In the opening manifesto section Newton outlines his idea of ‘revolutionary suicide’ as opposed to what he describes as ‘reactionary suicide’. As well as being the story of his life up to that point it also includes his manifesto and political philosophy. Revolutionary Suicide was written when Newton was only 31 and he dedicated the book to his parents. The book covered his life from his early days in Oakland up to his trip to China in 1971. Following his release Newton and Blake decided that the book would be an autobiography.

Following a campaign by supporters, Newton was released in August 1970. Blake would transcribe their conversations onto a tape recorder immediately after the visits. They began the process while Newton was still in prison. The initial idea was that Blake would write a biography of Newton.

During one visit the idea of writing a book was discussed. Herman Blake, Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of California Santa Cruz. While he was in prison, he was visited regularly by J. In the book Newton describes a confrontation with police but other than being shot himself he says he has no memory of the events. This led to conflict with the police and Newton was jailed in September 1968 for the manslaughter of a police officer, John Frey. The party issued a ten point program, reiterated in Revolutionary Suicide, which focused on the black community having the freedom to determine their own destiny and advocated for black people to carry weapons and confront police. The BPP were seen as leaders of the Black Power movement as the Civil Rights movement waned and more radical groups came to the fore, however this view is disputed by some historians. Newton was heavily influenced by Malcolm X and by other revolutionary movements of the period. Radical black leader Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965 at a rally in Harlem. There had been serious race riots in the Harlem area of New York in 1964 and Watts area of Los Angeles in 1965. The party was founded in Oakland California in October 1966 at a time of rising racial tension in the USA. Newton co-founded, with Bobby Seale, and was one of the leaders of, the Black Panther Party (BPP). The book was not universally well received but has had a lasting influence on the black civil rights movement and resonates today in the Black Lives Matter movement. This autobiography is an important work that combines political manifesto and political philosophy along with the life story of a young African American revolutionary. The party spread across America and internationally as well, forming coalitions with the Vietnamese, Chinese, and Cubans. The Party urged members to challenge the status quo with armed patrols of the impoverished streets of Oakland, and to form coalitions with other oppressed groups. The Chief ideologue and strategist of the BPP, Newton taught himself how to read during his last year of high school, which led to his enrollment in Merrit College in Oakland in 1966 the same year he formed the BPP. He was a co-founder and leader of what was then known as the Black Panther Party (BPP) for Self-Defence with Bobby Seale. Newton was a major figure in the American black liberation movement and in the wider 1960s counterculture. Herman Blake originally published in 1973. Still even today the works an ideas of the prolific leader Huey P.Revolutionary Suicide is an autobiography written by Huey P. In time the BPP was dismantled as it’s leaders were either killed, imprisoned or addicted to drugs. In the years leading up to Newton’s death, the BPP was under heavy ridicule from the powers that be and classified as a hate group. The Party’s political agenda included better housing, better jobs, and proper education for all Black people, which was all documented in their Ten-Point Program. The BPP achieved national and international recognition through their active role in the Black Liberation Movement and in politics dealing with race relations of the 1960s and 1970s. While Newton attended Merritt College in California, Newton and his comrade, Chairman Bobby Seale, organized the Black Panther Party for Self Defense in October 1966 with Huey as Minister of Defense. Born in born in Monroe, Louisiana February 17, 1942, Huey Newton attended the University of California, Santa Cruz and studied law attaining his Bachelor’s Degree and PhD.

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