Curtis J. Austin’s ‘Up Against the Wall’ chronicles how violence brought about the founding of the black panther party in 1966, dominated is policies, and finally destroyed the party as one member after another left the party, was killed, or was imprisoned. Austin shows how the party’s early emphasis on self-defense, so sorely needed in black communities at the time, left it open to mischaracterization, infiltration, and devastation by local, state, and federal police forces and government agencies. He carefully highlights the internal tension between advocates of military confrontation with the state and those, such as Huey P Newton and David Hilliard, who believed in community organizing and alliance building as first priorities. With the help of stories from the number of party members who have heretofore remained silent, Austin is able to put the violent history of the party in perspective and show that the survival programs such as the Free Breakfast for Children program and Free Health Clinics, helps black communities they serve to recognize their own bases of power and ability to save themselves.