Life After Life: A Story of Rage and Redemption

Since Hopkins was one of 11 children who first integrated a Danville Virginia high school, one might expect his memoir to expound on tales of racial struggle and, perhaps, to reflect on a small Southern city's modernization. Although there are a few examples of such struggles in Hopkins's account of his experiences as a young African-American man, what stands out most in this memoir are his intelligent, informative descriptions of his transformation into an active member of the Black Panther party and his transition to doing hard time in the Virginia penal system. Though his tone can often be a bit too detached and cold, his book offers a rare glimpse into the difficult and fascinating training of Black Panther Party members. Fans of the articles that he published in the New Yorker and the Washington Post while he was still in prison will definitely want to pick up this book.