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A review by notthatcosta
An Autobiography by Angela Y. Davis
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
In 2023 it's difficult to conceive a court case built around a non-celebrity that was able to cultivate an international solidarity movement, but this book does an excellent job of laying the groundwork to understand the context of where Angela Davis' activism fit within the crossover of the Cold War and the movement for Black liberation.
I also enjoyed the way in which Angela builds in her backstory, the origins of her activism and how travel and academia both sit so centrally in the forcing of her political identity.
All of this, plus the vivid descriptions of her experiences in the prison system AND the two forwards she added to the original book in both 1988 and 2011 make it feel both singular and relevant to this moment in time.
My one complaint would be the size of some of the sections in relation to others, and my own inability to register the many names she references throughout the book.
I also enjoyed the way in which Angela builds in her backstory, the origins of her activism and how travel and academia both sit so centrally in the forcing of her political identity.
All of this, plus the vivid descriptions of her experiences in the prison system AND the two forwards she added to the original book in both 1988 and 2011 make it feel both singular and relevant to this moment in time.
My one complaint would be the size of some of the sections in relation to others, and my own inability to register the many names she references throughout the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Confinement, Racism, Murder, Hate crime, Death, and Gun violence