2009 Reading #79: Assata: An Autobiography
Books 1-10.
Books 11-20.
Books 21-30.
Books 31-40.
Books 41-50.
Books 51-60.
Books 61-70.
71. The Elephant's Secret Sense by Caitlin O'Connell.
72. Bloom County Babylon: Five Years of Basic Naughtiness by Berke Breathed.
73. Moon Called by Patricia Briggs.
74. The End of the Story: The Collected Fantasies of Clark Ashton Smith, Volume 1 by Clark Ashton Smith.
75. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg.
76. Hmong Means Free: Life in Laos and America by Sucheng Chan.
77. Dungeon: Zenith Volume 3: Back In Style by Joann Sfar, Lewis Trondheim, and Boulet.
78. Watchmen: Absolute Edition by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.
79. Assata: An Autobiography by Assata Shakur. Shakur's own account of her life, from growing up in New York City to her politicization and involvement with sixties radicalism, to life underground and her incarceration after being charged with multiple crimes--for most of which she was never convicted. A member of the Black Panter Party and the Black Liberation Army, Shakur talks passionately about the class and race oppression she witnessed and experiences, but she does omit certain incidents and details; her marriage is covered in a single paragraph, and the 1973 shootout on the New Jersey Turnpike where she was captured is never covered in any detail. Similarly, her life underground and her escape are little discussed. These lacunae are understandable, at least in part, as an effort to avoid incriminating others who may have been aiding her; at a couple of points, though, I wished for her to address the charges against her, at least, with a bit more directness. Still, this is a well-written memoir, chronicling some truly appalling treatment by the justice system. Currently Shakur is classified as a domestic terrorist, with a $1 million reward for her capture. Given the evidence (Assata sustained a gunshot wound during the Turnpike shootout--the medical evidence is such that she could only have been sitting, with her hands raised, when that happened), that's simply ridiculous. To learn more about Assata check out her Wikipedia entry or her website.
Books 11-20.
Books 21-30.
Books 31-40.
Books 41-50.
Books 51-60.
Books 61-70.
71. The Elephant's Secret Sense by Caitlin O'Connell.
72. Bloom County Babylon: Five Years of Basic Naughtiness by Berke Breathed.
73. Moon Called by Patricia Briggs.
74. The End of the Story: The Collected Fantasies of Clark Ashton Smith, Volume 1 by Clark Ashton Smith.
75. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg.
76. Hmong Means Free: Life in Laos and America by Sucheng Chan.
77. Dungeon: Zenith Volume 3: Back In Style by Joann Sfar, Lewis Trondheim, and Boulet.
78. Watchmen: Absolute Edition by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.
79. Assata: An Autobiography by Assata Shakur. Shakur's own account of her life, from growing up in New York City to her politicization and involvement with sixties radicalism, to life underground and her incarceration after being charged with multiple crimes--for most of which she was never convicted. A member of the Black Panter Party and the Black Liberation Army, Shakur talks passionately about the class and race oppression she witnessed and experiences, but she does omit certain incidents and details; her marriage is covered in a single paragraph, and the 1973 shootout on the New Jersey Turnpike where she was captured is never covered in any detail. Similarly, her life underground and her escape are little discussed. These lacunae are understandable, at least in part, as an effort to avoid incriminating others who may have been aiding her; at a couple of points, though, I wished for her to address the charges against her, at least, with a bit more directness. Still, this is a well-written memoir, chronicling some truly appalling treatment by the justice system. Currently Shakur is classified as a domestic terrorist, with a $1 million reward for her capture. Given the evidence (Assata sustained a gunshot wound during the Turnpike shootout--the medical evidence is such that she could only have been sitting, with her hands raised, when that happened), that's simply ridiculous. To learn more about Assata check out her Wikipedia entry or her website.