From Publishers Weekly
Black Panther memoirs may now be in fashion, but Brent's story, though surely readable, is a minor one. Shaped by racism in the South and the army, he was drawn to the outlaw life of the streets and at 22 was sent to San Quentin for armed robbery. Out of prison, he gained inspiration from the Panthers' uncompromising stance, joined the group and gained greater stature in it. Dazed by drugs, he shot and wounded two San Francisco cops pursuing him; the Panthers expelled him for violating Panther discipline. Rather than face trial, Brent daringly hijacked a plane to Cuba. Half this book concerns his life in Cuba, but his tales of international Panther politics (including reinstatement by Huey Newton), cutting sugarcane proudly and bed-hopping with leftist internationalists are not too deep. Brent eventually joined Radio Havana Cuba, though he acknowledges that his reporting couldn't be fully honest. He remains a supporter of black liberation and the Cuban revolution, but offers no larger analysis. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
From Library Journal
Another autobiography by an ex-Panther, this tale is told by someone who doesn't paint a very flattering picture of himself. A school dropout, Brent, now a Cuban exile, was in and out of prison as a young man. When he finally was released from jail in 1962, he vowed never to return. He joined the Black Panthers in 1967 at age 37, only to be expelled months later for violating one of their principles: drinking and carrying a loaded weapon on an assignment. He was arrested again for robbing a gas station attendant and participating in a shootout with the police. Out on bail, he singlehandedly hijacked a plane to Cuba; to his surprise he was thrown immediately into jail and remained there for 22 months. The rest of the saga reflects on the aftermath of his incarceration: his struggle to learn Spanish, his interest in socialism, and his work and experiences with the Cuban people. This is good reading until it bogs down in minutiae. A marginal purchase. Two other related books to consider are Elaine Brown's A Taste of Power (LJ 12/92) and Hugh Pearson's The Shadow of the Panther (LJ 5/1/94).?Ann Burns, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
