go on to become enamored with the Cuban revolution (although later disillusioned with communism’s insistence that racial matters were secondary to class struggle). He would become a fierce advocate for the racial equality he saw there and following the failed Bay of Pigs invasion was highly critical of the U.S. foreign policy, often to the government’s consternation. One such example is when the Cuban delegation addressed the United Nations, Cuban Foreign Minister Raul Roa read aloud a letter from Williams to ambassador Adlai Stevenson:

“PLEASE CONVEY TO MR. ADLAI STEVENSON: NOW THAT THE UNITED STATES HAS PROCLAIMED SUPPORT FOR PEOPLE WILLING TO REBEL AGAINST OPPRESSION, OPPRESSED NEGROES OF THE SOUTH URGENTLY REQUEST TANKS, ARTILLERY, BOMBS, MONEY AND THE USE OF AMERICAN AIRFIELDS AND WHITE MERCENARIES TO CRUSH THE RACIST TYRANTS WHO HAVE BETRAYED THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION AND CIVIL WAR. WE ALSO REQUEST PRAYERS FOR THIS UNDERTAKING.
Robert F. Williams
410 Boyte Street
Monroe, NC"

As the harassment of Williams increased, he would eventually be forced from Monroe by the FBI and a white mob that attempted to storm his home, he fled to Cuba where he established a radio program called Radio Free Dixie that was reached throughout the Americas. His broadcasts were a groundbreaking mixture of free jazz, commentary and news about Black communities under fire from white violence. Above all, it was a program about the empowerment of Black people and what can be accomplished once fear is eradicated.
Perhaps it is this sense of empowerment that best embodies Williams spirit. He was a man who never instigated a confrontation but when one was standing on his doorstep he rarely hesitated to respond with a rifle or machine gun. This was during a time when Martin Luther King (who Williams engaged in a spirited written debate with) preached nonviolence which flew in the face of a philosophy Williams and a growing number of young people espoused where:

“I am going to meet violence with violence. It is better to live just thirty seconds, walking upright in human dignity, than to live a thousand years crawling at the feet of our oppressors!’

Accused of instigating violence, Williams in fact believed in non violence but also in self defense. Where many in the Black community were become more strident about integration or working with White people, Williams saw self segregation as madness and counter productive. He would enlisted the help of sympathetic and influential Whites while remaining wary of them:

‘The struggle for human rights is a moral struggle, actually, not just a struggle of black against white and vice versa. Both sides of the human rights struggle are integrated.’ Williams pointed out. He freely acknowledged that a few African Americans supported segregation. ‘Most of these are either ill-informed or mercenary crumb snatchers,’ he argued. ‘In any event,’ Williams insisted, ‘the strange case of Jim Crow justice cannot be stereotyped with a label of black and white. All Negroes are not enlightened enough to be integrationists and all whites are not stupid enough to be segregationists.’

It was a very nuanced and precarious position to navigate that few others others would choose before or after.
While Williams was far from a perfect man, one could certainly call into question his judgement when he spoke, one thing that could not be questioned about Williams was his passion for justice and his belief that human dignity dictates that one must do whatever is necessary to protect one’s family, community, and self.
As Tyson writes:

“Williams may not have been the best-known black activist in the United States, but he was probably the best armed.”

[Finn · Rating 5 out of 5]

great biography of a truly impressive man, but more than that an illuminating history on the civil rights era in the South. the politics of the cold war and gender and sexuality are topics that if you asked me before i'd say, well yes of course they were important in shaping the history of black struggle in america, but really this book broke it down for me.

everyone knows about Emmet Till and more generally that in the south the most benign interaction between a black man and white woman could be construed as a violent aggression and cause for horrific white terrorism. but what didn't sink in for me until this book was that underneath every call for segregation was a constant paranoid fear of black men becoming intimate with white women. fear of a black planet indeed. within the same breath a black woman was considered fair game for white male aggressions. therefore black men like robert williams felt it their duty as men to protect their women and children in what he called armed self reliance. i imagine most historians would gloss over this, but Tyson doesn't shy away from delving into the complexities of black patriarchy in the south while also (as most historians definitely fail to do) interjecting countless stories of women in Monroe, NC fighting militantly and strategically against both white supremacy and white patriarchy.

also no where does Tyson simplify or romanticize any one camp from black nationalists in Harlem, to non violence civil rights activists in the south, to communist Cuba. Williams worked with all of these groups of people as comrades and in solidarity towards common causes, but never signed on any dotted lines. it's clear Robert f. Williams was a highly pragmatic and committed warrior against white supremacy, who strikingly put his politics before any claim to fame, glory, or power.

this is an extremely thoughtful and well researched book that also - as an extra bonus - is a real page turner. since reading this book i'm found myself talking about Robert f Williams and what i'm learning from his life in meetings and chatting at parties. i definitely recommend it!

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an amazing book that captures the struggle of the people of Monroe, along with many others across the South, against state sanctioned racist terrorism and deadly violence. Robert Williams, as the leader of the Monroe NAACP, sought to defend his community by working with everyone to arm themselves and respond to KKK and racist marauders with gunfire when necessary. Advocating for self-defense or "armed self-reliance" was somewhat of a departure from the NAACP's main line and the growing nonviolent movement, but Williams held many of the same ideals of his counterparts (integration, ending racial injustice, access to jobs, etc.). I appreciated his flexibility with the different strategies and tactics available to him. In efforts to desegregate the local pool at the Monroe Country Club, Williams led a group of teens in nonviolent protest but kept weapons in his car in case they were attacked during the protest (which happened on several occasions as they were driving to and from the pool).

Tyson's writing really drew me into the stories and accounts of various leaders and members of the Black Freedom Movement. The book goes over debates between Williams and King on the efficacy of self-defense versus total non-violence (and how nonviolent tactics are ineffective without the threat and use of violence by the oppressor), how Black Power advocates were influenced by the struggle in Monroe, and how many activists changed their views on nonviolence as a result of the struggle. The only thing I wanted the book to touch on more was Williams' time in Cuba and China. I'd love to hear some of the old Radio Free Dixie tapes.

[Katie DeBruin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book! And its written by the guy who convinced me not to go to law school. Thank goodness I listened!

[Valarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this years ago, and found it absolutely riveting. I had never heard of this guy before but his impact on the black power movement is indelible.

[Heather Burmeister · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tyson really spends time on Robert's early life, setting the stage for what became his political philosophy. There are interesting connections between Williams and Sen. Jesse Helms and Jesse's father, Jesse Helms Sr., which made Jesse Helms make more sense to me. I had really only thought of Jesse Helms in terms of "that racist homophobic bigot who rallied against the NEA in the 1980s and 1990s", and Tyson puts him in context. I was disappointed that not much was spent on the details of Robert's life outside of the United States. I mean, outside of the obvious connections between him and Fidel and Mao and the Cold War, there wasn't much incite into the details. Okay, well there was one interesting bit about Castro's visit to Harlem, but I really wanted to know more about the radio program and the radio programs impact on the American South. Sure there was an overall impact on the movement toward Black Power, but that would have happened without Robert F. Williams...perhaps the best analysis in this book was regarding violence versus non-violence and how Williams was demonized for espousing the same thing that every other black leader was espousing at this same time, and that was that non-violence was the best way to change, but that when black people were attacked or threatened with violence then by all means they ought to defend themselves. In the South the defense was often the use of a gun.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up about 60 miles south of Robert F. Williams hometown, but he was the age of my parents, and his part in history was before I was reading the newspaper for news. So all i know about him and his influence on the Black Power movement is from this book.
Reading history, particularly history that I haven't done a lot of research into, I ask the question "does this fit in what what I do know". I've done some reading on parts of Monroe, NC, (the then Mayor Ray Shute) and lot of reading, talking to folks, and recollecting about my own memories about segregation and prejudice in the south. I read nothing here that contradicts what I know. This suggests that it is probably accurate.
A couple of problems, one is mentioning that the 1950s Cuba was the place to go to for activities illegal in the USA, right after mentioning a prominent North Carolina TV commentator and future well known politicians visit there was rather unfair. Funny, but unfair. The book also is not about "Radio Free Dixie" and has little on William's exile years.
For those who don't know what segregation and Jim Crow were like, this book will allow you a peek into one town's life during those years.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was incredible because it tells the story of a much un-written about black revolutionary who was far beyond his time in terms of his global and political outlook. Robert Williams was an outstanding human being who challenged everything that wasn't just in his world and never compromised -- which in my opinion was a great achievement. It's not a surprise that we don't learn about Robert Williams along side Martin Luther King and Malcolm X when we learn about Civil Rights -- we also don't hear about Ella Baker and Ida B. Wells, but all of them were as influential in the Civil Rights movement and even more importantly in the fight for justice for African Americans from a nation that fought until the bitter end (is still fighting) to keep black people oppressed.

I think that the author could have been a better writer, I think he could have been more succinct in some places and expanded in others, but on the whole it was a fascinating (and often unbelievable disheartening) story. One that should make the US embarrassed for their own history.

[Beth Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tyson writes as lyrically as a poet, and his combination of lyrical writing and a comprehensive description of the rise of Black Power and why many African Americans rejected Rev. Dr. King's non-violent direct action is well worth reading.

Reading this helped me to understand by proxy the romanticization and castration of the African American Freedom Movement-- including Dr. King (see "Why We Can't Wait")-- by mainstream media, culture and pop history. Instead of understanding civil rights from an "I Have A (Day)Dream" standpoint this account tells of how amidst wars for freedom at home and abroad, against Fascism, Communism and Racism, and assassinations of proponents of NVDA and Civil Rights (Medger Evers as well as Rev. Dr. King), Williams called America out on its bullshit and advocated for the most American of ideas... using Second Amendment rights to get other rights guaranteed by the Constitution. I really love this book.

[Ben Moody · Rating 4 out of 5]

The biography of Robert F. Williams, one of the largely forgotten leaders of the Civil Rights Movement and arguably the precurser of the 'Black Power' movement. A lifetime 'agitator,' the book describes Williams as a man who didn't take shit from anyone (he had caught the attention of the FBI by the time he was 16) and constantly struggled for justice and equality. He often clased with other Civil Rights leaders, such as King and Wilkins, over his position of self defense and 'armed self-reliance,' as he called it. But also gained admiration of others, sech as Malcolm X. He was eventually forced to flee the US and lived in Cuba and China. Unlike many other Civil Rights Leaders, he died peacefully at home in 1996. Meticulously sourced and researched, it offers a wonderful insight into the life of a great American.

[Magdalena · Rating 4 out of 5]

there is no way to explore the "black power movement" in the 60's without looking at the "civil rights" movement of the decade before. People lauded as heroes, such as King, take on new meaning when posed next to the fiery self defense of southern black communities.

This book was not just a look at Williams, who in my thoughts was touted as a leader far too often, but it was also about the vast personal and political networks built in the 50's leading up the explosive acts of the 60's and beyond. I think the stories of Mabel Williams and others in the background of Robert Williams might be more interesting to hear than the stories of how many communist leaders Rob Williams was able to meet.

Regardless, this is an amazing book.

[Gramarye · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really superb work of African American civil rights history, one that doesn't pull punches or in any way gloss over the brutal, violent reality of racism in the American South or the courage and dedication of outstanding men and women like Robert Williams who risked death in their struggles to be treated as free and equal Americans. Deserves all the awards it has won, and more besides. (And as the author suggests, someone really needs to write a history of Robert Williams during his travels in Cuba, Vietnam, and China, one that connects the African American civil rights movement with the broader Cold War and anticolonial movements in the Global South.)

[Kathryn Bundy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have the advantage of taking a class with Tim Tyson, so I've been able to hear the stories behind the story. The book, originally a doctoral dissertation, can be slow reading, but is well worth the effort. It fundamentally changed how I thought about the "Civil Rights Era" ---- put it in a much larger context and erased the pretty, pink coating that mythology has given it over the years. Read this book for a more nuanced, realistic historical perspective of the lengthy, often violent struggle of African-American citizens in the United States.

[Nancyp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great history of Robert F. Williams, a little known civil right activists, who believed in a man's right to defend his home and family with guns. This was a series of books I read about Williams, John Ray Shute (Unitarian and man of the century in Monroe County, NC). The Heretic Mayor is not longer in print. It is Shute's account of the community reaction to his becoming a Unitarian in the 1949. Shute was a national leader in Fellowship Program. He built a Unitarian Chapel, Children's Chapel, Meeting Room in Monroe.

[Damon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most amazing American ever to live. Hollywood couldn't make this shit up. One of the 2-3 best books I will ever read in this lifetime. the true story of one of the greatest americans who ever lived. a real life black crusader. unafraid and impossible to intimidate. while in hiding from the fbi, was personally acquainted with che guevara, ho chi minh and mao zedung. and then, improbably, came back, and lived out his years in america. this man put the naacp to shame. an amazing tale that should be required reading for everyone all over the world.

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never heard of Robert Williams before this. He was a violent NAACP leader (he later broke with the NAACP) in the South. In class it seemed like a clear delineation: first half of the movement was mass action, nonviolent, and southern, the second half of the movement was black pride, violent, and northern. But this proves that Southern Blacks were just as angry and violent at times as Northern Blacks. Another fascinating book for my Civil Rights class.

[Selina Gonzalez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although occasionally it dragged, and despite occasional confusion due to chronological jumping back and forth as Tyson chased down a theme or specific issue in Williams' life or the period, a very readable biography. Very enlightening and insightful, and Tyson makes an excellent argument about Black Power being rooted in the same societal and cultural pressures that birthed the civil rights movement.

[blacksheep01 · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent look at the militant, and oft ignored, side of the Civil Rights Movement. Shows how Williams and his followers led an alternate to the main Civil Rights Movement and resisted the KKK and other hate groups with rifles in hand. By some of those actions, they no doubt prevented some lynchings, saved some lives and helped further the struggle for equality "behind the scenes" so to speak.

[Joseph Carley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exhaustively researched and fast-paced. Tyson is a masterful civil rights historian. In Williams, he has a larger-than-life character, whose story sheds light on the less well-known, militant wing of the civil rights struggle, and the roots of black power. A native North Carolinian, Tyson's character development is excellent, and the book sizzles with the tense energy of the time.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a lot of depth about the Williams Family before Robert was born, a striking portrait of the south in reconstruction times, as well as totally powerful life story. In the intro, Rosa Parks is quoted as being so happy to be at his funeral, the funeral of a strong black leader who died in his bed of old age.

[Caio Major · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow in parts, but overall very compelling, and I ripped through the last half. It illustrated aspects of the civil rights movement that I haven't heard talked about anywhere else, and profiled an important activist whose unique approach didn't fit the mold of his historical moment. I'm actually looking forward to writing a paper about Williams now.

[Ann Potter · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent work of history that artfully bridges Cold War international politics and the roots of Black Power. Tyson manages to connect the hyper local small town where Williams and Strom Thurman were shaped by the crushingly violent realities of the Jim Crow South to the sweeping international drama of the Cold War. A must read for anyone interested in American history.

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should read this book. If you do not know who Robert F. Williams is, your history teachers have utterly failed you. This book is awesomely important and should be at the very least be required reading for all students.

[Roxy Rockett · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books.