rayvonjones5's review against another edition
5.0
This book gave me so much insight into Huey P. Newton’s mind. I learned so much as I delved into each chapter. My favorite quote: “It’s not a question of ‘when the revolution comes’: the revolution is always going on. It’s not a question of ‘when the revolution is going to be’: the revolution is going on every day, every minute, because the new is always struggling against the old for dominance.”
tombomp's review against another edition
4.0
Fascinating if you're interested in the Black Panthers, probably not so much otherwise. The first quarter is an extract from his autobiography Revolutionary Suicide, which I really want to read now and would probably be a better bet if you're not interested in the more detailed parts of his ideology and how it developed - it's a pretty gripping read even with just the short extract. The end chapter is an extract from War Against The Panthers which was his doctoral thesis and talks about the ways the FBI tried to bring them down - they're the sort of things that are completely expected but still incredible to have confirmed and I think the book would make an important case study on the issue of police repression.
The biggest frustration here is that he never really explains deeply some of his positions - I'm thinking primarily here of his ideas about intercommunalism. I don't know if he just never wrote more articles answering questions on the topic or what but I didn't really get a good grip on what he's talking about, which is annoying because it seems to have been an important part of his later ideology. Overall the impression you get is of someone who is serious about working in the Marxist tradition (he rejects the term Marxist because of its connotations with dogmatic people who believe in re-runs of 1917) - he talks constantly about dialectics, he references Mao, Che, Marx, Lenin (both directly and through borrowed metaphors etc), he focuses on the economic dimension. He constantly criticises himself and previous party positions and comes across as highly honest and dedicated. I came away from the book impressed by a revolutionary hero.
The biggest frustration here is that he never really explains deeply some of his positions - I'm thinking primarily here of his ideas about intercommunalism. I don't know if he just never wrote more articles answering questions on the topic or what but I didn't really get a good grip on what he's talking about, which is annoying because it seems to have been an important part of his later ideology. Overall the impression you get is of someone who is serious about working in the Marxist tradition (he rejects the term Marxist because of its connotations with dogmatic people who believe in re-runs of 1917) - he talks constantly about dialectics, he references Mao, Che, Marx, Lenin (both directly and through borrowed metaphors etc), he focuses on the economic dimension. He constantly criticises himself and previous party positions and comes across as highly honest and dedicated. I came away from the book impressed by a revolutionary hero.
sanfordc11's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
5.0
It’s a slow moving reader, but the chronological structure really reveals how Newton grows and matures over time - I learned a lot, and was challenged, and will be thinking about his writing and insight and intellect for a long time.
cmcrockford's review against another edition
5.0
A great collection of Newton's speeches and writings-pretty striking to get beyond the bluster of the black power salute and the militant style to see what an intelligent, coherent, angry, thoughtful man Newton was. His writing is sharp, influenced by Marxism but is not dogmatic, and always feel like he has the intelligence to back up his remarks. Enormous power.
doruga's review against another edition
5.0
I echo the feelings of David Hilliard in the introduction to this reader, Huey was an ordinary man with extraordinary courage. And this collection of his writings, essays, and speeches does a beautiful job in demystifying Huey the hero or Huey the terrorist. Above everything else, this book shows Huey as a theorist and thinker. Someone who created an organization that, in only 3 years, literally changed the world. The final chapter of this collection about Cointel Pro and FBI's operations on destroying the panthers was particularly infuriating. However, this book also teaches that revolution is a process, not a conclusion; and that above everything else revolutions are led by the people, not celebrities or heroes. Really appreciated this piece and I think it's a beautiful introduction to this immense body of work. Now, whenever I eventually read George Jackson or Mumia or Kathleen or any other Panther writers I will have a much more solid background understanding of everything. Highly recommended.
leaton01's review against another edition
4.0
Growing up, the Black Panthers were given a negative connotation by the culture around me and Huey Newton was utterly unknown--not a name that came forward during Black history month or at any other point. His name arose in college, occasionally, but barely. Rather, he appeared on my radar in grad school and beyond, but still, never a full picture. This book is that fuller and richer picture of his life, his work, and ideas, coupled with the counter-intelligence reports from the FBI that illustrate how much he was purposely maligned by the government for his efforts and ideas to bring about a revolution of the people, grounded in restoring power to Black people and everyone, ultimately. Collecting a mixture of speeches, interviews, his autobiography, Revolutionary Suicide, published essays, and the like, this collection paints a vivid picture of the deeply rooted ideas of Newton and ultimately, the Black Panthers and works as an intellectual history of both as well. There's a clear consistency and ownership of changing ideas that comes out through these writings that is interesting to see. Newton's ideas from the 1960s-1970s provide a rich tapestry of ideas that we return to time and again in US culture and seem quite ripe within the context of the Black Lives Matter movement. If it were missing anything, I feel like the later works move us a bit further aware of Newton as a person than the earlier works in the book, which makes him a bit more abstract than might be useful. Additionally, given the many events of his life, an accompanying timeline to better contextualize the pieces would have also helped.
nicoleisalwaysreading's review against another edition
4.0
3.5, obviously really important ideas that are key to understanding the BPP philosophy and programs. Only difficult to wade through at times because of its subject matter and density and some sexist ideas within 1960s/70s Black liberation that were unfortunately typical. Huey P. Newton was an incredible thinker and iconic revolutionary. Also I fcking love that the back of this book has the usual blurbs from other writers and then the LITERAL STATEMENT FROM J EDGAR HOOVER about what a dangerous threat the Black Panther Party is. The editors and publishers of this collection said fck the FBI! ACAB
***also this book is like 2 weeks overdue from the public library oops***
***also this book is like 2 weeks overdue from the public library oops***
stressbuilds's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic introduction to Newton’s theory of intercommunalism, the Black Panther Party, black liberation, and socialism in general.
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