Assata Shakur

The author, formerly known as JoAnne Chesimard, relates the formative experiences of her youth that led her to a life of activism in Black nationalist organizations and, eventually, to prison

An Autobiography

Assata

i should’ve read this ages ago. it’s going to be a text to come back to often.

mara henderson

i should’ve read this ages ago. it’s going to be a text to come back to often.

I believe in living



Our struggles are so very intimately connected. We should match our intentions & our words with our actions, as Assata says.

„Each time one of imperialism's tentacles is cut off we are closer to liberation. [...] Imperialism is an international system of exploitation, and, we, as revolutionaries, need to be internationalists to defeat it.”

I've read it with a knot in my neck, heart alternating between being as big as a flea to full of love and inspiration. You should read it too. Please read it too.

She went through hell and back at the hands of white people. Of bastard police. Of racists, both the loud kind and the quiet, enabler kind. At the hand of patriarchy. And yet, in spite of it all, she stood by herself, finding herself and her culture in every instance, in every trial, in every struggle.

The book is so well structured. There's a main arc, the one of her trials for allegedly murdering a bastard cop (which she didn't), and snapshots from throughout her life.

As with any book I fall in love with, this one is full of passages you'll want to turn into huge billboards so everyone could read and shed off some privilege and wilful ignorance.

Won't spoil anything in this review but ugh. I did spoil it for the people that were unfortunate enough to talk to me while I was reading this, haha.

Darda Nella

I had never read a biography of a public figure. I didn’t imagine what it would be like. I found really interesting to discover not only what Assata wanted to tell, but also what she didn’t tell. I am thankful because I learned a lot about activisim, revolution, and the black struggle and freedom fight in Amerika. However, I didn’t find a person in this story. I just found the story of a movement looked through a person’s eyes and identity. Very interesting. I would totally recommend this book, specially if you have time to read it carefully.

Rachel Kwon

Should be required reading for all Americans.

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 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. ... Two years after her conviction, Assata Shakur escaped from prison. She was given political asylum by Cuba, where she now resides.

Katherine

A fascinating life story and an eye opening indictment of the US prison system. Everyone should read this book.

Yeldah Yousfi

'Deftly written...a spellbinding tale.' The New York Times In 2013 Assata Shakur, founding member of the Black Liberation Army, former Black Panther and godmother of Tupac Shakur, became the first ever woman to make the FBI's most wanted terrorist list. Assata Shakur's trial and conviction for the murder of a white state trooper in the spring of 1973 divided America. Her case quickly became emblematic of race relations and police brutality in the USA. While Assata's detractors continue to label her a ruthless killer, her defenders cite her as the victim of a systematic, racist campaign to criminalize and suppress black nationalist organizations. This intensely personal and political autobiography reveals a sensitive and gifted woman. With wit and candour Assata recounts the formative experiences that led her to embrace a life of activism. With pained awareness she portrays the strengths, weaknesses and eventual demise of black and white revolutionary groups at the hands of the state. A major contribution to the history of black liberation, destined to take its place alongside The Autobiography of Malcolm X and the works of Maya Angelou.

Assata An Autobiography

Reviews