ASSATA

Hey there!

Lately, I've been reading the book Assata, which is an autobiography  written by Assata Shakur. The name Shakur is familiar to many as it is the shared name with hip-hop icon Tupac. Assata was in fact Tupac's step-aunt and godmother, which is one of the  reasons why I became interested in reading this book in the first place. Another reason is Dr.Hill's African American Studies course where we tackled the topic of the Black Panther Party, which is when I was first introduced to Assata.

A little background information: Assata Shakur, born JoAnne Chesimard, was a member of the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army. After being convicted of murder in 1973, Assata served two years in prison then escaped to Cuba, where she now resides. She is the first female to be added to the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorist list. While the Assata action was hot during the 70’s, many civilians relied on the media for factual news. Of course being a biased  industry at the time, Assata was named public enemy number one. The accused murder of a police officer on the New Jersey turnpike is the introduction to a captivating first chapter.

Assata begins her autobiography by including a poem called Affirmation. This poem sets the melancholy mood that is found again at the end of the first chapter. The first few pages of the chapter are a snapshot of the turnpike incident. Captured by exact detail, the moment was painted in my mind. I was lying next to her as this happened. The first lines read, “There were lights and sirens. Zayd was dead. My mind knew that Zayd was dead. The air was like cold glass. Huge bubbles rose and burst. Each one felt like an explosion in my chest. My mouth tasted like blood and dirt”(Shakur 3). After reading the first few pages I expected the book to be entirely in this format. I was wrong.

As chapter two approaches, we are again met with another poem. This led me to just skim ahead and look there the book to find that there is a poem at the beginning and end of every chapter. I really like this idea. I’ve never read and entire book that was like this. I think these poems hold a lot of power because they suggest what the next chapter is about and wrap up the previous chapter. Anyway, chapter two- whoa. Huge change from what I had just read. At this point, the author delves into her past reminiscing about her childhood and her family. I found it fascinating to learn about someone who became such an icon for black activists, for the black community in general , someone who is considered a terrorist, had such a wonderful and ordinary (at least during that time period) childhood. This was by far my favorite part of reading. It was personal and a side of her that the public never had a chance to see. 

          I’m literally only two chapters deep in this book (oops), but I already know I’m going to love it. I’m looking forward to reading about her prison escape and about her family and how she became involved in activist community. 'Til next time!