Carlos Cooks was something of the mid-20th century version of Khallid Muhammad. Think Minister Louis Farrakhan can get outrageous? You ain't heard nothing yet! Carlos Cooks (a Harlem Street Speaker of the 40s thru 60s) used a lot of wild humor and shock theater to get his message across. His speech on Adam and Eve and it's relationship to Black people must be read to be believed! It seems that there were very few leaders that he really liked. Nkrumah, Haile Selassie, Fidel Castro, and many others take their lumps here along with any Black person who diverts from his dogmatic view of Blackness. Recommended for the most hardcore of militants and Black history fans only. This ain't Martin Luther king by a longshot here, so be warned!

Carlos Cooks was much more than a mid 20th Century Khalid Muhummad. He continued the Black Nationalist legacy left by Marcus Garvey. He wasn't afraid to point out the self-hating tendencies of the Black Middle Class (or caste as he calls them). He also is unafraid to challenge the prevailing popular thought on integration (American Tradition Vetoes Integration). He also laid the foundation for the Black power movement by influencing Malcolm X among many others. This is book that should be read for those who want to understand the roots of Black Nationalism.