Revolution or Death: The Life of Eldridge Cleaver

by Justin Gifford

“An illuminating study of a complex, memorable historical figure.”  — Kirkus Reviews , starred review  A remarkable biography that examines the notorious Black revolutionary meticulously within the context of his changing times 

Charismatic, brilliant, and courageous, Eldridge Cleaver built a base of power and influence that struck fear deep in the heart of White America. It was therefore shocking to many left-wing radicals when Cleaver turned his back on Black revolution, the Nation of Islam, and communism in 1975. 

How can we make sense of Cleaver's precipitous decline from a position as one of America's most vibrant Black writers and activists? And how do his contradictory identities as criminal, party leader, international diplomat, Christian conservative, and Republican politician reveal that he was more than just a traitor to the advancement of civil rights?  

Author Justin Gifford obtained exclusive access to declassified files from the French police, the American embassy, and the FBI, as well as Kathleen Cleaver’s archive, to answer these questions about a man far more compelling and complex than anyone has given him credit for.   In a country defined by its extreme political positions on the right and left, Cleaver embodied both ideologies in pursuit of his conflicting ideals.  
 

Genres: Biography, Politics, Nonfiction, History

368 pages, Hardcover

First published October 6, 2020

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giveaway Win!

Eldridge Cleaver was one of a kind. He was not a good person. I grew to fucking hate this man while reading this book.

He was a convicted rapist
He was a wife beater
He was virulently homophobic
He was a xenophobic
He was also a murderer
He was a Reagan Republican

He was also later in life a defender of women's rights
He was also a loving father
He was also bisexual
He was also founding member of the Black Panther Party
He was also a fighter for workers rights
He was also talented writer

Eldridge Cleaver was an extremely complicated man. He was always in search of place to belong and he wanted to feel important. He went from being a Black power radical left wing counter cultural icon to being a ultraconservative Reagan Republican who called Dr. MLK jr a fraud. And then towards the end of his life he gave speeches saying that only Hillary Clinton as president could save the country.

Basically he was a cultural troll before it had a name.

I dont like this man but I did find him highly fascinating. Eldridge Cleaver should be more widely known because he was such an iconoclast. Despite hating this man, I would watch a movie about him in a second. Because he lived so many lives. Someone could make a movie just covering his years as a fugitive in Algeria and it would be more action packed than most biopics.

Love him or hate him(you'll hate him) I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes reading books about truly extraordinary(and not in a good way) people.

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

AN ASTOUNDINGLY DETAILED BIOGRAPHY, WRITTEN WITH THE FAMILY’S INPUT

Author and professor of Literature Justin Gifford wrote in the Preface to this 2020 book, “At the height of his fame, Cleaver led the Black Panther Party as a revolutionary activist, calling for the destruction of the United States government. Later, he became a neoconservative who voted for Ronald Reagan and praised the American military. He built an international coalition of radicals dedicated to overthrowing colonialism all over the world, and after he converted to Christianity, he aspired to become the ‘black Billy Graham’ and bring a ‘spiritual revolution’ to society… Cleaver was a chameleon who adapted quickly to changing political and social circumstances. He was a man of seemingly irreconcilable contradictions, and these contradictions make me want to uncover his story and understand his life.”

He recounts meeting Cleaver’s son Ahmad: “For the next week, we shared an apartment… I interviewed him daily, and what emerged from our conversations about his father was the captivating story of a man who defied easy political or ideological categorization… he got a call from his mother, Kathleen Cleaver. He told her about my book and then handed me the phone. Kathleen was warm and effusive… she invited me to visit her at her home in Atlanta. She was willing to be interviewed, and … she had an entire attic full of Cleaver’s papers that I could study… She spent hours telling stories of Cleaver, providing an intimate description of a deeply vulnerable and troubled man, one that defied the radical chic image he had cultivated as a Black Panther… A few months later, Kathleen… met me at the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley, which contains letters between her and Cleaver that are supposed to be sealed until 2025. Kathleen graciously gave me special permission to read through these letters, a heretofore unseen testimony of the political and personal struggle of the Cleavers from their days as Black Panthers to their time as exiles in Paris… Cleaver’s daughter, Joju, also spent hours telling me stories of her father, and she gave me important insights into his final years. If I am able to recount Cleaver’s life successfully, it is because of his wonderful family.” (Pg. vi-viii)

He recounts that as a youth, Cleaver’s father “Leroy grew more violent … He still beat up Thelma [Cleaver’s mother] when he got drunk, and now he increasingly turned his violence on his oldest son… As the situation at home worsened, Cleaver started to fantasize about killing his father… Cleaver never got his chance. One day, Leroy simply abandoned the family, boarding a train to Chicago and not returning home… For Cleaver, this was the final betrayal. He had been the victim of Leroy’s abuse for years, and now he would never have the opportunity to get revenge… he focused his rage on the world around him.” (Pg. 36-37)

He recounts, “After his father left, Cleaver became drawn to Los Angeles gang life, particularly the Pachuco gang of Rose Hills… Cleaver admired the defiance and chic of the Pachucos. They feared no one and had enviable swagger… they were not only tough but also a bit reckless… At the age of twelve, cleaver started getting into trouble with his friends… he was placed in a junior forestry camp … He lasted seven weeks there before he was kicked out… During this time, Cleaver’s troubled relationship to young women emerged… he felt the first stirrings of desire for a [white] classmate named Mildred Ortega… When Cleaver professed his love, she rejected him. This shocked and humiliated him, and he insulted her with a barrage of slurs. The teacher overheard him, and… slapped him across the face and called him a ‘black n__ r.’ This painful episode had deep and lasting consequences for Cleaver’s relationship to women. He was attracted to light-skinned women but felt he was scorned for being too black…. Cleaver began to cultivate a violent attitude toward women, one born out of fear of rejection for his black skin… Cleaver became predatory toward women.” (Pg. 39-40) He ended up in Soledad State Prison.

He continues, “A number of prisoners at Soledad were known for their intelligence. One man named Pontifelt introduced prisoners to the classics of literature and philosophy… He persuaded Cleaver to awaken his political consciousness… Reading Marx provided Cleaver with his first grounding in political philosophy… Cleaver spent all of his free time in the library… Taken together, Marxism, transcendentalism, and Enlightenment writing provided Cleaver with a radical new worldview, a cornerstone for his developing revolutionary consciousness and his future work as a writer and race leader.” (Pg. 53-55)

He notes, “Although Cleaver had cultivated a subversive stance toward all things American, he was embarrassed to discover that he was still attracted to light-skinned women… Cleaver discussed this topic with fellow black inmates, who expressed a preference for white women as well. He theorized that they… all preferred white women, not because white women were more attractive, but because they had been indoctrinated to think whiteness was more beautiful.” (Pg. 59) Cleaver later wrote, “In Richard Wright’s ‘Native Son,’ I found bigger Thomas and a keen insight into the problem.’ … he identified with bigger… Wright’s novel taught Cleaver that the black rapist was the most feared and rebellious symbol in white society. Cleaver decided to embody that fearful symbol as his protest against white America… becoming the rapist was a way for him to challenge white supremacy.” (Pg. 60) Later, he adds, “Although he would later become known for his homophobia following the publication of ‘Soul on Ice,’ Cleaver had sexual relationships with men throughout his life.” (Pg. 78)

But by 1960, “Cleaver was starting to develop a literary voice, one he felt could serve his race in the civil rights movement… his writing was central to his identity and his struggle for survival at San Quentin.” (Pg. 76, 83) He became a Muslim in prison, and “Cleaver believed he had found his political calling. His challenge to prison authorities with his fellow Muslims was the first time he had worked together with black men for the cause of racial justice.” (Pg. 88)

But Cleaver then fell in love with his lawyer, Beverly Axelrod: “He told her he wanted her to have his baby, and that she had changed his perspective on everything. ‘When I was a Black Muslim I wanted two things: to marry a jet-black woman and to see America destroyed… Now I am no longer a Muslim and I want to see America saved—but changed!---and I’m in love with a white woman. It seems natural, mathematical.’” (Pg. 107) After his release from prison, “he and Axelrod drove to Los Angeles to share [Christmas] with [his family]. ‘Why do you to have to marry an old white woman?’ Thelma [his mother] asked Cleaver when they were alone. He was shaken by his mother’s disapproval.” (Pg. 130) He notes, “Although [writing for] Ramparts, SNCC, and the Black House all provided Cleaver outlets for his radicalism, they all fell short of helping him achieve his ultimate goal: the armed overthrown of the system.” (Pg. 132)

He recounts, “Cleaver and the Black House organized an event to celebrate Malcolm X on the second anniversary of his death. Malcolm’s widow, Betty Shabazz, was to be the keynote speaker. Jackmon hired Black Panthers as security… Cleaver was absolutely floored by [Huey] Newton’s boldness. He wrote later, ‘I fell in love with the Black Panther party immediately upon my first encounter with it…’ The Black Panther Party had emerged in Oakland as a militant response to the institutional racism black people faced there.” (Pg. 133)

Kathleen was a member of SNCC: “Cleaver was immediately struck by Kathleen’s beauty and intellect… Kathleen read a rough copy of ‘Soul on Ice’ that he had brought with him. She felt it was the most powerful piece of writing she had ever read… Cleaver realized this was the first time he had met a black woman he felt he could talk to. By the time they returned to Nashville, they were totally in love.” (Pg. 138) He adds, “Cleaver’s involvement with the Panthers, as well as his newfound feelings for Kathleen, accelerated his changing emotions toward Axelrod… By early May 1967, Cleaver had to admit to himself that he was going to leave her… Cleaver had to face the fact that he was in love with Kathleen, and his role in the Black Panthers was incompatible with his relationship with Axelrod.” (Pg. 140-141)

He records, “Even as Cleaver attempted to start his new life with Kathleen, he was still maintaining contact with Axelrod… [Kathleen] confronted Eldridge… This conflict led to the first time Cleaver ever physically assaulted Kathleen… These were the first of many such abuses that Kathleen would endure throughout their marriage.” (Pg. 144-145) Later, he adds, “Kathleen had her reasons for marrying Cleaver, despite his insensitivity and physical abuse. She was a true revolutionary, and she wanted to be with someone who was as committed to the cause as she was…. Kathleen was young, idealistic, and deeply committed to the struggle for black freedom. She was even willing to bear Cleaver’s violence for the sake of the movement.” (Pg. 149)

Of the infamous 1968 confrontation with Oakland police, he states, “Like Newton, Cleaver didn’t believe rioting solved anything… But Cleaver did believe in retaliation, and he believed that attacking the police would spark a revolution… Cleaver recruited members for the assault and collected weapons…. [On] April 6, a group of Panthers… loaded themselves into three cars … Cleaver, in the lead car, planned to ambush any cops coming down the street… Cleaver started the assault…” (Pg. 157-159)

Cleaver later escaped to Cuba, but “In his enthusiasm for Cuba as a socialist state, Cleaver has misread the contentious racial dynamics there. Although Castro had declared racism eradicated in 1961… the truth was that racial discrimination had not been addressed… [The Cubans] began to see Cleaver as a threat because his sympathy for black liberation movements challenged the socialist vision for Cuba’s raceless society.” (Pg. 179) Later, “Cleaver had his final falling out with [Stokely] Carmichael … it finally came to a head in Algiers.” (Pg. 190) He observes, “In little more than a year since his arrival in Algeria, Cleaver had created a viable international section of the Black Panther Party with significant connections to third-world communist countries. But Cleaver also used seized power for himself, which he used to murder a rival lover and member of his own party with impunity.” (Pg. 207) Cleaver broke with Newton in 1971. (Pg. 216-217) He summarizes, “The Black Panther Party as [Cleaver] had known it had all but been destroyed, and his plans to raise a guerilla army had failed. His alliance with socialist countries was finished. Cleaver was faced with the difficult decision of what to do next. One thing was sure: his life as a revolutionary was over.” (Pg. 229)

Later, “Cleaver finally grew so depressed that he decided to kill himself. His dreams to build an international coalition of freedom fighters were dashed, and without the support of the Panthers, he felt alone… Just when he was at his most hopeless, Cleaver claimed that he saw the face of Jesus Christ in the moon, which convinced him to give up his life in exile and face trial in the United States. He later reported that this was the turning point in his life.” (Pg. 235) He continues, “Without support from the left, he had difficulty raising money for bail. He was isolated and longed for a sense of community… [He] turned to religion for support, this time converting to Christianity.” (Pg. 246) then “Cleaver was let go from jail on parole. He still faced the assault charges for shooting at the Oakland police but he was a free man until the trial got underway. After Cleaver was released from prison, the Panthers attacked him more vehemently.” (Pg. 250)

Next, “Cleaver decided to start his own organization, the Eldridge Cleaver Crusades… Cleaver created a highly organized and tightly controlled operation…. On the surface, the Cleaver Crusades was a successful operation. Cleaver looked the part of the born-again preacher… He gave speeches to massive crowds all over the country… But behind the scenes, Cleaver was barely holding the ministry together… Cleaver stayed on tour for another year, but the long days and the pressure were wearing on him, and he began looking for a way out.” (Pg. 252-255) “Cleaver tried ever-crazier schemes to distance himself from the born-again circuit. In late summer 1979, he joined the Unification Church.” (Pg. 260) “in early 1981 Cleaver shocked the world by dabbling in Mormonism… Cleaver responded to … criticisms by pointing out that the Mormons, unlike Christians, had never owned any slaves.” (Pg. 263) “Kathleen was finally fed up of the cheating, abuse, and financial worries. She was also sick of Cleaver’s increasingly crazy behavior… In August 1981, Kathleen left.” (Pg. 266-267)

Gifford recounts, “With the collapse of his political aspirations and the end of his work with religious organizations, Cleaver was left without direction. With no revolutionary cause to defend, he spiraled. In his desperation, he turned to using crack cocaine…. Crack consumed Cleaver… Cleaver was arrested for possession of crack. It was the first of a series of arrests for possession of crack.” (Pg. 276-277) He continues, “No matter how hard he tried to quit, Cleaver could not resist the allure of crack cocaine… crack offered him a temporary escape from a life full of despair and failed hopes.” (Pg. 280, 285)

Gifford concludes “Although Cleaver did not become a race leader in the conventional sense, it was during his incarceration that he emerged as a radical activist, willing to endure torture and imprisonment for black people… Cleaver also performed acts of monstrous violence. He raped women early in his later teens and abused his wife Kathleen repeatedly over the course of his life… Cleaver’s life was a contradiction, shot through with heroic acts of defiance against white oppression AND emotional and physical violence against the innocent… At his most relevant, Cleaver preached a message of revolution or death, and he meant it… He died an obscure and somewhat forgotten figure… Even though he has bene pushed to the edges of history, Cleaver’s impact on American life has been profound, if mostly hidden from view… Cleaver was no Martin Luther King; he was no Malcolm X. But the same forces of history that created those men also created Eldridge Cleaver.” (Pg. 288-290)

This book will be absolute “must reading” for anyone studying Cleaver, the Black Panthers, and the social movements of the 1960s/1970s.

[loli reads a lot · Rating 5 out of 5]

really well written & informative on his perspective in relation to the overall issues in society during his life

[Gene Schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though he seems to be largely forgotten these days, Eldridge Cleaver was once a towering figure in 1960s social and literary culture. From deep in the depths of San Quentin and Folsom prisons, Cleaver made himself into a bestselling author(Soul on Ice) with an excellent literary reputation, a widely read authority on American and world literature, and most memorably, and controversially, an avatar of violent black and socialist revolution. As “Minister of Information” for the Black Panther Party, Cleaver, along with fellow Panthers Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale, was one of the faces of the 60s revolutiion, noted especially for forging alliances with white radical and peace organizations, running for president on the Peace and Freedom party ticket in 1968. He was by far the most complex of the revolutionary figures, capable of penning essays for Ramparts (where he worked as a staff writer after his release from prison) one minute, and engaging in a violent gun battle with police the next. After one such battle Cleaver’s parole was revoked, which led to his fleeing the country for Cuba, and eventually other socialist hot spots a number of years, finally becoming disillusioned and returning to the US to finish out his jail term. At one point Cleaver reflects, somewhat ironically, that the isolation of prison was actually a boon to his creativity and production. Upon his release he became for a time a born-again Christian crusader and an unsuccessful Republican candidate for Congress. He eventually faded from public consciousness, dying of natural causes in the 1990s.

In Revolution or Death, Justin Gifford presents a fast-paced, insightful overview of Cleaver’s life and career, likely the only one we will ever have. For anyone interested in the turbulent years of the 1960s, this book is *must* reading.

[Ell, Ess Jaeva · Rating 5 out of 5]

his life was crazy... he exploited anyone who is easily manipulated by the words of prominent figures; EC studied, sought and achieved many such platforms. his views, or at least the words he used to finance a livelihood, swung from far left to far right then back. a brilliant, driven and inspirational revolutionary, yet used his superpowers for whatever concept of evil you have--murderous, misogynist, narcissist, hypocrite, megalomaniac, Machiavellian.

[Alison A · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this author did an exceptional job researching and retelling the extremely complicated life of Eldridge Cleaver in a way that is incredibly honest and respectful. His final page was masterful in discussing why this man’s deeply troubled and problematic life is so important to understand, in its entirety.

[Riss Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listen everything about this man was nasty and disgusting.