From the Bottom of the Heap

Overview

A journey of courage and determination through insurmountable odds

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.

Reviews

"Three aspects of this book make it accessible and applicable: King's aptitude for storytelling—non-linear, conversational, straightforward, and insightful—his eventual explanation of the Black Panther Party's significance and power, and the details of his own legal battles fought from behind prison bars."  —WIN Magazine

"King uses his own history to show how the racial and economic hierarchies in mid-20th century Louisiana condemned most Black people to lives of insecurity and fear."  —Colorlines

"There are more than 3,000 people serving life without the possibility of parole in Angola today, some as young as 14 when they were sent there, and many of them innocent but without the lawyer to prove it. We owe it to them, and others in a similar plight around the world, to read this book."  —Clive Stafford Smith, director, Reprieve

"[King] fights, he yells, he refuses to take the beatings, whether ideologically or physically. He never gives up hope."  —San Francisco Bay View

"[The Angola Three], as Robert reveals in this stunning account of his life, have fought tirelessly to redress injustice, not only for themselves, but for others."  —Gordon Roddick, activist and cofounder, The Body Shop

"King's story is powerful, carefully observed, and deserves a wide audience." —Publishers Weekly (January 26, 2013)

Author Biography

Robert Hillary King was part of a trio of American political prisoners collectively known as the Angola Three and a member of the Black Panther Party. He lives in New Orleans. Mumia Abu Jamal is a prisoner who is currently serving time for the alleged killing of a Philadelphia police officer in 1981. He is the author of Death Blossoms, Live from Death Row, and We Want Freedom. Dr. Terry Kupers, MD, MSP, is a professor at Wright Institute and a distinguished life fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He is the author of Prison Madness and Public Therapy. He lives in Oakland, California.