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The Brother You Choose
In 1971, Eddie Conway, Lieutenant of Security for the Baltimore chapter of the Black Panther Party, was convicted of murdering a police officer and sentenced to life plus thirty years behind bars. Paul Coates was a community worker at the time and didn't know Eddie well - the little he knew, he didn't much like. But Paul was dead certain that Eddie's charges were bogus. He vowed never to leave Eddie - and in so doing, changed the course of both their lives. For over forty-three years, as he raised a family and started a business, Paul visited Eddie in prison, often taking his kids with him. He and Eddie shared their lives and worked together on dozens of legal campaigns in hopes of gaining Eddie's release. Paul's founding of the Black Classic Press in 1978 was originally a way to get books to Eddie in prison. When, in 2014, Eddie finally walked out onto the streets of Baltimore, Paul Coates was there to greet him. Today, these two men remain rock-solid comrades and friends - each, the other's chosen brother.
When Eddie and Paul met in the Baltimore Panther Party, they were in their early twenties. They are now into their seventies. This book is a record of their lives and their relationship, told in their own voices. Paul and Eddie talk about their individual stories, their work, their politics, and their immeasurable bond.
When Eddie and Paul met in the Baltimore Panther Party, they were in their early twenties. They are now into their seventies. This book is a record of their lives and their relationship, told in their own voices. Paul and Eddie talk about their individual stories, their work, their politics, and their immeasurable bond.
271 pages, Paperback
First published June 2, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 2, 2022
The life and times of Eddie Conway and Paul Coates. Whether speaking individually or in conversation, these guys are raconteurs of the turbulent 1960s, the Vietnam War, the civil rights movement, and the Black Panther Party.
In 1971, Eddie Conway was the Security Lieutenant for the Baltimore BPP. He was targeted by J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI, as were most active Black Panthers, as a threat to national security and was subsequently prosecuted and convicted for a crime he did not commit. His fellow Panther, Paul Coats, spent the next 43 years tirelessly working to get Eddie out of prison. Their stories, Paul’s devotion and Eddie’s eventual exoneration, are inspirational.
Books about institutional racism in America tax the hell out of my stamina. I get so emotionally fired up, so disgusted and appalled with the systemic hypocrisy, that I wind up intellectually and psychologically exhausted.
Fortunately, when I get bone-weary, I can always take a break and get my shit back together. I have the advantage of putting all this crap aside and going about my life without being constantly reminded (via media and micro aggression) that inequality still resides here. Security personnel never follow me around a department store. Old ladies on the street never clutch their purses when I walk by. The last time the cops pulled me over was eighteen years ago, and that was for doing 90 in a 75 (and even then all I got was a warning). People like Eddie and Paul can’t take a breather from all the BS like I can because they can’t slip out of their skin. I’m not stoking white guilt here, I’m acknowledging that I have privileges in this country that POCs don’t have.
Thank you Susie Day for your transcription of these conversations and for formatting them into a book form that is as educational as it is engaging. This one wore me out (and that’s a compliment).
In 1971, Eddie Conway was the Security Lieutenant for the Baltimore BPP. He was targeted by J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI, as were most active Black Panthers, as a threat to national security and was subsequently prosecuted and convicted for a crime he did not commit. His fellow Panther, Paul Coats, spent the next 43 years tirelessly working to get Eddie out of prison. Their stories, Paul’s devotion and Eddie’s eventual exoneration, are inspirational.
Books about institutional racism in America tax the hell out of my stamina. I get so emotionally fired up, so disgusted and appalled with the systemic hypocrisy, that I wind up intellectually and psychologically exhausted.
Fortunately, when I get bone-weary, I can always take a break and get my shit back together. I have the advantage of putting all this crap aside and going about my life without being constantly reminded (via media and micro aggression) that inequality still resides here. Security personnel never follow me around a department store. Old ladies on the street never clutch their purses when I walk by. The last time the cops pulled me over was eighteen years ago, and that was for doing 90 in a 75 (and even then all I got was a warning). People like Eddie and Paul can’t take a breather from all the BS like I can because they can’t slip out of their skin. I’m not stoking white guilt here, I’m acknowledging that I have privileges in this country that POCs don’t have.
Thank you Susie Day for your transcription of these conversations and for formatting them into a book form that is as educational as it is engaging. This one wore me out (and that’s a compliment).
November 22, 2020
Fairly short book of conversations between former Black Panther comrades, who became steadfast friends after one, Eddie Conway, was sent to prison for decades for a crime he didn't commit. The two men discuss their early lives, their involvement and eventual separation from the Black Panther Party, and the dire impact of mass incarceration on black communities and political life. It's a nice slice of life and reality, and a window into the honest humanity of the Panthers, as opposed to a demonized or romanticized image.
January 31, 2021
A short but remarkable work detailing the lives of Paul Coates and Eddie Conway and including important insights regarding their relationship and their beliefs and how their lives have changed. Their discussions were very informative and very interesting!
October 21, 2020
The subject matter is really interesting, but I also really responded to the oral history format
November 13, 2020
Buku ini secara tidak sengaja saya temukan di diskon ebook oleh Haymarket. Dan saya merasa beruntung bisa dipertemukan untuk membaca buku ini.
The Brother You Choose berisi percakapan dan cerita antara Paul dan Eddie, dua sahabat yang saling bergantung satu sama lain sejak tahun 1960an ketika mereka mulai aktif di Black Panther Party. Mereka berdua punya visi dan mimpi untuk menyuarakan suara kulit hitam di negara Amerika yang masih penuh ketimpangan itu. Eddie kemudian dipenjarakan untuk tuduhan yang tidak dia lakukan tahun 1970 dan dibebaskan tahun 2014. Selama 44 tahun Paul dengan setia mengunjungi Eddie, memenuhi kebutuhan Eddie terhadap buku bacaan. Untuk itu juga Paul termotivasi membentuk penerbitan buku Black Classic Press yang memungkinkan dia dapat dengan mudah menyebarkan buku-buku yang mungkin susah didapat oleh kelompok orang kulit htam saat itu.
Saya membaca buku ini dengan perasaan campur aduk. Beberapa kali saya ikut marah dan mengertakan gigi membaca ketidakadilan yang harus dialami Eddie dan teman-temannya. Beberapa kali saya terharu melihat kelapangan hati Eddie dan Paul, ada juga saya merasa tersentak dengan semangat mereka dalam melakukan perubahan.
Kisah hidup dua laki-laki yang usianya mendekati 70 tahun ini sungguhlah menggugah. Buku ini secara hidup membuat kita semakin memahami struggle yang dialami oleh orang kulit hitam. Sistem maupun struktur sosial yang timpang ini yang menyebabkan banyak hal terjadi.
Walaupun ini terjadi di US, namun peristiwa ketidakadilan dan perjuangan dari kelompok minoritas ini lekat sekali dengan yang juga terjadi di Indonesia.
Sehingga saya pikir, buku ini tepat dibaca oleh siapa saja.
The Brother You Choose berisi percakapan dan cerita antara Paul dan Eddie, dua sahabat yang saling bergantung satu sama lain sejak tahun 1960an ketika mereka mulai aktif di Black Panther Party. Mereka berdua punya visi dan mimpi untuk menyuarakan suara kulit hitam di negara Amerika yang masih penuh ketimpangan itu. Eddie kemudian dipenjarakan untuk tuduhan yang tidak dia lakukan tahun 1970 dan dibebaskan tahun 2014. Selama 44 tahun Paul dengan setia mengunjungi Eddie, memenuhi kebutuhan Eddie terhadap buku bacaan. Untuk itu juga Paul termotivasi membentuk penerbitan buku Black Classic Press yang memungkinkan dia dapat dengan mudah menyebarkan buku-buku yang mungkin susah didapat oleh kelompok orang kulit htam saat itu.
Saya membaca buku ini dengan perasaan campur aduk. Beberapa kali saya ikut marah dan mengertakan gigi membaca ketidakadilan yang harus dialami Eddie dan teman-temannya. Beberapa kali saya terharu melihat kelapangan hati Eddie dan Paul, ada juga saya merasa tersentak dengan semangat mereka dalam melakukan perubahan.
Kisah hidup dua laki-laki yang usianya mendekati 70 tahun ini sungguhlah menggugah. Buku ini secara hidup membuat kita semakin memahami struggle yang dialami oleh orang kulit hitam. Sistem maupun struktur sosial yang timpang ini yang menyebabkan banyak hal terjadi.
Walaupun ini terjadi di US, namun peristiwa ketidakadilan dan perjuangan dari kelompok minoritas ini lekat sekali dengan yang juga terjadi di Indonesia.
Sehingga saya pikir, buku ini tepat dibaca oleh siapa saja.
February 13, 2024
It’s difficult to find the words for a book like this. Nearly brought to tears on many occasions by the life stories of Paul Coates & Eddie Conway was something I hadn’t anticipated. Hearing their first hand experiences slows your entire world down and brings you evermore present into yourself and what it takes to survive in the United States.
The second to last chapter in this book had a few quotes that will stick with me for a while, which you can find below. Thank you to both of these men as well as Susie Day & Ta-Nehisi Coates for bringing these stories to the world.
“There are no heroes, no angels of history coming to save us. It’s just people making choices.”
“Every time an elder makes his transition without passing down his life experiences to the next generation, a library has just burned down.”
“Do your little part. Do whatever you can do to help change these conditions. Because we're moving into a critical period of his-tory, not for just poor and oppressed people, Black people, but for humanity itself. So you need to engage. Do whatever little bit you can, but you need to do something.”
The second to last chapter in this book had a few quotes that will stick with me for a while, which you can find below. Thank you to both of these men as well as Susie Day & Ta-Nehisi Coates for bringing these stories to the world.
“There are no heroes, no angels of history coming to save us. It’s just people making choices.”
“Every time an elder makes his transition without passing down his life experiences to the next generation, a library has just burned down.”
“Do your little part. Do whatever you can do to help change these conditions. Because we're moving into a critical period of his-tory, not for just poor and oppressed people, Black people, but for humanity itself. So you need to engage. Do whatever little bit you can, but you need to do something.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 28, 2023
In the Fall of 1969, while I was a freshman in college, three Black Panthers came onto campus to sell their newspaper. The university banned them from campus and students protested this suppression of free speech. I wondered who the Panthers were, bought the newspaper and put the 10 Key Points up on my wall.
December 4, 1969 Chicago police murdered Fred Hampton as well as Mark Clark, who had been one of the Black Panthers selling newspapers on campus.
Thus began my life long relationship with and admiration for the Black Panthers.
This book is about two Panthers in the Baltimore chapter: Eddie Conway and Paul Coates. It's about loyalty and friendship over the 40 plus years Eddie spent imprisoned on false charges.
That Eddie Conway was falsely imprisoned is no shock, this is standard justice for radicals and revolutionaries. What is amazing is the depth of friendship between these two amazing men.
December 4, 1969 Chicago police murdered Fred Hampton as well as Mark Clark, who had been one of the Black Panthers selling newspapers on campus.
Thus began my life long relationship with and admiration for the Black Panthers.
This book is about two Panthers in the Baltimore chapter: Eddie Conway and Paul Coates. It's about loyalty and friendship over the 40 plus years Eddie spent imprisoned on false charges.
That Eddie Conway was falsely imprisoned is no shock, this is standard justice for radicals and revolutionaries. What is amazing is the depth of friendship between these two amazing men.
December 25, 2023
Beautiful conversation between two friends, brothers, comrades. As is stated at the end of this book, the knowledge of each elder is a library. There is so much precious knowledge and experience in this book to take with us, above all is the testament to love and commitment makes another world possible. Thank you for this book.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews