A Symbol of the Struggle for Freedom: Assata Shakur

Past, present and future of the struggle for civil rightsOne of the most interesting aspects of Assata Shakur's autobiography, in addition to its content, is the structure of the book itself, which allows the reader to travel between past and present, following the evolution of the American society but also Assata's personal growth. Recounting her childhood and young adult years at the same time as her experience in prison and through her different trials, the former Black Panther member and advocate of the Black Liberation Army paints a very grim but realistic picture of the American society, with its racism, inequalities and injustice. Focusing on social and political issues, but never limiting her analyses to the African-American struggle for Civil Rights, Assata rather takes a broader and more global approach, in the same way as Malcolm X did after his trip to Africa. What she fights against is not only racism, but also classism and sexism. Furthermore, rather than focusi
ng exclusively on Black people's issues, she sees a larger trend that unites South Americans as well as Asians, who are all victims of racism in the States. The structure of the book allows the author to introduce personal experiences as an example of what so many people were going through at the time. It is also very interesting to witness her evolution and how her beliefs were moulded through the years.The voice of the minorityBeing a Black woman in America in the 1960s meant having to deal with twice as much prejudice and injustice and Assata Shakur is therefore a symbol, a voice that represents minorities and their struggle for freedom. Her writing style, as well as her blunt honesty and outspoken nature make this autobiography a very interesting and intense read. Mentioning all the hardships she had to experience but never indulging in self-pity or sordid realism, the activist uses her own life as an example, to explain what kind of situations minorities were facing on
a daily basis. One of the main lessons of the book is resilience, as is manifested with how Assata survived many years in prison and ridiculously biased trials, stayed strong despite repeated physical and mental assaults, and kept on fighting when she could have given up on many occasions. A symbol of the struggle for minorities' civil rights, this woman who decided to grab her own freedom when she realised it would never been given to her is a very inspiring figure and her words should be read by many more people, as they are universal and can encourage anyone to take their destiny into their hands and fight for what they believe is right. Assata: An Autobiography is a book that is highly recommended for anyone interested in the Civil Rights movement and its aftermath in the United-States, but also in the current state of society and the world.http://www.amazon.co.uk/Assata-Autobiography-Lawrence-Hill-Co/dp/1556520743

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