Assata: An Autobiography
Assata: An Autobiography is Assata Shakur’s personal story, published in 1988. She wrote it while living in Cuba after getting political asylum in 1984.
The book begins with a 1973 shooting on the New Jersey Turnpike that killed Shakur’s friend Zayd Shakur and a New Jersey state trooper, left Shakur wounded, and put Sundiata Acoli on the run. The tale then moves back and forth between the present—her time in the hospital, prison, a difficult pregnancy, and her trials—and the past—her childhood in Queens, New York, summers with her grandparents in North Carolina, and how she grew into a Black power activist.
A notable moment is the recording “To My People,” made on Independence Day in 1973. The book includes this transcript, where Shakur speaks about being a Black revolutionary, her ties to the Black Liberation Army, and her views on police brutality, racism, and U.S. wars abroad.
Forewords by Angela Davis and Lennox Hinds frame the story. They describe Shakur’s experiences with oppression and harsh treatment by the justice system, and they connect her personal story to wider struggles against racism and political repression.
The narrative covers the tough realities of the legal battles she faced, the harsh conditions in jail, and the fight to get proper medical care. It also follows her pregnancy and the many challenges she endured in hospital and prison life.
As the story moves forward, Shakur describes her growing involvement with the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army, and later her decision to go underground to avoid capture. She eventually finds safety in Cuba, where she begins a new life and reflects on racism in the United States versus life in Cuba.
The book ends with Shakur looking back on her life and explaining why she believes in revolution and a better future for Black people and other oppressed communities. She notes how life in Cuba has given her a sense of safety and dignity, and she ends with memories shared with her mother, aunt, and daughter in Cuba.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 05:07 (CET).