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.