Rating: 
Summary: Not to be confused with Leave it to Beaver
Review: Even though this was one of the most important and popular books of the 1960s, it is not discussed that much now, some thirty-five years after its initial publication. "Soul on Ice" is as much an allegorical masterpiece as it is a real description of black male (whom he refers to as Supermasculine Menials) attitudes towards prison-life, white racism (and white women in particular, who are here referred to as Ogres and the Ultrafeminines) and the Nation of Islam (Cleaver writes compellingly about his disassociation with the Nation, citing their racism--"The onus of teaching racial supremacy and hate, which is the white man's burden, is pretty hard to bear"). Cleaver's at-times amazing writing gives this book a peculiar power, and given this, it is easy to understand why the book was so popular in the late 1960s. For several reasons, though, it is easy to see why this book doesn't get as much attention as, say, James Baldwin's "The Fire Next Time" [1963]. The chapter on Baldwin in "Soul on Ice," entitled "Notes on a Native Son" (a reference to one of Baldwin's early essays) is exceedingly homophobic, and other sections fairly hateful towards women (even though, in this regard, Cleaver is at times aware of his own misogyny--especially in his blushingly honest letters to one-time attorney Beverly Axelrod) and exceedingly macho. Many contemporary readers might not have the patience for this (especially given Baldwin's elevated status in the world of literature). Also, this book has lost some of its bite over the years because of excellent books written by participants in the Black Power Movement and the Black Panther Party. "Soul on Ice"--especially when compared with George Jackson's "Soledad Brother" (1971), Huey P. Newton's "Revolutionary Suicide" (1973), Amiri Baraka (1984) and Angela Y. Davis' (1974) autobiographies, and Elaine Brown's "A Taste of Power" (1992)--lacks the political vision, accuracy and believability of these other books, but it should also be credited for setting some of the standards by which these books would later have to judge themselves against, especially in regard to prison life (though Jackson's "Soledad Brother" is much more powerful in this regard). Nevertheless, "Soul on Ice" is a compelling read, and I agree with a statement that Ishmael Reed makes in the introduction that this book IS the 60s. If this memoir were a western, we could smell the sawdust on the floor.
Rating: 
Summary: Half man Half crazy
Review: I enjoyed the book, but I'm on the hedge with my opinion of him as a person. I think that he got caught up like so many other hopefull revolutionaries, getting too wrapped up in ones self.
Rating: 
Summary: UNDERLINING SECTIONS EVEN THOUGH IT WASN'T A SCHOOL TEXT
Review: I FOUND MYSELF UNDERLINING SECTIONS OF THIS DEEP, AND SELF CONSCIOUS BOOK. TO HAVE SOMEONE'S WAY OF THINKING CHANGE BEFORE YOUR EYES IN A BOOK, GEE! IT WAS A DIFFICULT READ THOUGH, BUT THAT THE BEST PART. I FELT I HAD GAINED KNOWLEDGE, AND I HAD TO WORK FOR IT. IT HAS INSPIRED MY POETRY, AND MY THINKING. THIS IS NOT A BOOK FOR A NOVEL READER, BE WARNED.
Rating: 
Summary: Justification for the Unjustifiable
Review: I have seldom read anything as offensive as Cleaver's attempt to pass off rape as a "revolutionary" act. By his own admission he is a serial rapist,and if he'd served time for all of them would never even have been out of jail in the sixties in the first place! While the other content of this book isn't totally worthless, I found that Cleaver came off as a typical criminal, filled with reasons why SOMEBODY ELSE was responsible for everything he did wrong. The first step to self respect is to accept responsibility for one's actions, Cleaver has not done that, nor does he give the slightest indication that he ever will. If you want to read an autobiography of a panther read Huey Newton's, because with Newton, instead of self pity, there was substance and intelligence behind the anger.
Rating:
Summary: Justification for the Unjustifiable
Review: I have seldom read anything as offensive as Cleaver's attempt to pass off rape as a "revolutionary" act. By his own admission he is a serial rapist,and if he'd served time for all of them would never even have been out of jail in the sixties in the first place! While the other content of this book isn't totally worthless, I found that Cleaver came off as a typical criminal, filled with reasons why SOMEBODY ELSE was responsible for everything he did wrong. The first step to self respect is to accept responsibility for one's actions, Cleaver has not done that, nor does he give the slightest indication that he ever will. If you want to read an autobiography of a panther read Huey Newton's, because with Newton, instead of self pity, there was substance and intelligence behind the anger.
Rating:
Summary: The literary style was conducive to understanding Cleaver.
Review: I was truly delighted to finally get my hands on a book about this often neglected figure in America's history. Although the book primarily dealt with his isolated life behind bars, I could still appreciate his ability to analyze American's social malaise without the benefit of external resources. I have gained a new level of respect for this man and the mental metamorphosis he experienced.
Rating: 
Summary: at least he's honest
Review: I'll say this about Eldridge Cleaver. He hates you to your face. He makes no bones about it. He thinks black men going out and raping white women is a good thing. At least with a guy like that you know were you stand. If the rest of our politicians and so-called leaders were this honest we wouldn't be in the racial mess we're in now.
Rating:
Summary: Stands the test of time
Review: I've spent the last thirty-two years being reminded of the brutal honesty and truth of much of this classical work on race, sex, and poverty by Eldridge Cleaver. I was honestly shocked by some of the sexual/racial ideas it contains the first time I read it in 1968, and decided to try it again to see if my present understanding of and assumptions about America now render this work moot- or affirm it. Not surprisingly, as much as I'd like to confirm or refute this work, the jury still won't come in and remains out. You should read this book if you've thought deeply about the "why" of our race problem in America, our prison problem in America, or the psychology of gender. You really owe this one to your real-world educational and intellectual development, whether you agree with it, or like it, or not. It will challenge, frustrate, and in the end, inspire you to look deeper. Great achievement; makes you wonder what extraordinary things never surfaced from inside this man's mind. A must-read from the 20th century.
Rating:
Summary: One of the more over-looked pieces of the time
Review: In this piece, Eldridge Cleaver writes about many times, experiences, and happenings during one of the most critical times in the 20th century. After reading this, I'm shocked it isn't given the respect it is surely due. He talks about various people, such as the contrast of styles between James Baldwin and Richard Wright, the assassination of Malcolm X and the aftermath it left from Folsom Prison(where he was serving time) as well as other places around the country, and an eye-opening examination between himself, two of his comrades, and another fellow prisoner, which was shocking and all too surreal to say the least. Like other books which has been previously written during that time, there is still major relevance for it in the 21st century.
Rating:
Summary: insightful
Review: It was very eye opening and showed the feelings of black nationalism in White America
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