The Sword and the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.

Peniel E. Joseph

Mar 2020 · Hachette Audio · Narrated by Zeno Robinson

About this audiobook

This "landmark" (Ibram X. Kendi, New York Times–bestselling author of How to Be an Antiracist) dual biography of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King upends longstanding preconceptions to transform our understanding of the twentieth century's most iconic African American leaders   To most Americans, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. represent contrasting ideals: self-defense vs. nonviolence, black power vs. civil rights, the sword vs. the shield. The struggle for black freedom is wrought with the same contrasts. While nonviolent direct action is remembered as an unassailable part of American democracy, the movement's militancy is either vilified or erased outright.

In The Sword and the Shield, Peniel E. Joseph upends these misconceptions and reveals a nuanced portrait of two men who, despite markedly different backgrounds, inspired and pushed each other throughout their adult lives. This is a strikingly revisionist biography, not only of Malcolm and Martin, but also of the movement and era they came to define.  

Ratings and reviews

You would be much better served to read the Autobiographies of MLK and Malcolm X. Anyone who reads them carefully would see how much they had in common and how much they respected each other even though they only met once for 10 minutes. MLK and Malcolm X were towering intellects . Unfortunately it doesn't seem true of this author.

Excellent information and an interesting read. Loved it!

About the author

Peniel E. Joseph is the Barbara Jordan Chair in Ethics and Political Values, Founding Director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy, and Associate Dean for Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and Professor of History at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of award-winning books on African American history, including The Third Reconstruction and Stokely: A Life. He lives in Austin, Texas.