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From the Bottom of the Heap: The Autobiography of Black Panther Robert Hillary King
Expanded and updated with new photographs and stories, this autobiography of one of the Angola Three traces the life of Robert Hillary King from his early days in Louisiana, through a troubled adolescence, a conviction that kept him behind bars for decades, his relationship with the Black Panther Party, and his eventual release from prison. In 1970, a jury convicted Robert Hillary King of a crime he did not commit and sentenced him to 35 years in prison. He became a member of the Black Panther Party while in Angola State Penitentiary, successfully organizing prisoners to improve conditions. In return, prison authorities beat him, starved him, and gave him life without parole after framing him for a second crime. He was thrown into solitary confinement, where he remained for 29 years. In 2001, the state grudgingly acknowledged his innocence and set him free. A story of inspiration and courage, this simple and humble narrative strips bare the economic and social injustices inherent in society, while proving to be a powerful literary testimony to the triumph of the human spirit.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 27, 2016
Although the book description makes you think this is going to be a prison memoir by a Panther, most of it is about a hard-scrabble childhood in Louisiana. Poverty, incarceration, violence are all around King from his birth but a precocious spirit and a burning intelligence keep him from going under. Eventually, the little arrests and hassles that a poor white kid would have been spared begin to pile up until the "justice" system seems to take the attitude "if he isn't guilty of this, he's guilty of something." While in Angola, a kind of sugar cane slave plantation posing as a prison, King becomes aware of the Black Panthers and then meets some of the prominent New Orleans militants. Together they charter a BPP chapter in Angola. Using nonviolent direct action, they win some struggles to improve prisoners' lives and after many years, some of the prison snitches who had been bribed to lie about King recant and after some pro se legal work, a young public defender and the anarchist black cross build a movement to free the Angola 3, eventually winning King a kind of freedom.
Surprisingly upbeat, the book bucks the trend for both prison memoirs and Panther biographies. Usually a prison book starts off with a real hard case criminal, they land in prison, and there they get their heads straight, finally free, they give back to the community they formerly harmed. King is as innocent as you or me, his jailors are the real criminals. The only similarity to something like Down These Mean Streets is that once free, King stays active with the struggle to free the remaining Angola 2 and with Common Cause, a group that organized mutual aid after the government's failure to support New Orleans following Katrina. It is also different from most of the Panther biographies I've read in that King does not have "higher education" and he wasn't politicized before his arrest (although he mentions Emmett Till). The gains of the Civil Rights Movement don't seem to reach far enough down to affect his adolescence positively. I think that might be why the book is mostly free from preaching or overt marxism, although King routinely refers to African Americans as Colonial Subjects. There is little here about the development of the Panthers in Louisiana and nothing about them nationally, and there is only a brief mention of how the party was made defunct. Instead of a lot of theory, the conclusion that legality and morality are two different things is drawn over and over without feeling repetitive.
I did find myself thinking that a black reader might interpret some of the passages differently than me. But that is a whole 'nother issue.
Surprisingly upbeat, the book bucks the trend for both prison memoirs and Panther biographies. Usually a prison book starts off with a real hard case criminal, they land in prison, and there they get their heads straight, finally free, they give back to the community they formerly harmed. King is as innocent as you or me, his jailors are the real criminals. The only similarity to something like Down These Mean Streets is that once free, King stays active with the struggle to free the remaining Angola 2 and with Common Cause, a group that organized mutual aid after the government's failure to support New Orleans following Katrina. It is also different from most of the Panther biographies I've read in that King does not have "higher education" and he wasn't politicized before his arrest (although he mentions Emmett Till). The gains of the Civil Rights Movement don't seem to reach far enough down to affect his adolescence positively. I think that might be why the book is mostly free from preaching or overt marxism, although King routinely refers to African Americans as Colonial Subjects. There is little here about the development of the Panthers in Louisiana and nothing about them nationally, and there is only a brief mention of how the party was made defunct. Instead of a lot of theory, the conclusion that legality and morality are two different things is drawn over and over without feeling repetitive.
I did find myself thinking that a black reader might interpret some of the passages differently than me. But that is a whole 'nother issue.
May 15, 2009
King is best known, along with Herman Wallace and Albert Woodfox, as one of the Angola Three, leaders of a Black Panther Party chapter in Louisiana's Angola Prison who served extensive portions (in the case of Wallace and Woodfox, 36 years) of their sentences in solitary confinement. Since his release, King has campaigned endlessly in support of the release of Wallace and Woodfox. He has also spoken out about the flaws in the criminal justice system, the reality of Southern racism that enjoys official support, and the disparities affecting people of African descent which in turn predicated his Black Panther Party membership. In revealing the details of his life, King employs an arresting writing style and welcomes you in to a world to which few have access.
Heap tells King's story from his youth growing up in the racially stratified Deep South to incarceration, political engagement and quest for freedom. His prose in plain-spoken yet vulnerable, with accounts of a life lived with much forthrightness and few regrets, though seemingly myriad pains. Yarns like King boxing with a rival named Pugnose as a means of resolving a youth jail code's double standard affecting boys and girls dating are symbolic of King's way of storytelling. While his estimations are spot-on, King seems to prefer stepping back and letting the situation speak for itself. Going this course makes for teaching moments on how different society is from King's teenage years and, in other ways, how the world has barely changed, if at all.
Those expecting harrowing prison tales will not find them so much in this book as there are accounts of the everyday life of a young man dealing with the criminal justice system, social inequality and his own hopes for himself. The delicate negotiations of prison life are plumbed certainly. The conditions the Angola Three dealt with and their decision to resist brutality, as well as the facility's response to their demands for basic human rights, are frequently sorrowful. King's courage is nothing short of extraordinary. But really Heap is about much more than politics, survival and adversity. Though Louisiana has yet to atone for the wasted years given by the trio of Black Panther organizers, Heap is one man's shot at making sure a history and a struggle are not lost now or to future generations.
Heap tells King's story from his youth growing up in the racially stratified Deep South to incarceration, political engagement and quest for freedom. His prose in plain-spoken yet vulnerable, with accounts of a life lived with much forthrightness and few regrets, though seemingly myriad pains. Yarns like King boxing with a rival named Pugnose as a means of resolving a youth jail code's double standard affecting boys and girls dating are symbolic of King's way of storytelling. While his estimations are spot-on, King seems to prefer stepping back and letting the situation speak for itself. Going this course makes for teaching moments on how different society is from King's teenage years and, in other ways, how the world has barely changed, if at all.
Those expecting harrowing prison tales will not find them so much in this book as there are accounts of the everyday life of a young man dealing with the criminal justice system, social inequality and his own hopes for himself. The delicate negotiations of prison life are plumbed certainly. The conditions the Angola Three dealt with and their decision to resist brutality, as well as the facility's response to their demands for basic human rights, are frequently sorrowful. King's courage is nothing short of extraordinary. But really Heap is about much more than politics, survival and adversity. Though Louisiana has yet to atone for the wasted years given by the trio of Black Panther organizers, Heap is one man's shot at making sure a history and a struggle are not lost now or to future generations.
January 31, 2015
I enjoyed Robert's book. Like the few other prisoner autobiographies I've read, he's pretty much to the point. He talks about growing up poor and black in Louisiana which lead to his eventual capture and imprisonment for crimes he didn't commit. Robert and 2 others (the Angola 3--Albert Woodfox and Herman Wallace) formed a chapter of the Black Panther Party while incarcerated--the first of its kind demanding dignity, human rights, and an end to brutality behind bars. For his part in the work, he, woodfox, and herman were put in solitary confinement. Robert spent 29 years there before the state, in 2001, let him go after he won several hearings proving his innocence. With a tremendous support network he continues to fight for the other 2 members of the Angola 3 still locked away in what used to be a slave plantation.
I was moved by his reflection that he could just be angry about losing 29 years of his life but isn't. He said that he's trying to look forward and see justice done rather than brood over the agony of a false imprisonment and harsh punishment.
Robert King is coming to Rochester to speak on April 11th and I'm really excited by this. :)
I was moved by his reflection that he could just be angry about losing 29 years of his life but isn't. He said that he's trying to look forward and see justice done rather than brood over the agony of a false imprisonment and harsh punishment.
Robert King is coming to Rochester to speak on April 11th and I'm really excited by this. :)
January 6, 2010
This book is Robert Hillary King's life story.
King is one of the Angola 3, held in solitary confinement in Louisiana's Angola prison for 29 years. King is finally free and lives in Austin, TX.
King tells the story of his life, from his impoverished childhood in rural Louisiana and New Orleans, his time as a teenager in the juvenile detention center, his marriage and the birth and death of his beloved son, to his time in Angola.
He tells his story in a casual voice, so the reader feels almost as if she/he were sitting on the porch next to King, listening to him speak.
The story is compelling, but sad too. So much injustice...I know about the injustices of the prison industrial complex, but reading about its impact on an individual is really jarring.
I wish King had included more details, gone a bit more in depth with his recollections. I felt much of what is written here just scratches the surface. More information could have made the story seem more real, more personal.
King is one of the Angola 3, held in solitary confinement in Louisiana's Angola prison for 29 years. King is finally free and lives in Austin, TX.
King tells the story of his life, from his impoverished childhood in rural Louisiana and New Orleans, his time as a teenager in the juvenile detention center, his marriage and the birth and death of his beloved son, to his time in Angola.
He tells his story in a casual voice, so the reader feels almost as if she/he were sitting on the porch next to King, listening to him speak.
The story is compelling, but sad too. So much injustice...I know about the injustices of the prison industrial complex, but reading about its impact on an individual is really jarring.
I wish King had included more details, gone a bit more in depth with his recollections. I felt much of what is written here just scratches the surface. More information could have made the story seem more real, more personal.
April 27, 2013
In 1970 Robert Hillary was convicted of a crime he did not commit sentenced to Angola prison. There he became a member of the Black Panthers and successfully organized to improve prison conditions. In return he spent 29 years in solitary confinement.
...That sounds like a really interesting biography, right? Then why was this very short book so tedious to get through. The biggest reason I think I wasn't a huge fan of this book is because 80% of it deals with Hillary's childhood and then at the very end you get into the Angola part. Even though I think social conditions and background are essential to anyones history I could have used less of them and more about the actual organizing in this book. Very quick read though and does have some interesting but not very memorable parts.
...That sounds like a really interesting biography, right? Then why was this very short book so tedious to get through. The biggest reason I think I wasn't a huge fan of this book is because 80% of it deals with Hillary's childhood and then at the very end you get into the Angola part. Even though I think social conditions and background are essential to anyones history I could have used less of them and more about the actual organizing in this book. Very quick read though and does have some interesting but not very memorable parts.
August 30, 2012
Anyone interested in this excellent book should be sure to read the new paperback printing (with the blue cover; on GoodReads here: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13...).
It's been expanded, updated, and improved considerably, adding entire new sections of writings by and about King. An insightful and inspiring memoir gets an even better treatment.
It's been expanded, updated, and improved considerably, adding entire new sections of writings by and about King. An insightful and inspiring memoir gets an even better treatment.
February 25, 2013
This book was great. Autobiographical accounts from political prisoners always fascinate and inspire me. King's clear writing and deep understanding of the systemic race and class issues that lead to so many young black men being imprisoned is invaluable.
March 31, 2020
This is my friend, King's incredible autobiography. He is one of the Angola 3 political prisioners, now freed.
March 27, 2024
A wonderful book with vivid recollections. A life lived, and a man who, once free, devoted himself to freeing others. He saw the very worst of what it meant to be human, and he experienced the very best of what it was to have the most sincere friendships. A truly remarkable life story and a truly remarkable man. King by name, King by nature.
March 31, 2025
4 1/4 stars
August 2, 2023
This book found its way onto my list because it was mentioned in Solitary: Unbroken by Four Decades in Solitary Confinement. My Story of Transformation and Hope by Albert Woodfox. King, Woodfox and Herman Wallance are otherwise know as the Angola Three. They were unjustly convicted and then, while reincarcerated, were persecuted for attempting to educate their fellow prisoners. This autobiography covers King's early life and his time in prison. He does a better job of writing about his early life than the time he spent in prison. If you are interested in what day to day life in Angola is like, read Solitary by Woodfox, it is excellent. This was worth reading, but not worth recommending.
July 25, 2019
A powerful memoir of an African-American man who was wrongfully convicted of a crime he did not commit and spent 29 years in solitary confinement. This book depicts the real struggles of African-Americans , coping with social and legal injustices, poverty and lack of opportunity. At one point I was thinking I can not read it any more, this book is just too sad. But I finished. My heart is heavy.
November 22, 2018
Amazing look at King's life and time in Angola. Short, quick, impactful read.
June 2, 2020
I guess I expected more info. on how he mentally survived his solitary confinement, but that wasn't mentioned much.
Want to read
September 29, 2017Since his release, Robert King has been featured in numerous print, media and film articles and interviews worldwide including: CNN, National Public Radio, NBC, BBC and ITN as well as two films, Angola 3: Black Panthers and the Last Slave Plantation and Land of the Free, among others.
His autobiography, From the Bottom of the Heap: The Autobiography of a Black Panther, was released by PM Press in the fall of 2008. He won a PASS Award from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency for his book in 2009.
King now makes a type of pralines, which he calls freelines, to support his activism, which he does by selling them from his website. He made pralines in prison while in solitary confinement. He burned paper in soda cans to cook the candies and gathered ingredients from other prisoners and guards. The story of his candymaking has become the most requested story that the Kitchen Sisters have ever produced for NPR. It is still played on stations all across the US.
Following the destruction that beset the city of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, King pitched in when Scott Crow, Brandon Darby and Malik Rahim began organizing the Common Ground Collective.
He is an international speaker who speaks at college campuses and community centers across the US and has spoken before the Parliaments in the Netherlands, South Africa and Portugal.[citation needed] On 1 December 2010, King spoke at TEDxAlcatraz in San Francisco delivering a talk entitled "Alone". He is known to be a Glasgow Celtic FC supporter deeming that they also "epitomise a oppressed people".
His autobiography, From the Bottom of the Heap: The Autobiography of a Black Panther, was released by PM Press in the fall of 2008. He won a PASS Award from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency for his book in 2009.
King now makes a type of pralines, which he calls freelines, to support his activism, which he does by selling them from his website. He made pralines in prison while in solitary confinement. He burned paper in soda cans to cook the candies and gathered ingredients from other prisoners and guards. The story of his candymaking has become the most requested story that the Kitchen Sisters have ever produced for NPR. It is still played on stations all across the US.
Following the destruction that beset the city of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, King pitched in when Scott Crow, Brandon Darby and Malik Rahim began organizing the Common Ground Collective.
He is an international speaker who speaks at college campuses and community centers across the US and has spoken before the Parliaments in the Netherlands, South Africa and Portugal.[citation needed] On 1 December 2010, King spoke at TEDxAlcatraz in San Francisco delivering a talk entitled "Alone". He is known to be a Glasgow Celtic FC supporter deeming that they also "epitomise a oppressed people".
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews