Assata

On May 2, 1973, Black Panther Assata Shakur, born JoAnne Chesimard, lay in a hospital, close to death, hancuffed 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.

This intensely personal and political autobiography reveals a sensitive, gifted young woman, whose passion for life and justice belies the fearsome image of JoAnne Chesimard projected by the media and the State in the 1970s. With wit and candor, Assata Shakur 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 government officials. The result is a signal contribution to the literature about growning up Black in America that is destined to take its place alongside The Autobiography of Malcome X and the works of Maya Angelou.

Two years ager her conviction, Assatu Shakur escaped from prison. She was given political asylum by Cube where she now resides.