Excellent. Masterclass. Complete takedown of the colonial Europeans in Algeria and elsewhere in the 1950s, but more memorably a forward-looking vision of post-colonial philosophy and rebuilding.

Fanon hits you right away by exploring the deep inherent violence of colonialism - not just the overt physical violence but the psychological one as well. As a physician he is uniquely positioned to reflect on the physical and mental impact of colonialism.

I appreciated how Fanon also focused on the strategic questions surrounding anticolonial Revolution - how revolutions can find success, but also how a nation rebuilds. He explores the traps that the new formerly colonized bourgeoisie falls into and the folly of abandoning the rural masses.

I also loved the section in which he reflects critically on intellectual leaders like him - and how they need to avoid the common pitfall of trying to call back to the pre colonial past and not acknowledging the real cultural and societal changes happening in front of them.

Just when you think you’ve come out toward a future vision, Fanon smartly brings you back down to earth by discussing his own patients as a physician whose mental health has been destroyed by torture and constant oppression - and reminds you of the dark, cynical race science that dominated European intelligentsia and manufactured consent for such brutality.

Incredible book. Fanon is five stars.