An Amerikan Familyis a light helping us go forward. Nikki Giovanni, poetAn enlightening history of the rise and lasting impact of Black liberation groups in America, as seen through the Shakurs, one of the movements most prominent and fiercely creative families, home to Tupac and Assata, and a powerful incubator for todays 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 familyone of the most famous names in contemporary Black American historyhas never been told.For over fifty years, the Shakurs have inspired generations of activists, scholars, and music fans. Many people are only familiar with Assata Shakur, the popular author and thinker, living for three decades in Cuban exile; or the late rapper Tupac. But the branches of the Shakur family tree extend widely, and the roots reach into the most furtive and hidden depths of the underground.An Amerikan Familyis a history of the fight for Black liberation in the United States, as experienced and shaped by the Shakur family. It is the story of hope and betrayal, addiction and murder, persecution and revolution.An Amerikan Familyis not only family genealogy; it is the story of Black Americas long struggle for racial justice and the nations covert and repressive tactics to defeat that struggle. It is the story of a small but determined community, taking extreme, unconventional, and often perilous measures in the quest for freedom. In short, the story of the Shakurs is the story of America.
