3.5
Paul Robeson
ByPublisher Description
Born the son of an ex-slave in New Jersey in 1898, Paul Robeson, endowed with multiple gifts, seemed destined for fame. In his youth, he was as tenacious in the classroom as he was on the football field. After graduating from Rutgers with high honors, he went on to earn a law degree at Columbia. Soon after, he began a stage and film career that made him one of the country's most celebrated figures.
But it was not to last. Robeson became increasingly vocal about defending black civil rights and criticizing Western imperialism, and his radical views ran counter to the country's evermore conservative posture. During the McCarthy period, Robeson's passport was lifted, he was denounced as a traitor, and his career was destroyed. Yet he refused to bow. His powerful and tragic story is emblematic of the major themes of twentieth-century history.
Martin Duberman's exhaustive biography is the result of years of research and interviews, and paints a portrait worthy of its incredible subject and his improbable story. Duberman uses primary documents to take us deep into Robeson's life, giving Robeson the due that he so richly deserves.
Download the free Fable app
Stay organized
Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.
Build a better TBR
Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building tool
Rate and review
Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tags
Curate your feed
Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesStay organized
Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.Build a better TBR
Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building toolRate and review
Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tagsCurate your feed
Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesPaul Robeson Reviews
3.5
“{Digital copy provided by NetGalley and The New Press}
Having never heard about Paul Robeson, I couldn’t help requesting this book with its vivid cover and promising title. What I received was a fascinating and accessible biography about one of the most prominent black actors, singers, and activists of the early 20th century, a complex, persecuted, and resilient man.
The writing style of this book is very lively and easy to grasp, if at times a little too explanatory on concepts that should be familiar even to a young adult audience. While Robeson and various other characters who appear are not always sympathetic or relatable, great pains were taken to present a complete and overall fitting overview of the circumstances surrounding not only Robeson’s life in particular, but the general political and societal climate of the times.
This is a great books for readers who seek to gain a broader understanding of the civil rights movement and general fight for black equality in the early to mid 20th century as well as offering a new personal perspective.”
About Martin Duberman
Martin Duberman is distinguished professor emeritus of history at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY), where he founded the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies, the first university-based LGBT research center in the United States. He is the author of more than twenty books, including three memoirs about his experience as a politically active gay man, and
(2013). A finalist for the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, Duberman has received a Bancroft Prize, two Lambda Literary Awards, the American Historical Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Publishing Triangle’s Bill Whitehead Award for Lifetime Achievement. In 2012, Amherst College presented Duberman with an honorary degree of doctor of humane letters.
Other books by Martin Duberman
Start a Book Club
Start a public or private book club with this book on the Fable app today!FAQ
Do I have to buy the ebook to participate in a book club?
Why can’t I buy the ebook on the app?
How is Fable’s reader different from Kindle?
Do you sell physical books too?
Are book clubs free to join on Fable?
How do I start a book club with this book on Fable?
