An autobiography is a 1988 autobiographical book by assata shakur. Written by assata shakur, angela davis foreword, audiobook narrated by sirena riley. I pride myself on reading all kinds of books and not limiting myself to one particular genre. Find authors like assata shakur from the worlds largest community of readers. Oct 14, 2016 ash sarkar, senior editor at novara media, discusses assata, the autobiography of assata shakur, and how it has inspired and informed her on a personal and political level. Assata lived a very interesting life, much different than the majority of us, and she told her story in an uncomplicated and intriguing manner. An autobiography release ebooks by assata shakur 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. Goodreads members who like assata shakur also like. An autobiography 1987, follows shakurs life as she grows up in new york, joins the black liberation army, and is falsely convicted of murder. This is the second book that i read from the black panther party series.
Assata shakur books list of books by author assata shakur. An autobiography is worth reading, especially since its still relevant today. Assata shakur is a living legend whose lessons should be taught to any wouldbe panafrican. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading assata. An autobiography1947 1984 kindle edition by shakur, assata. The compelling way she tells her story drew us all in.
Whether or not you believe her guilty, the discussions her book invites on race, wealth, the role of government agencies, the zn education and prison systems, drug culture are crucial. The book opens with a gruesome, bloody, detailed account of the assault. Assata shakur has been living in cuba since 1986, after escaping from prison where she was serving a life sentence imposed in a highly disputed trial. While some autobiographies from this period read like an anthology of groups. An autobiography,published in 1987, after assata was wellestablished as a political refugee, provides an account of the life of one of the. Assata spent six and a half years in prison under brutal circumstances before escaping out of the maximum security wing of the clinton correctional facility for women in new jersey in 1979. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. My first memory of assata shakur was the wanted posters all over my brooklyn neighborhood. Jul, 2014 like blood and sweat and feet and open sores and, if misery has a smell, like misery. Now im quite upset that i didnt know about her sooner or that i hadnt read her story when i was younger. An autobiography by assata shakur in pdf epub format complete free. After a while, people just think oppression is the normal state of things. An autobiography by assata shakur, angela davis on.
Curriculum guide assata, an autobiography summary in 1973, assata shakur, a leader in the black liberation movement of the 1960s and 70s, was convicted, based on flimsy evidence, of being an accomplice in the murder of a new jersey state trooper. On may 2, black panther assata shakur aka joanne chesimard lay in a this intensely personal and political autobiography belies the fearsome. As a child she spent time working with her grandparents in a restaurant they own by the beach. Assata s activities in the struggle for black liberation and to neautralize the system of racism. Assata audiobook by assata shakur, angela davis foreword.
An autobiography, edition 2 by assata shakur books. This black activists memoir is like a freeze frame of the late 1960s and early 1970s. They suspected her and a few other activists of murdering a state trooper. Assata shakur s trial and conviction for the murder of a white state trooper in the spring of 1973 divided america. Like most of us today, her education was polished so as to leave out the bad stuff, such as the north didnt free slaves for moral reasons, but economic. Signin to download and listen to this audiobook today. While i respect assata and all that she did for the africanamerican race, i was unimpressed by her memoir. Assata shakur is currently considered a single author. In the early 70s, black panther freedom rider assata shakur chronicles her life from the moment where she is brutally beaten by police off the new jersey turnpike. An autobiography is a autobiographical book by assata shakur. Set in the 1960s through the 1980s, assata olugbala shakurs memoir, assata. 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.
The books that prove black lives have always mattered in america. An autobiography assata shakur, angela davis download. An autobiography, by assata shakur is available now from zed books, priced. And then common wrote a song for assata on his 2000 album, like water for chocolate. She is also an escaped convict and has been linked to the black liberation army bla. See all books authored by assata shakur, including assata. Assata quotes showing 121150 of 165 after a while, many of the whites asked to be excused before evelyn even asked them any questions. An autobiography, and must say that it has had a profound impact on me. Ive sent the book around to my circle of friends and they all love it and now own their own copy. An autobiography charts the development of the revolutionarys political consciousness and personal ethics. On may 2, 1973, black panther assata shakur aka joanne chesimard lay in. The life story of africanamerican revolutionary shakur, previously known as joanne chesimard. Assata s activities in the struggle for black liberation and to. Though the polemical rhetoric is dated, the book is an otherwise compelling tale of the impact of white racism on a sensitive and powerful young.
Edgar hoovers campaign to defame, infiltrate, and criminalize black. Mar 02, 2018 this is the second book that i read from the black panther party series. Why its important to read assata by assata shakur saddle. Get this book free when you sign up for a 30day trial. July 16, 1947, sometimes referred to by her married surname chesimard is a former member of the black liberation army, who was convicted of the firstdegree murder of state trooper werner foerster during a shootout on the new jersey turnpike in 1973. An autobiography from the worlds largest community of readers. Point is, assata, and in particular her book, seems to have taken a hold of a great many of us in the. Shakur alternates across chapters between recounting her childhood and adolescence and dramatizing the many court cases she faced as an adult on the basis of flimsy or fabricated evidence. Our discussion of the book was not well attended, but it was lively. More than simply a political chronology, in this book assata shakur shares the life experiences that led her to embrace revolutionary politics and the fight for human liberation. After escaping from prison, shakur finds political asylum in cuba, where she has resided ever since. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read assata.
To my people was a recorded statement released by assata shakur while in jail in middlesex county, nj. This book is a must read for anyone who is studying how the system of racism white supremacy operates. But to become free, you have to be acutely aware of being a slave. Save up to 80% by choosing the etextbook option for isbn. The tape was recorded on independence day, 1973, and was broadcast on numerous radio stations. An autobiography 2 by assata shakur, angela davis, lennox s. Assata was a black panther then a black liberation army bla leader in the early 70s, so she was a target of the fbis cointelpro operation. They arent public so you need the link which you get to hear automatically in the playlist. On may 2, 1973, black panther assata shakur aka joanne chesimard lay in a. Assata an autobiography 2nd edition by assata shakur and publisher zed books, limited. Assata, is an autobiography that travels at a fast pace and its hard to put down because you will truly anticipate the conclusion. This book should be read by all young black children. Share assata shakur quotations about struggle, oppression and racism.
The less you think about your oppression, the more your tolerance for it grows. The revolutionary black liberation army of the 1970s rose out of the ashes of the black panther party to free black people in the united states, this. Assata tells her story and also includes some of her poetry. The new york times in 20 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 fbis most wanted terrorist list. They said her name was joanne chesimard, that she was a killer, an escaped convict, and armed and dangerous. Apr 25, 2016 a good friend of mine recently recommended that i read assata by assata shakur and i took her up on it. When it comes to memoirs or books based on individuals coming of age, i like to read these books to figure out what the protagonist or subject of the book learned from everything that happened to himher. This book shows the development of a young girl victimized by racism and sexism in the jim crow south and the liberal north into a warrior and freedom fighter. Black panther assata shakur aka joanne chesimard lay in a hospital.
Assata shakurs trial and conviction for the murder of a. An autobiography 9781556520747 by shakur, assata and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. The story shakur tells in her autobiography, first published in 1988, is of the. An autobiography about black panther assata shakur aka joanne chesimard in her revolutionary autobiography assata, joanne chesimard better known as black panther assata shakur shares how she came to live a life of 15 history books to read for black history month. I had the privilege of reading assata shakur s autobiography, assata. If one or more works are by a distinct, homonymous authors, go ahead and split the author. Ours is a heritage of standing up against tyranny and struggling against injustice, and with the spirit of women like assata shakur in mind, we should never cease our revolutionary insurgency. An autobiography, edition 2 ebook written by assata shakur. Shakur recounts what happened after a shooting on the new jersey state turnpike, the shooting left new. I had never heard of assata shakur until i saw her named mentioned in another book i was reading. Published november 1st 1999 by lawrence hill books first published 1987.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. But also i feel like she did an amazing job of showing how racism had transformed over time. She was living with her mother, aunt and her grandparents in wilmington north carolina. If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support. In her revolutionary autobiography, assata, joanne chesimard better known as black panther assata shakur shares how she came to live a life of fierce activism, as well as how the takedown.
The book assata gives great insight into the role that women played in the black panther party and contrary to popular belief the women did not take the back seat. In 20 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 fbis most wanted terrorist list. The book was written in cuba where shakur currently has political asylum. On may 2 1973, black panther activist assata shakur fsn joanne chesimard, was pulled over by the new jersey state police, shot twice and then charged with murder of a police officer. Assata 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.
Assata was the first book for a book club my colleague and i started with our students. They made her sound like a supervillain, like something out of a comic book. Assata was and still is a hero of mine for many reasons, but back in the late 90s. An autobiography by assata shakur, paperback barnes. Assata shakur s autobiography assata shakur is a member of the black panthers and an activist. According to a new jersey police spokesperson, assata shakur was on her way to a new hideout in philadelphia and heading ultimately for washington and a book in the vehicle contained a list of potential bla targets.
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