52 pages • 1 hour read
Steve BikoI Write What I Like
Nonfiction | Biography | Adult | Published in 1978A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Before You Read
Super Short Summary
I Write What I Like, edited by Aelred Stubbs, is a posthumously published collection of nonfiction writings by South African antiapartheid activist Steve Biko, reflecting on his leadership of the Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) and presidency of the South African Students’ Organization (SASO) from 1969 to 1972. The book explores Biko's advocacy for Black unity, pride, and empowerment as vital components for ending oppression and achieving racial equality. The book contains discussions of racism, racial segregation, violence, and human rights abuses.
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
Steve Biko's I Write What I Like is heralded for its powerful and articulate exposition of Black Consciousness and anti-apartheid sentiment. Readers praise its incisive critique of systemic racism and its inspirational call for empowerment. However, some critics find the prose dense and occasionally dated. Overall, it remains a seminal work in social and political thought.
Who Should Read I Write What I Like?
Readers who appreciate I Write What I Like by Steve Biko are often engaged with social justice, anti-apartheid history, and African political thought. Comparable works include Nelson Mandela's Long Walk to Freedom and Frantz Fanon's The Wretched of the Earth. This audience values profound, transformative discourse on racial and political liberation.