Revolution or Death: The Life of Eldridge Cleaver

In the 1960s, no black political group stood for grassroots insurgency more than the Black Panther Party. The figure who embodied the militant and controversial spirit of the Black Panther Party more than anyone was Eldridge Cleaver. Charismatic, brilliant, and courageous, Cleaver built a base of power and influence that struck fear deep in the heart of white America. It was therefore shocking to many left-wing radicals when Cleaver turned his back on black revolution, the Nation of Islam, and communism in 1975.

While Cleaver seemed sincerely disillusioned with radicalism, his erratic behavior over the next two decades revealed something that had been a latent part of his psyche all along—his narcissistic megalomania. His influence declined significantly through the 1980s until he found himself back on the streets committing petty crimes. By the time he died, in 1998, he was largely viewed as a turncoat who had betrayed the cause of black freedom.How can we make sense of Cleaver's precipitous decline from a position as one of America's most vibrant black writers and activists? And how do his contradictory identities as criminal, party leader, international diplomat, Christian conservative, and Republican politician reveal that he was more than just a traitor to the advancement of civil rights?

Revolution or Death answers these questions and many more by providing the first life story of one of the most notorious black revolutionaries in history. It explores the audacious dreams and spiritual transformations of the eccentric radical and places him squarely within the context of his changing times. Author Justin Gifford explores previously unseen materials from Cleaver's extensive archive to create the story of a man far more compelling and complex than anyone has given him credit for. In a country defined by its extreme political positions on the right and left, Cleaver embodied both ideologies in pursuit of his conflicting ideals, and it was his inability to resolve