Bobby Seale, co‑founder of the Black Panther Party, will reissue his 1970 jailhouse memoir Seize the Time in February and publish a new memoir, I, Bobby, toward the end of 2027. The reissue will include an introduction by D.L. Hughley and will be available in e‑book and audio formats for the first time. Seale wrote the original book while detained in the late 1960s and says the new memoir will let him set the record straight in his own voice. Blackstone notes the new book will address internal divisions, government persecution and the group's lasting legacy.
Bobby Seale to Reissue Seize the Time and Publish New Memoir I, Bobby
This book cover image released by Blackstone Publishing shows "Seize the Time: The Story of the Black Panther Party and Huey P. Newton" by Bobby Seale. (Blackstone Publishing via AP)
Bobby Seale, co‑founder of the Black Panther Party, will reissue his 1970 jailhouse memoir Seize the Time and publish a new autobiography titled I, Bobby, the publisher announced. Seale, who turns 90 next month, says the new book will allow him to finish the story in his own voice.
“Every time somebody tells my story wrong, a piece of the movement gets buried with the lie,” Seale said in a statement released by Blackstone Publishing. “‘Seize the Time’ was the blueprint and the start. ‘I, Bobby’ is me finishing what I started — with my own voice, my own memory and my own words.”
Seize the Time is scheduled for reissue in February and will return to print with a new introduction by actor‑comedian D.L. Hughley. For the first time, the title will also be available in e‑book and audio editions. I, Bobby is slated for publication toward the end of 2027.
Seale wrote the original Seize the Time while detained in San Francisco County Jail in the late 1960s during two separate trials. During that period he began recounting his experiences to a local journalist — including the founding of the Black Panther Party in 1966 with Huey P. Newton and the organization’s principles advocating revolutionary change.
The Black Panthers, described by then‑FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover as the country’s “greatest threat to internal security,” reached the height of their influence in the late 1960s. The group later declined through the 1970s amid violent internal splits and FBI infiltration; Newton formally disbanded the organization in the early 1980s, years after Seale had left.
After his time with the Panthers, Seale taught Black studies at Temple University, mentored younger activists and authored several books, including the 2016 collaboration with photographer Stephen Shames, Power to the People: The World of the Black Panthers.
According to Blackstone, I, Bobby will revisit the movement’s internal fractures, explore government persecution and reflect on the Panthers’ enduring legacy — giving Seale an opportunity to set the record straight about his life and the movement he helped build.
Why This Matters
The reissue and forthcoming memoir arrive as public interest in the history and legacy of the Black Panther Party continues to grow. By releasing his account in modern formats, Seale aims to preserve firsthand testimony and provide historical context from one of the movement’s central figures.
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