cover image Paul Robeson: A Life of Activism and Art

Paul Robeson: A Life of Activism and Art

Lindsey R. Swindall. Rowman & Littlefield, $38 (168p) ISBN 978-1-4422-0793-6

This serviceable biography follows Robeson's remarkable career as an actor and activist, attempting to rescue his contributions to the stage and the political scene from the pall cast over them by a McCarthy Era blacklist. Robeson is most famous for his career as an actor and singer%E2%80%94he starred as the first African-American Othello on Broadway, and as Joe in Show Boat%E2%80%94but he also took a deep interest in politics and social justice. Swindall's accounting is thorough and straightforward, but her prose is repetitive and occasionally clumsy. The result is a surprisingly tidy and unexceptional account of a somewhat untidy and certainly exceptional man. Worse, Swindall spends a great deal of time applauding Robeson's achievements but gives little critical energy to the less sterling moments in his story. Despite the flatness of the narrative, the book is a diligent recital of the events of Robeson's life, providing a detailed report of everything from Robeson's commencement address to the depression he suffered later in life. (Mar.)