... immensely valuable ... One of the great strengths of this book is the detail with which Joseph supports his thesis ... this biography’s dual nature, with its close comparison and contrast of King’s and Malcolm’s journeys to their ultimate fates, enhances our understanding of how these men came to their respective conclusions about the state of the world, and how to change it ... In a way, The Sword and the Shield answers the old question about whether the times make the person or the person makes the times ... makes one wonder how the two men would have deployed their talents in our less than heroic age.
Joseph convincingly argues that the two leaders’ overarching goals, however differently expressed, were inseparable ... Essential to Joseph’s argument in The Sword and the Shield is his careful debunking of not just the typically overstated conflicts between King and Malcolm X, but also the reductive images that distorted perceptions of them in their own time and dilute their messages today ... Joseph quite successfully navigates the inherent challenges of dealing with the political mythologies that muddy the waters of Malcolm X scholarship ... delivers both strong storytelling and exemplary history, dismantling popular distortions of its subjects, and arriving at a nuanced and profoundly revealing portrayal of converging visions that informed, challenged, and sharpened each other even as their proponents seemed publicly and irrevocably at odds.
... [an] excellent joint history ... Joseph retraces some ground that will be familiar to anyone who has read those books, but for the most part he smartly zeros in on the relatively brief period during which King and Malcolm actively influenced each other, even if they had no personal contact. It is a fascinating story, full of subtle twists and turns, that unfolded in three phase.
Mr. Joseph weaves their stories fluidly and with vivid detail, helping to strip away the high gloss of mythology ... At times, especially in the first half of his book, Mr. Joseph works hard to portray King and Malcolm as equally important figures in the quest for a 'moral and political reckoning'...But in those early chapters it’s King notching one victory after another, profoundly changing American life and law, while Malcolm inspires audiences with his defiance and sharp words but searches for the most effective use of his skills.
Joseph eschews the usual easy oppositional narratives of educated versus working-class, Christian versus Muslim, integration versus separatism, lobbying versus grassroots activism, and non-violence versus self-defense to emphasize their political affinities and shared struggle ... Most intriguingly, Joseph portrays King and Malcolm X as political and diplomatic mavericks heroically coping with attempts by the FBI; politicians of various ideologies, including sitting presidents; the mainstream press; and even former allies to deflect, deny, and discredit their moral crusade against American racism and racial violence and their assertion of Black American dignity and civic significance. Joseph’s fresh and perceptive dual biography may rekindle political unity in a time of increasingly granular identity politics, sensationalism, and fear.
Because readers know that each man would eventually suffer an early, violent death, the narrative takes on a poignant urgency as the chapters unfold ... As the author delineates the philosophies and tactics of each man, he compares and contrasts them on nearly every page, making the various narrative strands cohere nicely ... An authoritative dual biography from a leading scholar of African American history.
... authoritative ... Though other meaningful figures from the era get short shrift, Joseph’s laser focus delivers essential insights into the characters of both men. This incisive work uncovers the subtleties of a relationship too often cast in broad strokes.
