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To Die for the People
A fascinating, first-person account of a historic era in the struggle for black empowerment in America.
Long an iconic figure for radicals, Huey Newton is now being discovered by those interested in the history of America's social movements. Was he a gifted leader of his people or a dangerous outlaw? Were the Black Panthers heroes or terrorists?
Whether Newton and the Panthers are remembered in a positive or a negative light, no one questions Newton's status as one of America's most important revolutionaries. To Die for the People is a recently issued classic collection of his writings and speeches, tracing the development of Newton's personal and political thinking, as well as the radical changes that took place in the formative years of the Black Panther Party.
With a rare and persuasive honesty, To Die for the People records the Party's internal struggles, rivalries and contradictions, and the result is a fascinating look back at a young revolutionary group determined to find ways to deal with the injustice it saw in American society. And, as a new foreword by Elaine Brown makes eminently clear, Newton's prescience and foresight make these documents strikingly pertinent today.
Huey Newton was the founder, leader and chief theoretician of the Black Panther Party, and one of America’s most dynamic and important revolutionary philosophers.
"Huey P. Newton's To Die for the People represents one of the most important analyses of the politics of race, black radicalism, and democracy written during the civil rights-Black Power era. It remains a crucial and indispensible text in our contemporary efforts to understand the continuous legacy of social movements of the 1960s and 1970s."
—Peniel Joseph, author of Waiting Til the Midnight A Narrative History of Black Power in America
"Huey P. Newton's name, and more importantly, his history of resistance and struggle, is little more than a mystery for many younger people. The name of a third-rate rapper is more familiar to the average Black youth, and that's hardly surprising, for the public school system is invested in ignorance, and Huey P. Newton was a rebel — and more, a Black Revolutionary . . . who gave his best to the Black Freedom movement; who inspired millions of others to stand."
—Mumia Abu Jamal, political prisoner and author of Jailhouse Lawyers
"Newton's ability to see theoretically, beyond most individuals of his time, is part of his genius. The opportunity to recognize that genius and see its applicability to our own times is what is most significant about this new edition."
—Robert Stanley Oden, former Panther, Professor of Government, California State University, Sacramento
Long an iconic figure for radicals, Huey Newton is now being discovered by those interested in the history of America's social movements. Was he a gifted leader of his people or a dangerous outlaw? Were the Black Panthers heroes or terrorists?
Whether Newton and the Panthers are remembered in a positive or a negative light, no one questions Newton's status as one of America's most important revolutionaries. To Die for the People is a recently issued classic collection of his writings and speeches, tracing the development of Newton's personal and political thinking, as well as the radical changes that took place in the formative years of the Black Panther Party.
With a rare and persuasive honesty, To Die for the People records the Party's internal struggles, rivalries and contradictions, and the result is a fascinating look back at a young revolutionary group determined to find ways to deal with the injustice it saw in American society. And, as a new foreword by Elaine Brown makes eminently clear, Newton's prescience and foresight make these documents strikingly pertinent today.
Huey Newton was the founder, leader and chief theoretician of the Black Panther Party, and one of America’s most dynamic and important revolutionary philosophers.
"Huey P. Newton's To Die for the People represents one of the most important analyses of the politics of race, black radicalism, and democracy written during the civil rights-Black Power era. It remains a crucial and indispensible text in our contemporary efforts to understand the continuous legacy of social movements of the 1960s and 1970s."
—Peniel Joseph, author of Waiting Til the Midnight A Narrative History of Black Power in America
"Huey P. Newton's name, and more importantly, his history of resistance and struggle, is little more than a mystery for many younger people. The name of a third-rate rapper is more familiar to the average Black youth, and that's hardly surprising, for the public school system is invested in ignorance, and Huey P. Newton was a rebel — and more, a Black Revolutionary . . . who gave his best to the Black Freedom movement; who inspired millions of others to stand."
—Mumia Abu Jamal, political prisoner and author of Jailhouse Lawyers
"Newton's ability to see theoretically, beyond most individuals of his time, is part of his genius. The opportunity to recognize that genius and see its applicability to our own times is what is most significant about this new edition."
—Robert Stanley Oden, former Panther, Professor of Government, California State University, Sacramento
286 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 2, 2020
34 people are currently reading
204 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 2, 2023
Typing this right after finishing this book to capture the immediate impact it had on me.
I think perhaps any other ‘argument’ given to discourage people from suicide will never be quite as moving as this entire book-which sums up Dr. Huey P. Newton’s philosophy- makes. Would it be such a stretch to say “revolutionary suicide” might’ve saved my life?
It was through wanting to explain the social phenomena of suicide that the science of society was born. In modern sociology there are four types of suicides. In his writings Newton divides them into two categories: reactionary suicide and revolutionary suicide. He calls on revolutionary suicide as a guiding tool for the oppressed to contend with the reality of reactionary conditions.
The following quotes, in my opinion, summarize and illustrate the essence of “revolutionary suicide”;
- “Each person has an obligation to preserve himself. If he does not preserve himself then I accuse him of suicide: reactionary suicide because reactionary conditions will have caused his death. If we do nothing we are accepting the situation and allowing ourselves to die. We will not accept that. If the alternatives are very narrow we still will not sit around, we will not die the death of the Jews in Germany. We would rather die the death of the Jews in Warsaw!” (P.21-22)
- “If the penalty for the quest of freedom is death, then by death we escape to freedom” (P.225)
- “Death comes to all of us, but it varies in its significance. To die for the reactionaries, the racists, the capitalists is lighter than a feather. But to die in service to the people is heavier than any mountain and deeper than any sea.” (P.234)
The significance of this philosophy is undeniable when you know that suicide rates are especially high in oppressed and impoverished communities; indigenous reserves being a prime exemple of this. I believe it would be fair to say that “revolutionary suicide” could save the lives of so many of our people all the while elevating it in the process- giving it a new purpose…
I think perhaps any other ‘argument’ given to discourage people from suicide will never be quite as moving as this entire book-which sums up Dr. Huey P. Newton’s philosophy- makes. Would it be such a stretch to say “revolutionary suicide” might’ve saved my life?
It was through wanting to explain the social phenomena of suicide that the science of society was born. In modern sociology there are four types of suicides. In his writings Newton divides them into two categories: reactionary suicide and revolutionary suicide. He calls on revolutionary suicide as a guiding tool for the oppressed to contend with the reality of reactionary conditions.
The following quotes, in my opinion, summarize and illustrate the essence of “revolutionary suicide”;
- “Each person has an obligation to preserve himself. If he does not preserve himself then I accuse him of suicide: reactionary suicide because reactionary conditions will have caused his death. If we do nothing we are accepting the situation and allowing ourselves to die. We will not accept that. If the alternatives are very narrow we still will not sit around, we will not die the death of the Jews in Germany. We would rather die the death of the Jews in Warsaw!” (P.21-22)
- “If the penalty for the quest of freedom is death, then by death we escape to freedom” (P.225)
- “Death comes to all of us, but it varies in its significance. To die for the reactionaries, the racists, the capitalists is lighter than a feather. But to die in service to the people is heavier than any mountain and deeper than any sea.” (P.234)
The significance of this philosophy is undeniable when you know that suicide rates are especially high in oppressed and impoverished communities; indigenous reserves being a prime exemple of this. I believe it would be fair to say that “revolutionary suicide” could save the lives of so many of our people all the while elevating it in the process- giving it a new purpose…
May 13, 2025
How to sum up the words of someone who learned how to read in his late teens by reading The Republic?
Been deeply interested in the Panthers since y11 and a whole 10 years later I’m getting round to reading this. As a history graduate this was a gold mine of historical discourse. I am eager to ready seize the time and revolutionary suicide.
I will not sum up what black women and BP historians have been doing regarding HPNs and the BPPs relationship/mistreatment of women in a Goodreads review.
What I will say is I can’t wait to ready more by Angela Davis and Erika Huggins.
Been deeply interested in the Panthers since y11 and a whole 10 years later I’m getting round to reading this. As a history graduate this was a gold mine of historical discourse. I am eager to ready seize the time and revolutionary suicide.
I will not sum up what black women and BP historians have been doing regarding HPNs and the BPPs relationship/mistreatment of women in a Goodreads review.
What I will say is I can’t wait to ready more by Angela Davis and Erika Huggins.
August 1, 2024
Huey P Newton is not only the most steadfast revolutionary of the twentieth century, he is the most pragmatic. He convincingly argued for the need for community based programs that helped the people. His analysis of material conditions and community necessities was always incredibly nuanced, fluid, and based in critical and dialectical thinking. He was the only revolutionary of the time to effectively look at the positive and negative effects of institutions and ideologies that were wholeheartedly condemned by fellow Marxists. This is most obvious and enlightening in his discussions on the church and Black capitalism, both of which he thinks can be harnessed for their positive qualities before their inevitable negation. On top of that, his theory of revolutionary intercommunalism is by far the best analysis of international realities after the U.S.'s ideological, territorial, and military dominance.
Necessary 10/10 because he is almost wholly responsible for my deeper understanding and appreciation for Marxism.
Necessary 10/10 because he is almost wholly responsible for my deeper understanding and appreciation for Marxism.
August 27, 2024
This is my new foundational text. This functionally reshaped how I develop connections to my community. I will return here often for guidance, and to the other texts of the BPP for their wisdom as well. This will probably be the North Star for my own activism and revolutionary thought moving forward.
November 5, 2025
Need to read that book from this year on Toni Morrison's editing work...masterful!
February 3, 2023
There was much repetition, but none which was useless. The most interesting segments, to me, were the breakdowns of Black Capitalism (where it is useful on the onset but only if the profits are returned to community needs and revolutionary aims) and the repudiation of cultural nationalism (including Pan-Africanism, to my surprise, although there appears to be a distinction about whether it is internationalist or following the Black capitalist route) and revolutionary cultism in favor of revolutionary intercommumalism and internationalism, because they are debates I continue to have with myself and with others who read and study Black politics. I have long wondered where the disconnect between 1970s Black radicalism and present day radicalism had occurred, but Dr. Newton sheds light that these are the same issues, and that's indispensable information.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2022
Overall probably my favorite book I have read this year so far, definitely made me rethink my thoughts and theory. A few quotes that stood out for me include "Revolution is a process, not a conclusion.", "One minute later is history. If things are in a constant state of change, we cannot expect them to be same." and "We forsee a system of true communism where all people produce according to their abilities and receive according to their needs.". Would highly recommend!! it definitely made me pause and think a bit at times.
June 26, 2025
Some very powerful writings but on the editor’s front, I don’t think it is a very effective collection. Lots of things that say the same thing. Lots of things that aren’t really relevant or needed. I did not need/want a 35 page film analysis
November 2, 2022
Insightful, thought provoking, and just as pertinent to society today as it was in the 60s/70s. Without a steadfast commitment to your fellow man, we will go nowhere
March 7, 2024
Huey was the man
Reading this was inspiring. God Bless Huey and The Black Panther Party for paving the way. Sad that we’re still fighting this fight.
Reading this was inspiring. God Bless Huey and The Black Panther Party for paving the way. Sad that we’re still fighting this fight.
November 9, 2024
Great book! Huey Newtons maturation and evolution is on full display. His insights on deocracy and america aretrue to this day! One of my favorite books by the panthers.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews