My comprehension of history during the time of the 1960s-1980s is pretty sad and lacking. My knowledge has always been a bit fuzzy regarding MLK, Malcolm X, the Black Panther Party, the Black Liberation Army, and the Vietnam protests and how they are all related. This book offers an in-depth look at that time period and those subjects although I could have done without the huge intro explaining the first 400 years of oppression of Black people. I understand that history lays the foundation for the Black figures and organizations that shaped the time period, but I already came to the book knowing that information.

What I liked best about this book was how in-depth it covered the creation and purpose of the Black Panther Party, and I like how it laid out all the barriers and oppression imposed by the police and government that the BPP had to fight against, yet they still did massive good for their communities with free breakfast programs, free health clinics and other social programs to lift up Black families whom capitalism and government failed. There are so many parallels to the movement then and the Black Lives Matter movement now. I hope that this movement can sustain itself and lead to lasting change. While the Black Panther Party could not sustain itself, they did create lasting change that BLM has built on.