Status Updates From Assata: An Autobiography

The latter part of this chapter implied a lot of interesting questions to consider: what is the compatibility of Islam and revolutionary politics; is it more moral to have children or have no children when you believe the world will guarantee their suffering; how do you balance living a life with being a revolutionary; what kind of defense is best when a criminal case is brought for political reasons?

I like the way Assata has split her story across two timelines, it’s very interesting to read what parts of her life, her struggles and desires have changed vs remained the same over several decades. And damn, she’s good at writing about her adolescence because the second-hand cringe I was hit with multiple times was powerful.

I love how petty Assata can be, she has some very funny moments of defiance. It is genuinely insane how incredibly targeted her treatment was, so it’s no wonder her outlook looking back on all these events. I don’t understand how something this blatant gets brushed under the rug; obviously there’s serious mistreatment of POC in the justice system, but her story appears to just be on a whole other level.