Waiting 'Til the Midnight Hour

A Narrative History of Black Power in America

By: Peniel E. Joseph

Narrated by: Beresford Bennett

An acclaimed chronicler of the Civil Rights Movement, Peniel Joseph presents this sweeping overview of a key component of the struggle for racial equality: the Black Power movement. This is the story of the men and women who sacrificed so much to begin a more vocal and radical push for social change in the 1960s and 1970s.©2006 Peniel E. Joseph (P)2007 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

"Vividly illuminates the personalities and politics of a turbulent time." (Kirkus Reviews)
"Once in a while a book comes along that projects the spirit of an era; this is one of them....Vibrant and expressive....A well-researched and well-written work." (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

Wonderful at providing context

Fantastic historic timeline of the events and personalities of the Black Power Movement. The Movement is placed into detailed social, political, cultural and historical context providing amazing insight!

Great surface level analysis

If you read only one book about the civil rights movement, this might not be the best place to start. It offers surface level analysis which is only valuable if you are already familiar with the characters and events that take place. Much more valuable book once you’re familiar with MLK, Malcom X, Stokely Carmichael, Huey Newton and Eldridge Cleaver.

Decent Introduction, not thorough at all

Is there anything you would change about this book?

A book about Black Power that spends hardly any time on George Padmore, James Boggs, Franz Fanon or the Revolutionary Action Movements is pretty surprising. On the whole, this book is just barely deeper than the last chapter of most books on the civil rights movement. For the most part, the book focused on the big luminaries and their personal political trajectory rather than the practical application of Black Power in communities across the country. Why dedicate a chapter to Huey P Newton's trial, while barely touching on the work done by the BPP in the community.

This book is a great introduction to the casual reader who has no knowledge of the Black Power movement, but will be a very unsatisfactory read for any student of Black Power, Civil Rights, or the era in general.

Missing key figures.

To write a book about the black power movement and not even mention Assata Shukur is mind boggling. How do you mention Tupac Shakur and not his Aunt Assata? And Mumia Abu-Jamal, also absent. A very brief mention of Fred Hampton in regards to his assassination is a disservice. The BPP's stance on capitalism and imperialism was not explored nearly enough. Much more attention to the tremendously successful social programs implemented by the BPP was necessary. Also, COINTELPRO and its pivotal role was glossed over. Not enough time was given to the misogyny and patriarchy the Black Power movement was steeped in, as well as homophobia. Elaine Brown deserved more attention and Eldridge Cleaver less. His unapologetic stance on the women he raped should never be overlooked. What about MOVE? The book started out on the right path but veered off around the Black Panthers. The book ended up being a disappointment.

Excellent overview of under addressed era

There are far too few audiobooks addressing African-American history, especially those not focused on Dr. King and the mid 60s era. For me, who is coming to this genre with only general knowledge, it really whets my appetite for more. I was afraid that by calling it a "narrative history," that the author would more or less just link quotes together, but it is presented as a chronological history that is more helpful to novices such as myself. The author presents the material in a relatively objective manner, which adds to the book's accessibility. A very valuable work.