Nobody Can Give You Freedom
The Real Mission of Malcolm X
Published on 1. May 2025
Book
Hardback
352 pages
978-0-241-68117-6 (ISBN)
Description
The real political mission of Malcolm X, and why it needs resurrecting now - 100 years after his birth
Malcolm X is a titanic figure in political history, but he is also one of the most misunderstood. So much of what we know about his life and politics is from books, films and documentaries that are all guilty of peddling the Malcolm myth for their own nefarious interests. Forever known as the violent Yang to Martin Luther King's Yin, in the years since his death he has been co-opted into the American project, punished by his enemies for his radicalism, and marginalised by decades of governments, academics and activists.
But here, for the first time, Malcolm is rediscovered. On the centenary of his birthday, in a world shaken by decades of injustice and racism, Malcolm's political mission is more urgent than ever. In Nobody Can Give You Freedom, Kehinde Andrews reveals his real revolutionary programme. Malcolm's activism was his philosophy, and paying attention to it reveals the true cultural icon - who, if he were alive today, would tell us to pick up the mantle, and overturn this wicked system for good.
Malcolm X is a titanic figure in political history, but he is also one of the most misunderstood. So much of what we know about his life and politics is from books, films and documentaries that are all guilty of peddling the Malcolm myth for their own nefarious interests. Forever known as the violent Yang to Martin Luther King's Yin, in the years since his death he has been co-opted into the American project, punished by his enemies for his radicalism, and marginalised by decades of governments, academics and activists.
But here, for the first time, Malcolm is rediscovered. On the centenary of his birthday, in a world shaken by decades of injustice and racism, Malcolm's political mission is more urgent than ever. In Nobody Can Give You Freedom, Kehinde Andrews reveals his real revolutionary programme. Malcolm's activism was his philosophy, and paying attention to it reveals the true cultural icon - who, if he were alive today, would tell us to pick up the mantle, and overturn this wicked system for good.
Reviews / Votes
Once again Kehinde Andrews nails it! An explosive, inspirational, honest and powerful account of the real impact of Malcolm X's mission. A must read for anyone serious about understanding and fighting for true revolutionary racial justice. -- Kalwant Bhopal Kehinde Andrews' offers a provocative, insightful, and urgent reading of the revolutionary political thought of the Black working class hero of the 20th century. At turns angry, humorous, tendentious, and illuminating, this book gives no quarter in its search for Black liberation. Nobody Can Give You Freedom offers a bracing challenge to a new generation to reclaim the revolutionary legacy Malcolm X left behind in his time for the contemporary struggles for Black freedom that remain in our own. -- Peniel E. Joseph, author of The Sword and the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. Kehinde has done a powerful thing with this book. Nobody Can Give You Freedom is important, honest and refreshing. It's a must-read for people who want to understand how Malcolm X wanted us to change the world. -- John-Paul Kunrunmi, @jpreads6More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Penguin Books Ltd
Dimensions
Height: 241 mm
Width: 166 mm
Thickness: 35 mm
Weight
544 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-241-68117-6 (9780241681176)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Kehinde Andrews is the UK's first professor of Black Studies, at Birmingham City University where he led the establishment of the first Black Studies programme in Europe, the Chair of the Harambee Organisation of Black Unity and editor in chief of Make It Plain. He is the author of The Psychosis of Whiteness, The New Age of Empire: How Racism and Colonialism Still Rule the World, and Back to Black: Retelling Black Radicalism for the 21st Century.