Paul J. Magnarella’s book Black Panther in Exile: The Pete O'Neal Story has won the silver medal in the 2020 Florida Book Awards General Nonfiction category.
Established in 2006, the Florida Book Awards is the most comprehensive state book awards program in the nation. Winning books and their authors will be showcased in the summer 2021 issue of FORUM, the statewide magazine of the Florida Humanities Council, and will be featured at book festivals and association conferences throughout the year. In addition, copies of all award-winning books will be put on permanent public display in the Florida Governor’s Mansion Library and in Florida State University’s Strozier Library. The Florida Book Awards exists to identify, honor, and profile Florida’s best books and their authors.
Dr. Magnarella, University of Florida Emeritus in Criminology, Law and Society. A veteran of the United Nations Criminal Tribunals, Magnarella served as O'Neal's Attorney during his Federal Court appeals (1997-2001) to overturn his wrongful convictions.
Pete O'Neal founded the Kansas City branch of the Black Panther Party. When Illinois Black Panther Party Chairman Fred Hampton (Movie: Judas and the Black Messiah) was assassinated by the FBI and Chicago Police in 1969, O'Neal and his wife fled the United States in 1970 in fear for his life. He has been in exile first in Algeria and now in Tanzania ever since.
From Book Jacket: "A fascinating, introspective biography of the life and times of former Black Panther and African American expatriate Pete O'Neal....--Kwasi Densu, Florida A&M University.