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. The result is a signal contribution to the
literature about growing up Black in America that has already taken its
place alongside The Autobiography of Malcolm X and the works of Maya
Angelou. Two years after her conviction, Assata Shakur escaped from
prison. She was given political asylum by Cuba, where she now resides.
