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Basic Books. New. New Basic Books, 2020 New This dual biography of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King upends longstanding preconceptions to transform our understanding of the twentieth century's most iconic African American leadersTo most Americans, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr represent contrasting ideals: self-defense vs nonviolence, black power vs civil rights, the sword vs the shield The struggle for black freedom is wrought with the same contrasts While nonviolent direct action is remembered as an unassailable part of American democracy, the movement's militancy is either vilified or erased outright In The Sword and the Shield, Peniel E Joseph upends these misconceptions and reveals a nuanced portrait of two men who, despite markedly different backgrounds, inspired and pushed each other throughout their adult lives This is a strikingly revisionist biography, not only of Malcolm and Martin, but also of the movement and era they came to define