P eniel E. J oseph . The Sword and the Shield

Peniel E. Joseph’s The Sword and the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. offers a compelling dual biography of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., the historic African American leaders and still inspirational icons. Joseph’s book narrates and explains these men’s actions and development within the larger civil rights movement. His nuanced portrayal of them reflects the best scholarship of the last thirty years on King, Malcolm, and their relationship. Joseph is at his best connecting these leaders to contemporary social justice movements, such as Black Lives Matter. Coming amid the protests against racist police violence following the murder of George Floyd, this book’s appearance could hardly be more timely. Leading themes of Joseph’s characterization of King and Malcolm include that their similarities as freedom fighters outweighed their differences; they must be viewed in relation to each other. Although starting from very different...

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