Hardcover, 274 pages
English language
Published Dec. 1, 1987 by Lawrence Hill Books.
On May 2, 1973, Black Panther Assata Shakur (aka JoAnne Chesimard) lay in a hospital, close to death, handcuffed to her bed, while local, state, and federal police attempted to question her about the shootout on the New Jersey Turnpike that had claimed the life of a white state trooper. Long a target of J. Edgar Hoover's campaign to defame, infiltrate, and criminalize Black nationalist organizations and their leaders, Shakur was incarcerated for four years prior to her conviction on flimsy evidence in 1977 as an accomplice to murder.
This intensely personal and political autobiography belies the fearsome image of JoAnne Chesimard long projected by the media and the state. With wit and candor, Assata Shakur recounts the experiences that led her to a life of activism and portrays the strengths, weaknesses, and eventual demise of Black and White revolutionary groups at the hand of government officials. The result is …
On May 2, 1973, Black Panther Assata Shakur (aka JoAnne Chesimard) lay in a hospital, close to death, handcuffed to her bed, while local, state, and federal police attempted to question her about the shootout on the New Jersey Turnpike that had claimed the life of a white state trooper. Long a target of J. Edgar Hoover's campaign to defame, infiltrate, and criminalize Black nationalist organizations and their leaders, Shakur was incarcerated for four years prior to her conviction on flimsy evidence in 1977 as an accomplice to murder.
This intensely personal and political autobiography belies the fearsome image of JoAnne Chesimard long projected by the media and the state. With wit and candor, Assata Shakur recounts the experiences that led her to a life of activism and portrays the strengths, weaknesses, and eventual demise of Black and White revolutionary groups at the hand of government officials. The result is a signal contribution to the literature about growing up Black in America that has already taken its place alongside The Autobiography of Malcolm X and the works of Maya Angelou.
Two years after her conviction, Assata Shakur escaped from prison. She was given political asylum by Cuba, where she now resides.
I am so glad my friend gave me this book to read. This book is so necessary for anyone involved in political organizing, community organizing, mutual aid, etc. There are so many lessons pertaining to the COINTPRO campaign against Assata and other Black revolutionaries. Her message is poignant and so optimistic, but also so grounded in a scientific and material understanding of our world.
Assata taught me so much on emerging black womanhood, navigating through imposter syndrome, loving family and yourself, and so much more. I plan to read this book again in a few years just so it all sticks and I never forget my own calling.
I was looking for a book to help me understand how black people experience racism, and this one delivered.
The Book has an autobiographical style and wholistic approach that makes it easy to take Assata‘s perspective. It is a story of slow radicalization of a kind, intelligent woman - and a document of a long list of different manifestations of racism.
Parts of the book are hard to read because of the sheer brutality - sometimes physical, sometimes social - of the events described. But parts of it are beautiful, too.
This book was everything I hoped - it kept me engaged all the way, and opened my eyes to a different perspective on the world we all live in. It also gave me new appreciation for the people who dedicate their life to a fight against injustice.
I didn't really know Assata's story before reading. This was an incredible story. I found it engaging and believable. Also both inspiring and sad.
An important book to read for those of us who were born after the radical movements of the 60s and 70s were squashed - or in my case, who was born the day that she is accused of having tried to kill a cop.
