04/25/2026
Next month, on May 18, we're diving into the first half of Assata Shakur's autobiography, inspired by a chapter in last month's book-club read by Angela Davis. The blurb on the back cover gives you a sense of why this feels like such an imporant book right now, at a time when the Trump regime is attempting to demonize and criminalize anythign resembling leftist thought, much less action:
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.
You can order the book for yourself in hardcover or eBook form from The NewSouth Bookstore in Montgomery at https://bookshop.org/p/books/assata-an-autobiography-assata-shakur/e032d5709b83b5ef?ean=9781556520747&next=t&affiliate=11747796, or by calling the shop at 334-834-3556
An Autobiography