Revolutionary Notes

by Julius Lester

This is a book to carry to the barricades.

Julius Lester—columnist, folk singer, radio personality, poet, and photographer—has compiled these Revolutionary Notes from some of his most memorable, searing articles written for the underground press. Lester's radical analysis and incisive wit are turned on all aspects of the struggle for radical change in American society—subjects ranging from the Yippies to Robert Kennedy, from Women's Liberation to the image of Che Guevara, from SNCC and the Black Panthers to George Wallace and white student radicals. The aphoristic prose style comes from Lester the poet; the rage and bitter humor from Lester the black militant; the tenderness, self-criticism, and commitment from Lester the revolutionary.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

First published February 1, 1970

About the author

Julius Lester was an American writer of books for children and adults. He was an academic who taught for 32 years (1971–2003) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He was also a photographer, as well as a musician who recorded two albums of folk music and original songs.

Reviews

[Deja's Future Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

reading a few chapters each day was a refreshing way to pass Black History month. Julius Lester takes seriously the question of creating/living into a new society and learning from the decade(s) of insurgency that preceded and surrounded his writing. These short essays were mostly compiled from his weekly column in The Guardian that ran from October 1967-Feb 1969. He comes out the gate with "SNCC and the Arab-Israeli War" and keeps an international dimension at the forefront because for Lester citizenship in the heart of empire is an accident and charade. The pieces are concise (sometimes unfulfilling because of this, but still impressive given that Lester managed to put these out every seven days), provocative, and sincere. It was comforting to see his ideas, critiques, and hopes evolve over a turbulent few years because it was a reminder to me that reflection and discussion are needed even (especially) amidst the most urgent of fights (which have always been urgent). And Lester challenges the *black* radical left to be thoughtful about everything in way that it's clear he just wants the movement(s) to be as effective as possible in making the revolution (his words on SNCC vs the Panthers read like the most exciting and heartbreaking sports match). His comments on identity politics and blackness itself not necessarily paving the way to revolutionary action so "early" on (this is way before more academic analyses of the black power movement, like marxist scholar Russell Rickford's brilliant 'We Are An African People' in 2016) were sobering. His takes on MLK's public image, ethics, and funeral would scandalize many. He makes bold claims, again so "early" on, that since demonstrations/marches have been co-opted by liberalism it's okay to only use them when needed, and praises the Vietnamese guerillas for knowing that not all battles need to be fought in the open. El Che is a recurring character.

The arc of Lester's mind is now something I want to follow all the way to its end through his poetry, fiction, and music. I love that he wasn't cataloging an emergency in the place of insight, nor trying to win over anyone. Every piece is so obviously relevant to ~ today ~, it goes without saying really.

I need to know, did Julius Lester and Manning Marable ever get together and talk?!?