This work investigates the origins, ideological development, and organizational structure of the Black Panther Party through the personal lens of its co-founder. Bobby Seale, writing from his perspective as a primary architect of the movement, details the early collaboration between himself and Huey P. Newton. The text serves as both a historical account of the party's formation in Oakland and a manifesto outlining the socio-political objectives of the organization during the late 1960s.

Historians and scholars frequently cite this book as a foundational primary source for understanding the internal philosophy of the Black Panther Party. Readers often note the raw, immediate tone of the prose, which reflects the urgency of the political climate in which it was written.