Customer Reviews

This Side of Glory: The Autobiography of David Hilliard and the Story of the Black Panther Party

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This book is very interesting. Hilliard follows the idea of self-criticism throughout this book, leaving the reader with a very broad view of the Panthers. He seems to exclude nothing, he shows the promblems and the triumphs of this grand party. All power to the people finally came to mean something to me, instead of being some "crazy sixties thing." This should be read by all revolutionaries trying to start an organization and people questioning their government.

This was extremely eye-opening for me. I loved the fact there were black people, young black people, in that time who were collectively doing what they could for us to come up at that crucial period in the late '60s. I don't think the Panthers get the respect they deserve in terms of their part in the Civil Rights era. To some, they had a nonconventional way of getting their message across, but I admired their courage and their intelligence. Hilliard examines everyone who was a crucial part of the movement, including Kathleen and Eldridge Cleaver, Lil' Bobby Hutton, Bobby Seale, Geronimo Pratt, Huey Newton, and others. He also discusses his own personal demons and how it afflicted him as well as the party. All in all, it was a very good read for me and was much needed.

This is I think is first book I ever read by a Black Panther Party member. Most certaintly, the BPP was extremely controversial and weighted down with informants, provocateurs, and sell-outs. But Hillard wasn't one of them. He seems to give an honest account of his involvement in the Party. His story will give you great respect for a group of brothers and sisters who dared to take a stand against White supremacy, police brutality, and other forms of injustices. His is an inspiring story.

This book provides insight that is a necessity for anyone wanting to know the REAL story of the beginning and end of the Black Panther Party. It made me proud to have been involved!

David Hilliard (born 1942) was Chief of Staff of the Black Panther Party; he is currently a visiting instructor at the University of New Mexico.

He writes in the "Acknowledgements" section, "The funeral in 1989 of Huey Newton, my friend and founder of the Black Panther Party, provided the catalyst for this book. I had begun writing about the Black Panther Party and my involvement in it twenty years ago; however, that effort was put aside and not completed. The reader of this book will understand why. The occasion of Huey's funeral brought together friends and comrades, many of whom I had not seen for ten or twenty years. It deepened our determination to tell our story in our own words."

Here are some quotations from the book:

"Partly this proclivity to violence is, I think, a southern trait. Down South, everybody is armed, whites and blacks. (When I arrive in California, the locals are amazed that I carry a knife.) But what's true for my family and for many blacks is that we turn this violence inward. We fight among ourselves, taking out on our own people the frustrations we're forbidden to level against society." (Pg. 40)
"My head swims. I feel proud to be connected to Huey and his plan---things will definitely happen in Oakland now. But the guns scare as much as thrill me, and the whys, hows, and whats of the organization baffle me. I only know he's talking about an organization that will right some wrongs against black people." (Pg. 116)
"(Huey Newton) We don't give up our guns. We don't give up our dope. I mean, that's what I don't understand about these brothers. They get busted and they have guns with them, which is all the police have, but they give up their guns AND their property. No. If the police come and mess around here, they've stopped the wrong car." (Pg. 123)
"The fact is I'll be very happy not to find myself in a shoot-out again. Not simply for my own sake ... but for my comrades in arms... So when members start talking about raising the level of struggle, doing material damage, killing pigs, I set them straight, telling them they'd best go and sell some papers instead, educate the community about our ideology and practice and educate themselves about the community." (Pg. 199)
"One rule was, 'You never hit or swear at another Party member.' But a lot of guys still had that chauvinistic attitude. A guy'd pop a woman in the eye and bruise her all up. That was wrong." (Pg. 235)
"Twenty years ago these guys would have been Panthers. Now they're violent, undisciplined, apolitical, fratricidal maniacs. I have never felt such hatred toward another black person as I do toward these youths. I've been able to withstand every attack and failure of the Party, but not this---the existence of these kids seems the complete nihilistic repudiation of everything the Party stood for. I want to kill them." (Pg. 424)

I am glad that I picked up this book. I was interested in learning about the BPP, so when I saw this book I bought it. The book gives an interesting account of what the BPP was about, and who the "cadre" were. I must recommend this for any revolutionary

David Hillard and Lewis Cole's This Side Of Glory (1-55652-384-X, $18.95) provides the autobiography of Hillard and his involvement with the Black Panther Party. The Party's history, focus, and events are revealed in this eyewitness account. Essential to any comprehensive ethnic issues collection.