Review of James H. Cone's Martin & Malcolm & America: A Dream or A Nightmare

Review of James H. Cone's Martin & Malcolm & America: A Dream or A Nightmare

Martin & Malcolm & America: A Dream or a Nightmare written by James H.

Cone is a book that takes an in depth look at Martin Luther King Jr.

and Malcolm X, their ties to each other and what they meant to

American society. Before the reader can understand why Martin and

Malcolm developed such varying views on civil rights, he first

discusses the details of the social and economic lifestyles that each

man was raised. Cone explains that through their personal backgrounds,

Martin's stable familial and financial security where he was protected

from racism as opposed to Malcolm, whose family was broken and

economically deprived, is what cause one to become and integrationist

and the other, a nationalist.

Cone then begins to analyze the religious backgrounds, which he claims

would later shape their opinions on American society. He shows that

his Christian background and its teachings to love everyone, including

your enemies formed Martin's concepts such as the "American Dream",

nonviolent protest, and love of the enemy. The author shows that

Martin's ideas were also shaped by the emphasis of the Black Church

and their comparison to themselves to the Hebrews of the Old Testament

and their past as slaves. Their belief that God would deliver them and

lead them to a Promised Land gave King the inspiration to preach of an

American dream for black people.

Cone's next discussion involves the religious background that shaped

Malcolm's theories and ideas. The author discusses the reasons why

Muslim beliefs were so easy for Malcolm to accept. For Malcolm, Cone

discusse...

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...what they believe. This is helpful

because in this way he does not force ideas on the reader but the

leaves the decision up to them to decide with which man or religion

they agree with the most.

In conclusion, Cone book is not one that tries to force ideas or a

religion on the reader but instead offers new insight on two of these

most important civil rights leaders of the century. In no way should

any Christian or Muslim group who decides to read this book become

offended about the portrayal of their particular religion because his

portrayal are based on the facts of their beliefs and not his own

opinions. If anything, they will no doubt learn things that they did

not know about each other's religion and will just gain new knowledge

on the men that contributed so much to both Christianity and the

Nation of Islam.