Book Review: Assata: An Autobiography by Assata Shakur
Assata: An Autobiography by Assata Shakur
Published: January 1, 1987
Rating: ★★★★★ (5 stars)
Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography
Quick Thoughts: This powerful autobiography offers a raw, unflinching look at Assata Shakur’s life—from her childhood to her political awakening and eventual imprisonment and escape. Whether or not you’re familiar with her story, this book challenges what you think you know about justice, race, and resistance in America. A vital read.
I purchased this book myself. There was no obligation to post/give this book a certain rating. All views are my own. I remain entirely impartial.
READER INFORMATION:
Recommended for adult readers due to mature themes, including state violence, racism, political repression, and incarceration. Best suited for those interested in political memoirs, Black liberation movements, and critical race studies. Particularly powerful when read alongside The Autobiography of Malcolm X and The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander.
ABOUT THIS BOOK:
Assata: An Autobiography is the riveting life story of Assata Shakur—revolutionary, former Black Panther, and member of the Black Liberation Army—told in her own words. Arrested in 1973 after a shootout on the New Jersey Turnpike that left a state trooper dead, Shakur was convicted of murder despite significant controversy over the evidence and trial. She later escaped prison in 1979 and has since lived in political exile in Cuba.
The book intertwines her political journey with deeply personal reflections, covering her childhood, activism, and experience within a system designed to criminalize Black resistance. Shakur offers a thorough critique of American capitalism, Eurocentrism, and racism, while also advocating for the power of cultural pride and historical awareness in the African diaspora.
FIRST THOUGHTS
This book came to me through a Goodreads recommendation after I read The Autobiography of Malcolm X, and I honestly don’t know how I hadn’t heard of Assata Shakur before. Once I learned of her connection to Tupac’s family, I was even more intrigued—but nothing could have prepared me for the emotional depth of her story.
Reading it felt like being pulled through every emotion imaginable: rage, sorrow, clarity, hope. I finished it in a day, not because it was light, but because I couldn’t look away.
MY BOOK REVIEW
Assata: An Autobiography is one of those books that shakes something loose in you. It’s not just a memoir—it’s a reclamation of voice, truth, and history. Shakur writes with clarity and conviction, making her story accessible without watering it down.
The legal case alone—how she was shot, arrested, tried under questionable circumstances, and convicted—is enough to spark disbelief and outrage. But Shakur goes beyond the courtroom to provide the context that’s often left out of mainstream narratives: her upbringing, her political consciousness, and her deep love for her people.
One of the most powerful elements of this book is her exploration of how capitalism and Eurocentrism function to erase and exploit the African diaspora. Her reflections on race, identity, and education aren’t just insightful—they’re necessary. Whether or not you agree with every part of her ideology, Assata pushes you to question how power is wielded and who gets to define justice.
If you haven’t read this yet, please do. And if you have, read it again with The Autobiography of Malcolm X and The New Jim Crow as companions. Together, they paint a devastating—but necessary—portrait of America’s racial history and the ongoing fight for liberation.
