Go and Tell Pharaoh

Rating:
Summary: Narcissism Unveiled
Review: Apparently convinced that his too-frequent appearances in other media (ie., television and radio) are not enough, America's number one professional protester has produced a book which is nothing less than an exercise in pure narcissism. Making it abundantly clear that he is his own greatest admirer, Al tries to portray himself as a great man and a great leader, and fails miserably on both counts. Instead, the reader is bombarded by the usual self-serving, bombastic, racist drivel which has become Al's trademark. It is thrilling to learn that Al began preaching at the age of four; unfortunately, however, he has not shut his mouth since then. The only thing which has changed is that this self-appointed "leader" has become a devoted anti-Semite and, despite his claim to the title "Reverend", has proven clearly that he worships himself above all others. Indeed, Al has thus far achieved nothing positive for African-Americans; in fact, he has done more to exacerbate racial disharmony than David Duke could have ever imagined, and that's quite an accomplishment. This book is a waste of the reader's time.

Rating:
Summary: Pure Junk
Review: As the title of this book suggests, Alvin Sharpton, the self-anointed messiah, would like to be perceived as a modern-day Moses; however, his self-serving "autobiography" abjectly fails to promote that image. Instead, he merely reinforces the ever-growing perception that he is nothing more than a pompous, arrogant loudmouth who has thus far accomplished nothing for the African-American community. Rather, he has damaged race relations through his inability to distinguish between reasoned argument and bombastic posturing. His disgraceful conduct during the Brawley hoax proved that his commitment to "justice" is a sham. Mr. Sharpton has shown himself to be no more than a cheap hoodlum and professional race baiter, who has made a career of rabble-rousing. In fact, he seems to have the same agenda as David Duke, Louis Farrakhan, and Tom Metzger, which is to spread hatred for profit and fame; if America ever realizes the goal of true racial harmony, these fellows will have to find real jobs. This book is a dreadful waste of ink, paper, money, and time - avoid it! Al should be quite ashamed but, alas, he is as incapable of shame as he is of truthfulness. Get a job, Al!

Rating:
Summary: He tells his story better than the others do.
Review: For several years now I've watched references in various newspapers to see how Al Sharpton is portrayed. In general, the references are negative. He is called a racist, a demagogue, a hate-monger, a rabble-rouser, a charlatan, and opportunist...I never saw any column or article that spoke well of him, so I was pleased to find he had this book out, which tells his side of the story.

It seems to me he's gotten a bad rap. His fame comes mainly out of the Howard Beach and Bensonhurst murders and the Tawana Brawley affair. In the Brawley affair he apparently was duped. In Howard Beach and Bensonhurst his actions were, in my view, exemplary and necessary.

Compare the aftermath of the Rodney King verdict in LA to the aftermath of Howard Beach. In LA they had a massive riot. In Howard Beach Reverend Sharpton led a series of peaceful protest marches. It's not farfetched to suggest that a riot could have occurred after Howard Beach. Instead, Sharpton organized marches in the best tradition of nonviolent protest.

Even if Michael Griffith had not been chased out onto the Belt Parkway and struck by a car and killed, the protest marches would have been justified. The reason he was chased was that his car broke down in a neighborhood where the inhabitants had the peculiar idea that they were entitled to decide who could come into their neighborhood, and who could not. It was "their turf ". The same was true of Bensonhurst. The people of Bensonhurst had the idea, supported by years of official acquiescence, that they were entitled to keep blacks out of their neighborhood.

In the South forty years ago that was known as segregation, and people deliberately marched and rode in the front of busses and drank from water fountains to put a stop to it. In New York in the eighties it didn't go by the name of segregation and it wasn't written into the city charter, but it was by and large the same thing. Sharpton could have incited a riot, or given his tacit blessing to the people who are always ready to go that route. Instead, and to his credit, he chose the tactics of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Sharpton rightly points out that New York liberal Democrats don't like to be compared to Dixiecrats, but none of the Democrats in power at the time helped him break down the racial barriers: not Mayor Koch; not Governor Cuomo. They could have helped him take the first steps in the desegregation of Howard Beach and Bensonhurst, but they chose not to, preferring instead a comfortable (for them) status quo.

On the other hand, Rev. Sharpton is completely inaccurate in suggesting the "rage" of the Howard Beach racists was built up by Ronald Reagan and George Bush. In an otherwise well-written and thoughtful book, he claims that Republicans have been "telling white folks that the reason the country doesn't work is blacks..."Why are your taxes so high? Blacks. They're all on welfare and their bankrupting us. Why is there so much unemployment in Howard Beach? Why can't the young people get meaningful work? Blacks."" In a single paragraph he unjustly smears his political enemies in the same way the media smears him. Neither Reagan nor Bush ever blamed the woes of the country on blacks nor advocated violence or hatred, just as Rev. Sharpton never advocated violence or hatred. Nothing useful can come of any of these hyperbolic accusations. In fact, there are more than a few similarities in the way Reagan and Sharpton got into the face of the liberal establishment to force change.

In addition to all the political wrangling, Go and Tell Pharaoh is a story of an interesting man. One can't help but admire a child who began preaching Christianity at the age of four, at a time when so many other four-year-olds were content to watch Captain Kangaroo. Perhaps more remarkable is that he kept at it five years later when a great tragedy struck his family. Like his unusual hair, and the touching story behind it, there is more to Al Sharpton than meets the eye. This book is a closer look.