An Amerikan Family: The Shakurs and the Nation They Created
by Santi Elijah Holley
Buy on AmazonAn enlightening history of the rise and lasting impact of Black liberation groups in America, as seen through the Shakurs, one of the movement's most prominent and fiercely creative families, home to Tupac and Assata, and a powerful incubator for today's activism, scholarship, and artistry. They have been celebrated, glorified, and mythologized. They have been hailed as heroes, liberators, and freedom fighters. They have been condemned, pursued, imprisoned, exiled, and killed. But the true and complete story of the Shakur family--one of the most famous names in contemporary Black American history--has never been told. For over fifty years, the Shakurs have inspired generations of activists, scholars, and music fans.…
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"Twenty-seven years after Tupac Shakur’s unsolved murder, Las Vegas police are finally working to bring the case to justice. But to grasp the seismic tragedy of his death, you have to understand how unjust Pac’s life was from birth. Santi Elijah Holley doubles all the way down on that mission, detailing the legacy of struggle, self-determination and sacrifice Pac shouldered as a Shakur. From his mother Afeni to his godmother Assata to his stepfather Mutulu, his family members were freedom fighters and self-declared political prisoners who dared to dream, and wage war, in the name of Black liberation. Before Pac picked up a mic and tatted “Thug Life” on his torso, his people were branded America’s Most Wanted. Even in defeat, this revolutionary family rerouted the course of U.S. history. The book is documented proof."
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