Eldridge Cleaver - Exile and Soul On Fire (1978)

Exile and Soul On Fire (1978)

Playing on the title of Soul on Ice, Cleaver published Soul on Fire in 1978. Cleaver made several claims regarding his exile in Algeria: he claimed he was supported by regular stipends from the government of North Vietnam, which the United States was then bombing. Cleaver stated that he was followed by other former criminals turned revolutionaries, many of whom hijacked planes to get to Algeria. Apparently, the Algerians expected Cleaver to keep his protégés in line, which he described as increasingly difficult as their increasing numbers stretched his North Vietnamese allowance to the breaking point. Cleaver organized a stolen car ring, stealing cars in Europe to sell in Africa. Around this time Cleaver discovered his wife had a lover; the lover was subsequently murdered. Cleaver eventually fled Algeria out of fear for his life. He could no longer control his protégés and the Algerian police were cracking down on them. He subsequently lived for a time in France. Cleaver became a born again Christian during his year of isolation, while living underground.