Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther Party's Promise to the People

Today's nonfiction post is on Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther Party's Promise to the People by Kekla Magoon. It is 400 pages long and is published by Candlewick Press. The cover is yellow with different pictures of the Black Panther Party and it's members. The intended reader is someone who someone who is interested in the history of the Black Panther Party and American history. There is some mild foul language, no sex, and discussion of violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- In this comprehensive, inspiring, and all-too-relevant history of the Black Panther Party, Kekla Magoon introduces readers to the Panthers’ community activism, grounded in the concept of self-defense, which taught Black Americans how to protect and support themselves in a country that treated them like second-class citizens. For too long the Panthers’ story has been a footnote to the civil rights movement rather than what it was: a revolutionary socialist movement that drew thousands of members—mostly women—and became the target of one of the most sustained repression efforts ever made by the U.S. government against its own citizens.
Revolution in Our Time puts the Panthers in the proper context of Black American history, from the first arrival of enslaved people to the Black Lives Matter movement of today. Kekla Magoon’s eye-opening work invites a new generation of readers grappling with injustices in the United States to learn from the Panthers’ history and courage, inspiring them to take their own place in the ongoing fight for justice.

Review- This is a very well written and interesting account of the Black Panther Party and its members. Magoon covers the history of African Americans from slavery to Jim Crow laws and why the Black Panther Party was and still is needed. Magoon also profiles the major players in the Party and how they worked together to make a difference in their communities. Nothing is held back from reasons why the Party was needed from police brutality to black citizens to the free breakfast programs. The Party was more than just black men with guns, they were about protecting innocent people, feeding hungry children, and helping citizens understand their rights as Americans. I would recommend this book for those interested in American history and African American history. 

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.