4.0
A Taste of Power
ByPublisher Description
"Profound, funny ... wild and moving ... heartbreaking accounts of a lonely black childhood.... Brown sees racial oppression in national and global context; every political word she writes pounds home a lesson about commerce, money, racism, communism, you name it ... A glowing achievement.” —Los Angeles Times
Elaine Brown assumed her role as the first and only female leader of the Black Panther Party with these words: “I have all the guns and all the money. I can withstand challenge from without and from within. Am I right, Comrade?” It was August 1974. From a small Oakland-based cell, the Panthers had grown to become a revolutionary national organization, mobilizing black communities and white supporters across the country—but relentlessly targeted by the police and the FBI, and increasingly riven by violence and strife within. How Brown came to a position of power over this paramilitary, male-dominated organization, and what she did with that power, is a riveting, unsparing account of self-discovery.
Brown’s story begins with growing up in an impoverished neighborhood in Philadelphia and attending a predominantly white school, where she first sensed what it meant to be black, female, and poor in America. She describes her political awakening during the bohemian years of her adolescence, and her time as a foot soldier for the Panthers, who seemed to hold the promise of redemption. And she tells of her ascent into the upper echelons of Panther leadership: her tumultuous relationship with the charismatic Huey Newton, who would become her lover and her nemesis; her experience with the male power rituals that would sow the seeds of the party's demise; and the scars that she both suffered and inflicted in that era’s paradigm-shifting clashes of sex and power. Stunning, lyrical, and acute, this is the indelible testimony of a black woman’s battle to define herself.
Elaine Brown assumed her role as the first and only female leader of the Black Panther Party with these words: “I have all the guns and all the money. I can withstand challenge from without and from within. Am I right, Comrade?” It was August 1974. From a small Oakland-based cell, the Panthers had grown to become a revolutionary national organization, mobilizing black communities and white supporters across the country—but relentlessly targeted by the police and the FBI, and increasingly riven by violence and strife within. How Brown came to a position of power over this paramilitary, male-dominated organization, and what she did with that power, is a riveting, unsparing account of self-discovery.
Brown’s story begins with growing up in an impoverished neighborhood in Philadelphia and attending a predominantly white school, where she first sensed what it meant to be black, female, and poor in America. She describes her political awakening during the bohemian years of her adolescence, and her time as a foot soldier for the Panthers, who seemed to hold the promise of redemption. And she tells of her ascent into the upper echelons of Panther leadership: her tumultuous relationship with the charismatic Huey Newton, who would become her lover and her nemesis; her experience with the male power rituals that would sow the seeds of the party's demise; and the scars that she both suffered and inflicted in that era’s paradigm-shifting clashes of sex and power. Stunning, lyrical, and acute, this is the indelible testimony of a black woman’s battle to define herself.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesA Taste of Power Reviews
4.0
“This book bears a lot of grief for iconic figures: Bunchy Carter, John Huggins, Tommy Lewis, Jon and George Jackson. It's rough knowing the history and still falling in deep admiration for these beautiful people as they will inspire you in a similar way they inspire Elaine Brown as she recounts personal stories and revelations.
I appreciate that Elaine recognizes how male centered she becomes throughout her life; I just wish she really developed long lasting relationships with women more. Like why did Sandra just fade from the story? Why did other women be nothing more than comrades or competition? I was ecstatic about her friendship with Suzanne!
I love the insights of Elaine coming into her own identity and learning to embrace all parts of herself. I love how she stands on business. I love this book.”
“This was amazing! I haven't done much reading on the black panther party and most of my knowledge comes from some episodes of behind the bastards (podcast), so hearing it from someone who was such a key part of it, even if it wasn't from the very beginning was incredible. And I loved the depth and dimension she allowed for herself and others, not downplaying how she tried to separate herself from blackness and politics bc it "didn't affect her" and how that changed, as well as the benefits and costs of that. The ending cut through my heart, the fact that the misogyny just couldn't be left behind by the party despite all that she and the other women had done (and the fact that they're also simply people like the men are) was infuriating and heartbreaking, especially seeing men who had stood by her until Huey came back. This should be required reading”
“It’s taken me a whole year to finish this piece. Partially because of how long and dense but also because I was not ready for the learnings it held. In a way Elaine wrote her story based off of her relationships with men which was a very sex-positive way to write but it is almost sad because she was never truly valued by those relationships. Her power was earned through hard work but taken away just as fast as some of her relationships. I’m glad that I know a good chunk of Elaine’s story.”About Elaine Brown
Elaine Brown is an activist, singer, and author of several works of nonfiction. From 1974 to 1977, she was Chairman of the Black Panther Party, and later wrote about her experiences in A Taste of Power, which has been optioned by HBO for its miniseries The Black Panthers. She lives in Oakland, California.
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