This Nonviolent Stuff'll Get You Killed

How Guns Made the Civil Rights Movement Possible

By: Charles E. Cobb Jr.

Narrated by: Leon Nixon

Visiting Martin Luther King Jr., at the peak of the Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott, journalist William Worthy almost sat on a loaded pistol. Just for self defense, King assured him. It was not the only weapon King kept for such a purpose; one of his advisors remembered the reverend's Montgomery, Alabama home as an arsenal.

Like King, many ostensibly nonviolent civil rights activists embraced their constitutional right to self-protection—yet this crucial dimension of the Afro-American freedom struggle has been long ignored by history. In This Nonviolent Stuff'll Get You Killed, civil rights scholar Charles E. Cobb Jr., describes the vital role that armed self-defense played in the survival and liberation of black communities in America during the Southern Freedom Movement of the 1960s. In the Deep South, blacks often safeguarded themselves and their loved ones from white supremacist violence by bearing—and, when necessary, using—firearms. In much the same way, Cobb shows, nonviolent civil rights workers received critical support from black gun owners in the regions where they worked. Whether patrolling their neighborhoods, garrisoning their homes, or firing back at attackers, these courageous men and women and the weapons they carried were crucial to the movement's success.

Giving voice to the World War II veterans, rural activists, volunteer security guards, and self-defense groups who took up arms to defend their lives and liberties, This Nonviolent Stuff'll Get You Killed lays bare the paradoxical relationshaip between the nonviolent civil rights struggle and the Second Amendment. Drawing on his firsthand experiences in the civil rights movement and interviews with fellow participants, Cobb provides a controversial examination of the crucial place of firearms in the fight for American freedom.

This audio edition is masterfully narrated by Leon Nixon, a listener favorite.

This audiobook was produced and published by Echo Point Books & Media, an independent bookseller in Brattleboro, Vermont ©2014 Charles E. Cobb Jr. (P)

©2014 Charles E. Cobb, Jr. (P)2024 Echo Point Books & Media, LLC

The part of the story that gets left out.

This Nonviolent Stuff'll Get You Killed tells the story of a major facet of the American Civil Rights Movement that has largely been forgotten by the public at large. The mainstream narrative of the Civil Rights Movement has largely been reduced down to stories of peaceful protest and nonviolent activism, but I believe that the powers that be have rather intentionally warped or obfuscated the stories of the armed wing of the Movement that made such activism possible.
This work seems to be thoroughly researched. I also appreciate that it is so accessible, rather than being bogged down in impenetrable academic terminology.

A must have, for any serious American historian

This book is a great piece of reference material to help anyone gain a Fuller perspective of the history and struggle of civil rights movement of the 20th century. The history of the fight for liberation was more nuanced then the oversimplification of MLK stand on the capital steps giving his "I Have A Dream " speech. The outward physical confrontations with White mobs like the KKK, and the internal battles within the leadership of many black organizations attempting to reconcile both personal and political positions about the necessity off of armed self resistance.

Valuable Insights: Self Determination, Protection

I learned a lot here, not just about the role of firearms in the Civil Rights movement, but a larger picture of self-defense as a bedrock, bottom-up practice of survival, deterrent, and self-determination for oppressed individuals. It's hard in 2022 to not view justice movements as centralized, instantly communicating from the top down, and centered around individuals or mottos. Cobb clearly portrays many circumstances in which this was not the case, and when Black people being armed turned the tides in actual violent moments, and acted as a check to some, not all, racist entitlement and escalation. When you all you have is your life, and bigots are coming to take it, the oppressors knowing you're going down shooting can mean nobody goes down at all. What application that has for this current political moment of unchecked white supremacist violence, oppression, and horror is probably best not speculated upon over social media.

I particularly appreciated the history of non-violence as one of many tactics from the early days of SNCC through sit-ins, and more modern student discussions and practice.

As other reviewers, I didn't find the flow/structure particularly intuitive, and some repetition distracted me, but this was an invaluable book I'm very glad I have read.

Credit also to the audiobook narrator, Leon Nixon, whose pleasant voice and authoritative delivery were the perfect timbre for the book.

A History Lesson That You Did Not Expect

A surprisingly fair and balanced account of the reasoning behind armed defense versus nonviolence, given the book’s title. If one does reach a conclusion from such an honest analysis of two choices, it won’t come with difficulty. The choice is plain, except, without bias.
An important read for the 21st century.

Exceptional History Lesson!

This book provided me with a wealth of insight. It’s amongst the best history lessons I’ve learned in my adult life. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to know the truth. The audio performance is excellent.

One of my favorite reads of recent

Rich history of resistance in a way that is not properly taught in US Education systems. It’s inspiring, enlightening, and helps equip readers for what we may need for future forms and attitudes of resistance.

A must listen

Listening to this gives you a better understanding of how civil rights leaders were able to achieve such incredible feats.

As a fan of history.

This book is part of a deep rabbit hole of history that isn't taught in classrooms but answers a lot of questions. It also started a few conversations. There are a great deal many more lessons that need to be mined from the minds of our elders while they are still among us, not just to get their stories but also their thoughts.

excellent history of black struggle in the US

helped reshape my thinking on violent, non-violent, and unviolent protest
although gun ownership can be problematic, this books does a great job of expounding situations where activists were wise on their use of self defense

Great read. Beyond what is taught in school.

A good and insightful book about the actual history of armed resistance that was necessary in the social change in America. It goes beyond what is taught in school about the Civil rights movement. Highly reccomend.