Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Assata: An Autobiography by Assata Shakur

15 reviews

lela's review

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Incredible autobiography. A lot of the things that Assata went through are very difficult to read but her story is integral to understanding Black history and Black oppression by the US government. You should absolutely read this book

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Violence, Torture, Stalking, Police brutality, and Physical abuse

mscalls's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful informative tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Hate crime, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Slavery

grei's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Before I start, please note that I am white, nonbinary, mentally ill, & neurodivergent and that informs how I read this book written by a Black revolutionary woman on her experience with racism.

This book is absolutely beautifully written. It is an autobiography that alternates between a chronological biography of her life and her experience with the u.s. prison & "justice" system. Shakur not only discusses her life & activism but also includes important history that the u.s. school system either lied about or left out to serve their own narrative.

An incredibly important book, perfect for anyone interested in u.s. history, the u.s. prison and/or judicial system, activism and learning to become an activist, and the u.s. Civil Rights Movement of the '60s and '70s.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Medical trauma, Grief, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Xenophobia, Medical content, Kidnapping, Hate crime, and Bullying

Moderate: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Islamophobia, Medical content, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Addiction

Minor: Ableism, Violence, Trafficking, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Hate crime, Gun violence, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Blood, and Body shaming

Before I start, please note that I am white, nonbinary, mentally ill, & neurodivergent and that informs how I read this book written by a Black revolutionary woman on her experience with racism. Though I've tagged a myriad of different content warnings, Shakur always describes and discusses them within context of why it's important, and I found that because of that her focus is not on the trauma or pain. She chooses to write about all her experiences as lessons learned along the way, and framing it in that context makes her writing much less emotionally triggering. She never goes into explicit or gory detail, but I put many topics in the "graphic" category because they are discussed thoroughly in ways that if someone is particularly sensitive it could potentially put them in a bad place if they are caught off guard.

This is particularly true of her experience almost getting raped and of her experience being pregnant in prison and trying to attain proper medical care.

The ableism I tagged is solely her use of slurs to describe some of the incompetent people she encounters; I only noticed it three or four times throughout the entire book.

peachani's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Hate crime, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, and Torture

Moderate: Gun violence and Sexual assault

meha's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative tense medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Violence, Torture, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Confinement