The Truth About World War II

This is more than a story of the racist attacks-court-martials, violent mobs, lynchings-that were the real face of the U.S. "war for democracy." It's a story of how Black workers fought back (including many GIs), based on news articles from the socialist newspaper, The Militant. Learn how the "March on Washington Movement" swelled in response to Roosevelt's racist imperialist war. Glimpse the heroism of the participants in the protests and uprisings, which have been erased from the official history books. Their courage is part of the heritage of today's working class. But this book is the only place where you can find it truthfully presented.

This is a wonderful collection, an essential part of the history we need to know to understand American capitalism and racism, the fight for Black liberation and equal rights, and working class struggles as a whole. The protests and campaigns described here were an essential foundation for the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, and should inspire us to continue the fight today.

Here are some 150 articles, pamphlets and political resolutions, a week-by-week account of political developments and struggles during tumultuous years of the 1940s. They come from the socialist newsweekly, the Militant, and are written by working class leaders seeking to build on the labor battles of the 1930s and to deepen the fight against racist oppression.

The articles document instances of police brutality and killings, lynch-mob murders of Blacks, and the pervasive racist discrimination in employment, housing and the military. But above all, they record, analyze and promote the fight against these conditions. The success in uniting Black and white workers to smash Henry Fords anti-union stronghold and bring the UAW to Ford Motor Co., the mass protests of the 1942 March on Washington Movement-- and the bitter opposition of the Roosevelt administration to this anti-racist movement; the 1943 Harlem rebellion against killer cops-- "A protest against intolerable conditions;" its all here to learn from and be inspired by. An extensive chronology and glossary will help today's reader understand this history all the better.

The US that waged World War II was a racist country, fighting to preserve its own ability to segregate and exploit African Americans, defending and trying to get a piece of Britain, Belgium, Holland, and France's Racist exploitation of hundreds of millions of colonial slaves, and to hold on to its oporession of Latin America and get as big a piece of China, Vietnam and other countries and Asia as they could. Could there be any wonder that at home, battles were fought by African Americans against racism, in housing, in jobs, in access to health care and education, just as they were fought before and after the war and continue to be fought. It is not wonder the SWP fighter and leader who is the principal author and editor of this book was chosen by Malcolm X 20 years later to be the person who edited and helped to publish his writings. These fighters were the Malcolm X's of their time....

The Black Jacobins is an informative and compelling story of the Haitian Revolution. While Mr. James takes the reader through the many events that made up the revolution his obvious Marxist perspective and desire to promote a class theory of the revolution is a major limitation. For instance, in order to put forth a Marxist class theory for the revolution Mr. James is forced to underplay other more important factors -such as race.

All in all this book is a positive read for anyone who is intersted in a part of history that is too little known. The life and times of Toussiant L'Ouverture and the Haitian Revolution is a must read for anyone who wants to understand the current state of affairs in Haiti as well as a very dark side of French, British and American relations with the country. Given the barbaric conditions the slaves were subjected to and devestation that was visited on the country in order to defeat the invading French troops it is easier to understand the present state of affairs in Haiti.

James delivers an exquisitely descriptive account of the only slave revolt that ultimately lead to the founding of a black republic in the heart of the Caribbean. This well written book reads like prose making it an easy read. James does an excellent job of letting the reader know who the players in San Domingo were before and during the revolution including - the big whites (planters); small whites (artisans and professionals); mulattoes and blacks. The psychological make up and desires of each class is fully explained so that the reader instantly understands why alliances between the groups were formed and dissolved over time and their effect on colonial government. The character of Toussaint L'Ouverture, the black general who led the slave revolt and administered the colonial government, is discussed throughout the book and insights into his thinking and perspective are gained through his written correspondence and his governmental orders. This allows the reader to gain an in-depth understanding of L'Ouverture as a 3 dimensional persona. The book contains an excellent bibliography for reference. Black Jacobins however is not without some minor flaws. First, although James gives a good account of the desires of various sectors of French society, he fails to give as rich an account of the motivations and perspectives of the French statesmen operating in France. Second, James discussion of Dessaline, L'Ouverture's general who persecuted the revolt to its end, is not dealt with in the same depth as the other major personas. Other writers have undoubtedly covered Dessaline but it would have been nice to gain James' perspective. Critics of James have gone as far as to suggest that he subverts racial dynamics for class dynamics. Two points on this issue refute this notion. First, James provides ample information on the role of race in shaping the motivations of the major partisan groups. Indeed, the reader gains a real appreciation for the prominent role mulattoes played in the revolution and how their attitudes on race and liberty helped shape the alliances they made. Second, writing as a son of Haitian immigrants, I can attest to the fact that Haitians don't perceive race prejudice in Haiti the same way blacks to in the United States. This is not surprising considering that blacks constitute not only the social but also a political majority in Haiti. Rather Haitian society is more sensitive to distinctions in color, education and background. Since color distinctions was the only factor relevant during the revolution, James only deals with that particular distinction and he does so in a balanced manner. Finally, the prospective purchaser of Black Jacobins should be aware that James espouses a Marxist worldview. However, his ideology is not so pervasive as to render the book unpalatable to non-subscribers of Marxism. James provides ample independent references for his historical accounts and the critical reader will find that the conclusions he draws are credible. I would recommend this book.

The Black Jacobins is a timeless classic in both the history and practice of liberation theory.I enjoyed the distinct pleasure of taking undergraduate work with CLR James in the early eighties. His undimmed passion and clarity shaped me deeply. He was quite arguably the greatest unabashed dialectical materialist of the Harlem Renaissance. I heartily recommend that you treat yourself to this,his signature creation.

An important book in the litarary history of the Caribbean. The journey of a middle class voyer into the everyday world of a working class family. The class politics and the internal revelations of the main character drive the story and the relationships he has with the other characters. On the whole this is a book with a relatively simple language and implicitly complex themes.

Minty alley is one of the first books C.L.R. James wrote, before he found his niche as a historian and cricket writer. But This isn't because of any lack of talent in fiction writing. The characters of Minty Alley are real and rounded and tell us something about ourselves as well as the people of Trinidad. The vast class differences in colonial societies even among the colonised peoples is thrown into stark relief by James's caricatures. You might be shocked at the poverty or amused by the dialogue,

Parts of this book, esp where he discusses the aesthetic value of cricket are tolerable. Otherwise, most of the book is about trying to tell the reader what an intellectual James is. I'm afraid this book is less about cricket and more about James. He's too full of himself and that diminishes the value of what could have been a great book.
Also, the writing leaves a lot to be desired.

James' excellent volume takes the reader on a wild ride through the history of cricket and, in particular its influence on West Indies social and political development. I say a wild ride since the reader is never sure where the book is headed as it weaves through autobiographical, biographical, historical, sociological, humanist and political arenas as it proceeds to its, finally, satisfying conclusion. James' thesis of cricket as a determining factor in the development of the West Indian psyche is interesting and well presented. As an overview of cricket's spot in the world's firmament, it takes a valuable place.

James's "Beyond a Boundary" is one of the finest literary works of the twentieth century. It asks questions that go to the heart of the human condition: where do democratic ideas come from? How does one strive towards self-emancipation in a totalitarian world? What tools may dismantle colonialism and neo-colonialism? What is the relationship between art and everyday life? Oh, and there's the social and cultural analysis of cricket, and how this endeavor fits into the larger picture. "Beyond a Boundary" is often referred to as the founding text of postcolonialism. It is more, far more. A caveat is in order, however. One cannot rush through this book. Take time to digest the ideas. A background in the history of the West Indies is also helpful