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No Way But This
No Way But This: in search of Paul Robeson | Jeff Sparrow
3 posts | 2 read | 6 to read
Film star. Icon. Agitator. Martyr. Paul Robeson was a prize-winning scholar and the greatest footballer of his era, even before he ascended to global superstardom as a singer, Hollywood actor, and activist. The son of an escaped slave, Robeson stunned audiences with Ol Man River and Othello, as his passion for social justice led him from Jazz Age Harlem to the mining towns of Wales, from the frontiers of the Spanish Civil War to Stalins Russia. Charismatic, eloquent, and handsome, he had everything and then lost it all for the sake of his principles. Jeff Sparrow traces Robesons troubled life and stellar career, in a story that traverses the arc of the twentieth century and illuminates the fissures of todays fractured world. From Black Lives Matter to Putins United Russia, Sparrow visits the places Robeson lived and worked, exploring race in America, freedom in Moscow, and the legacies of communism and fascism in Europe. Part travelogue, part biography, this is a tale of political ardour, heritage, and trauma a luminous portrait of a remarkable man, and an urgent reflection on the crises that define us now.
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CarolynM
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#FierceFeb #tobeyounggiftedandblack

Paul Robeson, an extraordinarily gifted man who deserves to be remembered for a lot more than Ol Man River.
The tagged book is an unusual but very engaging biography. Highly recommended.

CherryPie One of my grandfather's favorites. ❤ 6y
CarolynM @CherryPie yes, mine too. 6y
batsy Wonderful! And if Jeff Sparrow is the Aussie writer / journalist I'm thinking about, this is sure to be a great read. 6y
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CarolynM @batsy he is an Aussie writer/journo so it probably is the same one. Heard him speak at an event last year, very impressive. 6y
batsy I looked him up to be sure, and yes... Former editor of Overland magazine! Love his writings. 6y
Leftcoastzen 👍👌⭐️⭐️⭐️ 6y
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gimboid
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CarolynM
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Fascinating, inspiring, frustrating, depressing. I've finished this book feeling the need to do something, anything, to promote tolerance and equality (of all kinds) but also a fear that those ideals will never be achieved.