Assata Shakur Book Report

On May 2, 1973, Black Panther Assata Shakur lay handcuffed to her death bed, while countless officers attempted to question her about the shootout on the New Jersey Turnpike that took the life of a state trooper. Being the target of a campaign to criminalize African American nationalist leaders, Shakur was incarcerated for four years before she was convicted in 1977. This intense autobiography follows the political and personal life of Assata Shakur as she recounts the experiences that led her to the life of activism. Her memoir is an exclusive insight into the way of life in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Her story serves as an excellent contribution to the literature about growing up an African American in America. She starts her autobiography

For example, Shakur states, “Suddenly the door flew open and I felt myself being dragged out onto pavement. Pushed and punched, a foot upside my head, a kick in the stomach. Police were everywhere. One had a gun to my head.” By meticulously describing this incident, Shakur accomplishes her goal of eliciting a response from the reader. She recounted the details as she remembered them, in a chaotic fashion. Barley being able to process one strike before another was inflicted upon her. Describing the events in this way, helped the readers feel in the moment rather than reading about the moment. Additionally Shakur provides visual imagery in chapter 3 while describing her living conditions in prison. She states, “I was put in a cell with two doors. A door of bars was on the inside, and directly outside of that was a heavy metal door with a tiny peephole that I could barely see through. The cell contained a cot with a rough green blanket on it and a dirty white wooden bench with a hundred names scratched on it. Adjacent to the cell was the bathroom, with a sink, a toilet, and a shower. Hanging above the sink was the bottom of a pot or pan. It was supposed to serve as a mirror, but I could barely see myself in it. There was one window covered by three thick metal screens facing a

Every narrative is based on the foundation of the author’s beliefs and assumptions about the world. In this case, Shakur’s ideology, or driving force, is her belief that her people are falling victim to systematic oppression. This mentality alone, pushes her to fight for her people and end the oppression that so many were becoming accustomed to. However Shakur soon learns that participating in the United States political system was delivering no justice. She learns that the only person that can free her, is herself. One example of this is when Shakur states, “It was plain to me that we couldn’t look to the courts for freedom and justice any more than we could expect to gain our liberation by participating in the U.S political system, and it was pure fantasy to think we could gain them by begging. The only alternative left was to fight for them, and we are going to have to fight like any other people who have fought for liberation.” At this point, Shakur, as a young woman, realizes that she will need to fight for the rights of her people, just like others have before her. Another excellent example of this is after Shakur’s participation in the New Jersey trials. She states, “When I sit back today and examine why I participated in that trial, I think I must have been crazy. I guess I had been through too many trials and gotten too many acquittals and let