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Death Blossoms: Reflections from a Prisoner of Conscience
Profound meditations on life, death, freedom, family, and faith, written by radical Black journalist, Mumia Abu-Jamal, while he was awaiting his execution.
"Uncompromising, disturbing . . . Abu-Jamal's voice has the clarity and candor of a man whose impending death emboldens him to say what is on his mind without fear of consequence."-- The Boston Globe
"A brilliant, lucid meditation on the moral obligation of political commitment by a deeply ethical--and deeply wronged--human being. Mumia should be freed, now."--Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Alphonse Fletcher, Jr. University Professor & Director of the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research at Harvard University
"A brilliant, powerful book by a prophetic writer . . . his language glows with an affirming flame."--Jonathan Kozol, author of Death at an Early Age and Rachel and Her Children
Journalist and activist Mumia Abu-Jamal has been imprisoned since 1982 for the killing of a police officer, a crime he steadfastly maintained he did not commit. In 1996, after serving more than a decade on death row, and with the likelihood of execution looming, he began receiving regular visits from members of the Bruderhof spiritual community, a group of refugees from Hitler's Germany. Inspired by these encounters, Mumia began to write a series of personal essays reflecting on his search for spiritual meaning within a society plagued by materialism, hypocrisy, and violence. "Many people say it is insane to resist the system," writes Mumia, "but actually it is insane not to."
This expanded edition of Death Blossoms brings a classic, influential work back into print with a new introduction by Mumia, and includes the entire text of a groundbreaking report by Amnesty International detailing the legal improprieties and chronic injustices that marred his trial.
Praise for Death Blossoms, Expanded Edition
"For years in my classrooms I have watched Death Blossoms do its luminous work. It has awakened the conscience of so many of my student readers. Once awakened, they begin to shoulder the disciplines of its revolutionary knowing, moral passion, historical precision and clarity of reason. No wonder repressive powers seek death for this prisoner of conscience. Alas for them, Mumia still lives. From streets to classrooms and back, Death Blossoms keeps opening up consciences, hearts, and minds for our revolutionary work."--Mark Lewis Taylor, Professor of Theology and Culture at Princeton Theological Seminary, and author of The Theological and the Political: On the Weight of the World
"Targeted by the FBI's COINTELPRO for his revolutionary politics, imprisoned, and sentenced to death, Mumia found freedom in resistance. His reflections here--on race, spirituality, on struggle, and life--illuminate this path to freedom for us all."--Joshua Bloom, co-author with Waldo E. Martin Jr. of Black Against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party
"In this revised edition of his groundbreaking work, Death Blossoms, convicted death row prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal tackles hard and existential questions, searching for God and a greater meaning in a caged life that may be cut short if the state has its way and takes his life. As readers follow Mumia's journey through his poems, short essays, and longer musings, they will learn not only about this singular individual who has retained his humanity despite the ever present threat of execution, but also about themselves and our society: what we are willing to tolerate and who we are willing to cast aside. If there is any justice, Mumia will prevail in his battle for his life and for his freedom."--Lara Bazelon, author of Rectify: The Power of Restorative Justice After Wrongful Conviction
"Mumia Abu-Jamal has challenged us to see the prison at the center of a long history of US oppression, and he has inspired us to keep faith with ordinary struggles against injustice under the most terrible odds and circumstances. Written more than two decades ago, Death Blossoms helps us to see beyond prison walls; it is as timely and as necessary as the day it was published."--Nikhil Pal Singh, founding faculty director of the NYU Prison Education Program, author of Race and America's Long War
"For over three decades, the words of Mumia Abu-Jamal have been tools many young activists have used to connect the dots of empire, racism, and resistance. The welcome reissue of Death Blossoms is a chance to reconnect with Abu-Jamal's prophetic voice, one that needs to be heard now more than ever."--Hilary Moore and James Tracy, co-authors of No Fascist USA!, The John Brown Anti-Klan Committee and Lessons for Today's Movements
"Uncompromising, disturbing . . . Abu-Jamal's voice has the clarity and candor of a man whose impending death emboldens him to say what is on his mind without fear of consequence."-- The Boston Globe
"A brilliant, lucid meditation on the moral obligation of political commitment by a deeply ethical--and deeply wronged--human being. Mumia should be freed, now."--Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Alphonse Fletcher, Jr. University Professor & Director of the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research at Harvard University
"A brilliant, powerful book by a prophetic writer . . . his language glows with an affirming flame."--Jonathan Kozol, author of Death at an Early Age and Rachel and Her Children
Journalist and activist Mumia Abu-Jamal has been imprisoned since 1982 for the killing of a police officer, a crime he steadfastly maintained he did not commit. In 1996, after serving more than a decade on death row, and with the likelihood of execution looming, he began receiving regular visits from members of the Bruderhof spiritual community, a group of refugees from Hitler's Germany. Inspired by these encounters, Mumia began to write a series of personal essays reflecting on his search for spiritual meaning within a society plagued by materialism, hypocrisy, and violence. "Many people say it is insane to resist the system," writes Mumia, "but actually it is insane not to."
This expanded edition of Death Blossoms brings a classic, influential work back into print with a new introduction by Mumia, and includes the entire text of a groundbreaking report by Amnesty International detailing the legal improprieties and chronic injustices that marred his trial.
Praise for Death Blossoms, Expanded Edition
"For years in my classrooms I have watched Death Blossoms do its luminous work. It has awakened the conscience of so many of my student readers. Once awakened, they begin to shoulder the disciplines of its revolutionary knowing, moral passion, historical precision and clarity of reason. No wonder repressive powers seek death for this prisoner of conscience. Alas for them, Mumia still lives. From streets to classrooms and back, Death Blossoms keeps opening up consciences, hearts, and minds for our revolutionary work."--Mark Lewis Taylor, Professor of Theology and Culture at Princeton Theological Seminary, and author of The Theological and the Political: On the Weight of the World
"Targeted by the FBI's COINTELPRO for his revolutionary politics, imprisoned, and sentenced to death, Mumia found freedom in resistance. His reflections here--on race, spirituality, on struggle, and life--illuminate this path to freedom for us all."--Joshua Bloom, co-author with Waldo E. Martin Jr. of Black Against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party
"In this revised edition of his groundbreaking work, Death Blossoms, convicted death row prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal tackles hard and existential questions, searching for God and a greater meaning in a caged life that may be cut short if the state has its way and takes his life. As readers follow Mumia's journey through his poems, short essays, and longer musings, they will learn not only about this singular individual who has retained his humanity despite the ever present threat of execution, but also about themselves and our society: what we are willing to tolerate and who we are willing to cast aside. If there is any justice, Mumia will prevail in his battle for his life and for his freedom."--Lara Bazelon, author of Rectify: The Power of Restorative Justice After Wrongful Conviction
"Mumia Abu-Jamal has challenged us to see the prison at the center of a long history of US oppression, and he has inspired us to keep faith with ordinary struggles against injustice under the most terrible odds and circumstances. Written more than two decades ago, Death Blossoms helps us to see beyond prison walls; it is as timely and as necessary as the day it was published."--Nikhil Pal Singh, founding faculty director of the NYU Prison Education Program, author of Race and America's Long War
"For over three decades, the words of Mumia Abu-Jamal have been tools many young activists have used to connect the dots of empire, racism, and resistance. The welcome reissue of Death Blossoms is a chance to reconnect with Abu-Jamal's prophetic voice, one that needs to be heard now more than ever."--Hilary Moore and James Tracy, co-authors of No Fascist USA!, The John Brown Anti-Klan Committee and Lessons for Today's Movements
248 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
April 29, 2010
I think this was a 3.5 star. Parts of this were brilliant, but I thought he had a fucked up analysis or lack thereof about Native issues (he plays up the "vanished Indian" rhetoric). And he asks if trans people are "sexual materialist[s:] who [have:] merely purchased a new sexual persona" (32) in an anti-materialistic culture rant. Um, woah there. However there were some really good poems and philosophical and spiritual writings as well. So 3.5 stars.
July 5, 2022
If you've read some essential/foundational Leftist texts, not much in here will surprise or further your political & theoretical understandings, but that's ok; that's not necessarily what this book is about. His essays on the carceral state & religion are most interesting, although the latter can sometimes get repetitive. Still - an interesting & crucial source
January 17, 2019
Had not read much by Mumia before except a couple essays and heard him on radio. I now want to read "Live from Death Row"!
He is a writer of flowing poetic prose who mixes crisp clarity with dollops of spirituality, while waxing revolutionary on an assortment of topics. This book is broken into multiple small essays, thoughts, an interview, and a poem or two, with topics touching on MOVE and the spiritual beliefs of John Africa (sacredness of Life, etc.), comparative religions, the horrors of the prison industrial complex, his history of journalism and being in the Black Panthers, along with musings on philosophy.
He said some profound things, including a good short essay on the essence of community (a good explanation in a nutshell of the Hillell proverb "If I am only for my self...") as well as a great talk to young people on the level of freedom and opportunity they have at this early stage in their lives, essentially free from the responsibilities of later life and career, etc, so the importance to develop themselves and study and think and enjoy the creativity of their freedom, etc. which I read to my 20 year old.
Very short and quick and enjoyable read.
He is a writer of flowing poetic prose who mixes crisp clarity with dollops of spirituality, while waxing revolutionary on an assortment of topics. This book is broken into multiple small essays, thoughts, an interview, and a poem or two, with topics touching on MOVE and the spiritual beliefs of John Africa (sacredness of Life, etc.), comparative religions, the horrors of the prison industrial complex, his history of journalism and being in the Black Panthers, along with musings on philosophy.
He said some profound things, including a good short essay on the essence of community (a good explanation in a nutshell of the Hillell proverb "If I am only for my self...") as well as a great talk to young people on the level of freedom and opportunity they have at this early stage in their lives, essentially free from the responsibilities of later life and career, etc, so the importance to develop themselves and study and think and enjoy the creativity of their freedom, etc. which I read to my 20 year old.
Very short and quick and enjoyable read.
December 12, 2018
Commendable! I was researching the MOVE movement when I’d discovered Mumia Abu-Jamal as a suggested author.
I meant to read the first 40 pages before bed, but I ended up staying up to finish this book over the course of a few hours. I didn’t want to put it down.
Suffice to say, this book leaves you hungry for more of his writing.
I meant to read the first 40 pages before bed, but I ended up staying up to finish this book over the course of a few hours. I didn’t want to put it down.
Suffice to say, this book leaves you hungry for more of his writing.
Read
July 31, 2007This book is powerful, concise and graphically arresting. Mumia is truly adept at breaking down the political hypocrisies and the possibilities in ways that regular folks (not necessarily academes) can understand.
January 3, 2011
You'll learn an awful lot awfully quickly by reading this book. Perhaps the thing I liked most about it were the dozens of quotes I walked away with. The wrongfully incarcerated Abu-Jamal is a mix between a modern day Thomas Paine and a better-spoken Che Guevara. I enjoyed every short chapter.
April 22, 2014
Like all of Mumia's books, this is essential reading.
Religion, politics, the hell that is death row, the US justice system, and many other subjects.
Mumia's words gives light, lots of light.
We need to listen.
Religion, politics, the hell that is death row, the US justice system, and many other subjects.
Mumia's words gives light, lots of light.
We need to listen.
June 6, 2008
Prison writings from Mumia Abu-Jamal. This is a good book to read for anyone interested in the prison industrial complex, death row, or humanity in general.
December 29, 2007
Only slightly better than Tupac's posthumous poem colection, The Rose that Grew from Concrete.
January 29, 2008
Read this one in Kuwait waiting to cross into Iraq at the begining of OIF. Very moving read. A man that is imprisoned reflects upon some of his life's lessons.
January 30, 2008
deep Deep Deep. This is a real eye opener, actually any of his books are eye openers.
February 26, 2008
not what i expected, but good.
April 15, 2008
i read this when i lived 2 blocks from geno's.
November 5, 2009
Mumia has done it again. I appreciate his liberation theology, written in not so many words. Must read for any social activist.
March 3, 2009
good stuff. but i wanna read other work of his. this one left something to be desired.
January 7, 2015
GOOD READ.
May 26, 2015
I still cannot imagine what it must take to stay free under such brutal conditions, but this straightforward and loving memoir brought me a little closer to understanding.
February 18, 2016
this was very exciting book. i would recommend it to my class
June 26, 2024
HIS SECOND BOOK
Mumia Abu-Jamal (born Wesley Cook in 1954) is a political activist and journalist who was convicted of murder and sentenced to death in 1982 for the 1981 murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner; in 2011, the prosecution agreed to a sentence of life imprisonment without parole.
The Foreword by Dr. Cornel West to this 1996 book states, “The passionate and prophetic voice of Mumia Abu-Jamal challenges us to wrestle with the most distinctive feature of present-day America: the relative erosion of the systems of caring and nurturing… our capitalist ‘civilization’ is killing our minds, bodies, and souls in the name of the American Dream. As one who has lived on the night-side of this dream---unjustly imprisoned for a crime he did not commit---Mumia Abu-Jamal speaks to us of the institutional injustice and spiritual impoverishment that permeates our culture… After over fifteen years of nightmarish jail conditions, Mumia Abu-Jamal is not only intact but still flourishing---just as the nation’s soul withers. Will we ever listen to and learn from our bloodstained prophets?”
Abu-Jamal wrote, “So strongly does the State object to me writing what you are now reading that they have begun to punish me, while I’m in the most punitive section that the system allows, for daring to speak and write the truth… Clearly, what the government wants is not just death, but silence. A ‘correct’ inmate is a silent one. One who speaks, writes, and exposes horror for what it is, is given a ‘misconduct.’ Is that a correct system? A system of corrections? In this department of state government, the First Amendment is a nullity.” (Pg. 1-2)
He observes, “Why is it that Pennsylvania’s African-Americans, who make up only 9% of its population, comprise close to two-thirds of its death row population? It is because … [it] is a place where politicians have built their careers on sending people to death row. They are not making their constituents any safer. They are not administering justice by their example. They are simply revealing the partiality of justice.” (Pg. 6-7)
He recounts that in his youth, “I reflected on the similarities between my Baptist and Muslim experiences. I was struck by how the Muslim minister---through his mouth vibrated with the rhythms and cadences of the black South, and though his message was shaped in a way that spoke to my ethnic, historical, and cultural realities---sounded for the most part like a Christian in a bow-tie.” (Pg. 23)
He notes, “It has never escaped me. I realize that I live amidst a generation of young men drunk not only with general loneliness, but with the particular, gnawing anguish of father-hunger. I had my own father; later, I had the Party and Geronimo; Delbert, Chuck, Mike, Ed, and Phil; Sundiata, Mutulu, and other oldheads like myself. Who have they had?” (Pg. 88)
He states, “Violence violates the self. Yet, that’s exactly what the system believes in, what the system preaches, what the system practices: violence. Certainly I believe in the necessity of fighting the system, and in the necessity of self-defense, but I’m NOT going to employ the same tactics and methods the system uses every day. Why replace the system with the same thing? We need a new system, one where people are free of the violence of the system.” (Pg. 100)
He told an interviewer who asked him about changing his name, “It was a change that took place over a transition of years---not one day it was one name, and another day the next. Again, in the context of the times, in the years when the black liberation movement was growing and attracting the adherence of people who believed in that movement, many of us took African names. One of my teachers in a black high school … was actually a Kenyan … And it was his practice in his Swahili class to give names to students that were African. So that was my name: Mumia… [For my last name] I’m actually named after my first son. It means ‘father of Jamal,’ and my first son is named Jamal. It’s kind of a mix, in that my first name is Swahili, and my middle and last names are Arabic.” (Pg. 125)
Abu-Jamal is a very articulate voice on many social issues; his book will be of great interest to many.
Mumia Abu-Jamal (born Wesley Cook in 1954) is a political activist and journalist who was convicted of murder and sentenced to death in 1982 for the 1981 murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner; in 2011, the prosecution agreed to a sentence of life imprisonment without parole.
The Foreword by Dr. Cornel West to this 1996 book states, “The passionate and prophetic voice of Mumia Abu-Jamal challenges us to wrestle with the most distinctive feature of present-day America: the relative erosion of the systems of caring and nurturing… our capitalist ‘civilization’ is killing our minds, bodies, and souls in the name of the American Dream. As one who has lived on the night-side of this dream---unjustly imprisoned for a crime he did not commit---Mumia Abu-Jamal speaks to us of the institutional injustice and spiritual impoverishment that permeates our culture… After over fifteen years of nightmarish jail conditions, Mumia Abu-Jamal is not only intact but still flourishing---just as the nation’s soul withers. Will we ever listen to and learn from our bloodstained prophets?”
Abu-Jamal wrote, “So strongly does the State object to me writing what you are now reading that they have begun to punish me, while I’m in the most punitive section that the system allows, for daring to speak and write the truth… Clearly, what the government wants is not just death, but silence. A ‘correct’ inmate is a silent one. One who speaks, writes, and exposes horror for what it is, is given a ‘misconduct.’ Is that a correct system? A system of corrections? In this department of state government, the First Amendment is a nullity.” (Pg. 1-2)
He observes, “Why is it that Pennsylvania’s African-Americans, who make up only 9% of its population, comprise close to two-thirds of its death row population? It is because … [it] is a place where politicians have built their careers on sending people to death row. They are not making their constituents any safer. They are not administering justice by their example. They are simply revealing the partiality of justice.” (Pg. 6-7)
He recounts that in his youth, “I reflected on the similarities between my Baptist and Muslim experiences. I was struck by how the Muslim minister---through his mouth vibrated with the rhythms and cadences of the black South, and though his message was shaped in a way that spoke to my ethnic, historical, and cultural realities---sounded for the most part like a Christian in a bow-tie.” (Pg. 23)
He notes, “It has never escaped me. I realize that I live amidst a generation of young men drunk not only with general loneliness, but with the particular, gnawing anguish of father-hunger. I had my own father; later, I had the Party and Geronimo; Delbert, Chuck, Mike, Ed, and Phil; Sundiata, Mutulu, and other oldheads like myself. Who have they had?” (Pg. 88)
He states, “Violence violates the self. Yet, that’s exactly what the system believes in, what the system preaches, what the system practices: violence. Certainly I believe in the necessity of fighting the system, and in the necessity of self-defense, but I’m NOT going to employ the same tactics and methods the system uses every day. Why replace the system with the same thing? We need a new system, one where people are free of the violence of the system.” (Pg. 100)
He told an interviewer who asked him about changing his name, “It was a change that took place over a transition of years---not one day it was one name, and another day the next. Again, in the context of the times, in the years when the black liberation movement was growing and attracting the adherence of people who believed in that movement, many of us took African names. One of my teachers in a black high school … was actually a Kenyan … And it was his practice in his Swahili class to give names to students that were African. So that was my name: Mumia… [For my last name] I’m actually named after my first son. It means ‘father of Jamal,’ and my first son is named Jamal. It’s kind of a mix, in that my first name is Swahili, and my middle and last names are Arabic.” (Pg. 125)
Abu-Jamal is a very articulate voice on many social issues; his book will be of great interest to many.
Read
December 4, 2020This was a surprisingly powerful book. Surprising because I thought it was going to be a cohesive series of chapters on prison abolition and it wasn't at all. Powerful because what it is is a series of one- or two- page essays by Abu Jamal on his time on death row. The book is nearly 25 years old now, but this new edition has some new prefaces and introductions to bring it up to date. Abu-Jamal reflects on his encounters with and search for faith and religion. He reflects a lot on the hypocrisy of Christians supporting the place he found himself. There are also a handful of poems and some reflection on history and a bit of his political philosophy sprinkled through.
Like with a lot of Audre Lorde's work, I really connected with some of his essays and ideas, especially his questioning of Christianity and the people who practice it. Some of his early essays talk about how he encountered religion as a young boy and young adult and it brought to mind some of Baldwin's writing on the same topics. This was a great collection to tap into the heart behind prison abolition. It's not academic, but it is deep and provides a lot to think about, reflect on, and return to. I dog eared a lot of pages to read again and again.
The last half of the book is a brief interview with Abu-Jamal conducted by Allen Hougland and an Amensty International brief about Abu- Jamal's case. I was so-so on this content. The AI brief gave a lot of context for the things that went wrong in the case, but it was neither surprising nor necessary for understanding the injustice of Abu-Jamal's imprisonment. At times the brief was a little dense with legalese (or maybe it just got boring?) and it tries to remain impartial and aloof to the case which felt a little infuriating at points when the injustice was The interview was along the same lines as the brief and it was interesting to hear Abu-Jamal's voice through a reporter, it wasn't necessary to appreciating his writing.
Like with a lot of Audre Lorde's work, I really connected with some of his essays and ideas, especially his questioning of Christianity and the people who practice it. Some of his early essays talk about how he encountered religion as a young boy and young adult and it brought to mind some of Baldwin's writing on the same topics. This was a great collection to tap into the heart behind prison abolition. It's not academic, but it is deep and provides a lot to think about, reflect on, and return to. I dog eared a lot of pages to read again and again.
The last half of the book is a brief interview with Abu-Jamal conducted by Allen Hougland and an Amensty International brief about Abu- Jamal's case. I was so-so on this content. The AI brief gave a lot of context for the things that went wrong in the case, but it was neither surprising nor necessary for understanding the injustice of Abu-Jamal's imprisonment. At times the brief was a little dense with legalese (or maybe it just got boring?) and it tries to remain impartial and aloof to the case which felt a little infuriating at points when the injustice was The interview was along the same lines as the brief and it was interesting to hear Abu-Jamal's voice through a reporter, it wasn't necessary to appreciating his writing.
June 1, 2021
This book shines a massive spotlight on the justice system in America. No fair trial, horrible conditions that the prisoners experience…accused of something that the real evidence conflicts with.
Through the unfairness of this case, Abu-Jamal writes very poetically and has great insight. Not in just one area of his life, but many. And the authorities don’t like when they’re secrets are exposed! To understand, one must read/learn. Facts are facts and not all the facts for Mumia have been presented.
Through the unfairness of this case, Abu-Jamal writes very poetically and has great insight. Not in just one area of his life, but many. And the authorities don’t like when they’re secrets are exposed! To understand, one must read/learn. Facts are facts and not all the facts for Mumia have been presented.
July 6, 2025
Beautiful book. Mumia Abu-Jamal is brilliant, insightful, powerful. I think this was written prior to him becoming an advocate for the LGBTQIA community, and there was a sentence about trans folks in the section on materialism that I didn't appreciate. I'm glad to have read everything else in this book. Be sure to read the amnesty international report on his trial/appeals at the end, it's infuriating.
July 2, 2022
Read this book in a course on Incarceration with Mark Taylor. Really helped me to think about what it means to liberate your mind in a world of death, summed up well in Abu-Jamal's essay Night of Power.
September 11, 2024
I think this argument is significantly stronger than Davis’, it just sounds so much more grounded and real to the people, even if it is extreme. Not that Davis’ argument doesn’t have strengths, but it’s so strictly rational and I felt like it reduced people so deeply. Idk
August 4, 2023
An important, conscience-wrenching book.
February 5, 2025
Incredible meditation on being imprisoned. How is this the first book im reading of the brilliant man. I feel so ashamed.
September 8, 2025
growing up is learning to appreciate prefaces and forwards?
besides mumia’s writings, learned about MOVE. The copy I had was formatted really weird like a highschool textbook.
besides mumia’s writings, learned about MOVE. The copy I had was formatted really weird like a highschool textbook.
November 19, 2020
Good, short read. I enjoyed the poems, essays, analysis, everything tbh. There were some questionable lines that made me rate this a 4 instead of a 5. But overall a great book!
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews