What do you think?
Rate this book
An Autobiography
Her own powerful story up to 1972, told with warmth, brilliance, humor and conviction. With an introduction by the author.
416 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1974
About the author
Angela Y. Davis
103 books6,377 followersAngela Yvonne Davis is an American political activist, scholar, and author. She emerged as a nationally prominent activist and radical in the 1960s, as a leader of the Communist Party USA, and had close relations with the Black Panther Party through her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement despite never being an official member of the party. Prisoner rights have been among her continuing interests; she is the founder of Critical Resistance, an organization working to abolish the prison-industrial complex. She is a retired professor with the History of Consciousness Department at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and is the former director of the university's Feminist Studies department.
Her research interests are in feminism, African American studies, critical theory, Marxism, popular music, social consciousness, and the philosophy and history of punishment and prisons. Her membership in the Communist Party led to Ronald Reagan's request in 1969 to have her barred from teaching at any university in the State of California. She was tried and acquitted of suspected involvement in the Soledad brothers' August 1970 abduction and murder of Judge Harold Haley in Marin County, California. She was twice a candidate for Vice President on the Communist Party USA ticket during the 1980s.
Her research interests are in feminism, African American studies, critical theory, Marxism, popular music, social consciousness, and the philosophy and history of punishment and prisons. Her membership in the Communist Party led to Ronald Reagan's request in 1969 to have her barred from teaching at any university in the State of California. She was tried and acquitted of suspected involvement in the Soledad brothers' August 1970 abduction and murder of Judge Harold Haley in Marin County, California. She was twice a candidate for Vice President on the Communist Party USA ticket during the 1980s.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 538 reviews
March 31, 2014
“Some of us, white and black, know how great a price has already been paid to bring into existence a new consciousness, a new people, an unprecedented nation. If we know, and do nothing, we are worse than the murderers hired in our name. If we know, then we must fight for your life as though it were our own—which it is—and render impassible with our bodies the corridor to the gas chamber. For, if they take you in the morning, they will be coming for us that night.” - Letter from James Baldwin to Angela Davis, in The Autobiography of Angela Davis
It took me a while to figure out that the Angela Davis with the big afro and the Angela Davis who writes academic texts are one and the same. Angela Davis experienced more in the first 26 or so years of her life than most people do, and in this autobiography Davis talks about her upbringing in the racist South, her membership in the Communist Party and racism in the prison and court systems. I always think I’ve read enough books on these topics to be immune from shock but I’m always proven wrong.
Davis’ writing was very clear and poetic at times. In this book she is a lot more engaging and approachable than she was in her other books.
Davis has incredible insight into the prison system having been imprisoned herself. Her descriptions of her time spent in prison were very poignant. Regarding the prison system, Davis says:
“Jails are thoughtless places. Thoughtless in the sense that no thinking is done by their administrations; no problem-solving or rational evaluation of any situation slightly different from the norm. The void created by this absence of thought is filled by rules and the fear of establishing a precedent.”
And:
“All its elements are based on an assumption that the prison system will continue to survive. Precisely for this reason, the system does not move to crush it.”
How true, especially when we hear of countries actually shutting down prisons in some European countries
Reading this book it’s not difficult to see the parallels in today’s world. 18 year old Gregory Clark’s murder by the LAPD in the 1960s was very reminiscent of 17 year old Trayvon Martin’s murder just a couple of years ago.
This book is a call to arms, figuratively, a call to do something about the racism that is still embedded in our societies. Reading this made me angry, sad, frustrated and hopeful all at the same time. How can we turn a blind eye to all the racism that is still occurring in our world ? Even I, sitting here in the liberal city of Vancouver feel the indignation of what black people are still experiencing in the States and elsewhere. When we have people saying that diversity= white genocide, it’s obvious there’s work still to be done.
“Nothing in the world made me angrier than inaction, than silence. The refusal or inability to do something, say something when a thing needed doing or saying, was unbearable. The watchers, the headshakers, the back turners made my skin prickle.”
It took me a while to figure out that the Angela Davis with the big afro and the Angela Davis who writes academic texts are one and the same. Angela Davis experienced more in the first 26 or so years of her life than most people do, and in this autobiography Davis talks about her upbringing in the racist South, her membership in the Communist Party and racism in the prison and court systems. I always think I’ve read enough books on these topics to be immune from shock but I’m always proven wrong.
Davis’ writing was very clear and poetic at times. In this book she is a lot more engaging and approachable than she was in her other books.
Davis has incredible insight into the prison system having been imprisoned herself. Her descriptions of her time spent in prison were very poignant. Regarding the prison system, Davis says:
“Jails are thoughtless places. Thoughtless in the sense that no thinking is done by their administrations; no problem-solving or rational evaluation of any situation slightly different from the norm. The void created by this absence of thought is filled by rules and the fear of establishing a precedent.”
And:
“All its elements are based on an assumption that the prison system will continue to survive. Precisely for this reason, the system does not move to crush it.”
How true, especially when we hear of countries actually shutting down prisons in some European countries
Reading this book it’s not difficult to see the parallels in today’s world. 18 year old Gregory Clark’s murder by the LAPD in the 1960s was very reminiscent of 17 year old Trayvon Martin’s murder just a couple of years ago.
This book is a call to arms, figuratively, a call to do something about the racism that is still embedded in our societies. Reading this made me angry, sad, frustrated and hopeful all at the same time. How can we turn a blind eye to all the racism that is still occurring in our world ? Even I, sitting here in the liberal city of Vancouver feel the indignation of what black people are still experiencing in the States and elsewhere. When we have people saying that diversity= white genocide, it’s obvious there’s work still to be done.
“Nothing in the world made me angrier than inaction, than silence. The refusal or inability to do something, say something when a thing needed doing or saying, was unbearable. The watchers, the headshakers, the back turners made my skin prickle.”
August 6, 2021
In the preface of this book Angela Davis writes about what she considers to be her non-uniqueness. She admits that by the very act of writing this biography she is assuming a posture of difference, a stance that might elevate her above her other black comrades.
I felt that such a book might end up obscuring the most essential fact: the forces that have made my life what it is are the very same forces that have shaped and misshaped the lives of millions of my people.
Of the many instances she stunningly writes about in this book, her experience in Cuba was particularly evocative. While participating in a cutting of cane as part of her community work with the Cuban citizens she noticed that her co-worker, a Cuban, was doing it so beautifully that it was like art. When she complimented him however, the Cuban spoke about how the task he was performing must become obsolete.
It was then that I began to realize the true meaning of underdevelopment: it is nothing to be utopianized. Romanticizing the plight of oppressed people is dangerous and misleading.
We must not romanticize the plight of the oppressed people, we must also not romanticize the people who fight against oppression. We must be very careful to not ascribe a higher status to them, while still acknowledging and justly honouring their struggle. So Angela Davis' doubts about the way in which this book would be viewed is understandable - by placing certain figures of the resistance as the symbols of their movements, we undermine the contribution of the millions of others behind this figure, with this figure.
There is of course a universal quality to Davis' fight. The subjects of racism have to constantly fight a categorization by definition - a categorization that the people in power proclaimed as a social necessity and the whole of the oppressed group is unfairly shaped by this. But there's also danger in not acknowledging the particulars, the localities of Davis' experience. While representing the general plight of her people, of black people, of the working class, her experience also speaks uniquely of her own identity. This book is full of that. Her love, her passion, her anger, her rage, her devastation, her revolutionary spirit. And above all, of her constant rebellion.
Here as elsewhere Justice was an image — heavy, slick and wholly deceptive.
And that's a wrap on my 2021 Angela Davis reading.
I felt that such a book might end up obscuring the most essential fact: the forces that have made my life what it is are the very same forces that have shaped and misshaped the lives of millions of my people.
Of the many instances she stunningly writes about in this book, her experience in Cuba was particularly evocative. While participating in a cutting of cane as part of her community work with the Cuban citizens she noticed that her co-worker, a Cuban, was doing it so beautifully that it was like art. When she complimented him however, the Cuban spoke about how the task he was performing must become obsolete.
It was then that I began to realize the true meaning of underdevelopment: it is nothing to be utopianized. Romanticizing the plight of oppressed people is dangerous and misleading.
We must not romanticize the plight of the oppressed people, we must also not romanticize the people who fight against oppression. We must be very careful to not ascribe a higher status to them, while still acknowledging and justly honouring their struggle. So Angela Davis' doubts about the way in which this book would be viewed is understandable - by placing certain figures of the resistance as the symbols of their movements, we undermine the contribution of the millions of others behind this figure, with this figure.
There is of course a universal quality to Davis' fight. The subjects of racism have to constantly fight a categorization by definition - a categorization that the people in power proclaimed as a social necessity and the whole of the oppressed group is unfairly shaped by this. But there's also danger in not acknowledging the particulars, the localities of Davis' experience. While representing the general plight of her people, of black people, of the working class, her experience also speaks uniquely of her own identity. This book is full of that. Her love, her passion, her anger, her rage, her devastation, her revolutionary spirit. And above all, of her constant rebellion.
Here as elsewhere Justice was an image — heavy, slick and wholly deceptive.
And that's a wrap on my 2021 Angela Davis reading.
July 28, 2017
Icon! self-liberation,courageous,intellectual,Champion of BPP movement..'Either you respect the life,struggles and contributions of Freedom Fighter of Angela D or you don't'....this is a must read (paperback!)
May 24, 2018
En realidad esto es un 4,5 porque pocas veces una biografía me ha parecido tan extraordinaria y me ha tenido enganchada de esta manera.
February 7, 2017
Angela Davis was a committed revolutionary without apology. She is forever associated with the Black Panthers and the effort to vindicate the Soledad Brothers. Having provided logistical support for an armed invasion of the court where the trial was taking place, she spent several years hiding from the FBI and then a few more in provisional solitary confinement during her trial. She was eventually acquitted by an all-white jury and went on to be a major figure in the American Communist party including being a candidate for VP on their ballot. This book is an interesting account of her motivations, her underground life, and her trial which was an international cause celebre. For those that wish to understand the confusing world of the Black Power movement as well as the Communist Party in America, this is a well-written and fascinating auto portrait of one of that period's more enigmatic and powerful figures.
Read
August 3, 2013This is 75% of a great book. When she's at her most searing-- as in Malcolm X's autobiography-- she's simply telling her story of racial discrimination, imprisonment, and McCarthyism.
But, unlike in the more self-critical narratives of Eldridge Cleaver, bell hooks, Carlos Bulosan, Malcolm X, and many other revolutionaries of color, I don't get the feeling that I'm hearing anything resembling the full story. Her analysis of hegemony is without nuance, and her taking of her experiences in Cuba at face value seems to indicate a certain willingness to gloss over the complexities of history... and I'm saying this as an avowed socialist with pro-Cuban sympathies. Moreover, there's this sense of triumphalism that, 40 years later, seems overly exuberant. Again, 75% of a great book but with serious flaws.
But, unlike in the more self-critical narratives of Eldridge Cleaver, bell hooks, Carlos Bulosan, Malcolm X, and many other revolutionaries of color, I don't get the feeling that I'm hearing anything resembling the full story. Her analysis of hegemony is without nuance, and her taking of her experiences in Cuba at face value seems to indicate a certain willingness to gloss over the complexities of history... and I'm saying this as an avowed socialist with pro-Cuban sympathies. Moreover, there's this sense of triumphalism that, 40 years later, seems overly exuberant. Again, 75% of a great book but with serious flaws.
December 10, 2011
A few years back, I was 17. I went with a boyfriend to visit his sister in Boulder to go skiing... lo and behold, we got there and I was sick. I was stuck in her house all weekend. Rummaging through her bookshelves, I found this. I read it in one day. I had never heard of Angela, nor much on the Black Panthers aside from what they touch upon in history classes. I was captivated by her life story, by her perseverance, by her fight against the unjust. The book is well-written and reads like fiction. I have since studied her in depth for a Women in American History class, and am anxiously awaiting this upcoming February when she will be giving a talk at my university. This is a must-read for anyone interested in social justice, for all races, for women, for all classes. "SISTER, YOU ARE WELCOME HERE."
August 14, 2022
La vida de Angela Davis es sin duda alguna digna de ser reflejada en un libro. Este libro fue escrito por la propia Davis en 1974, cuando tenía 28 años, y ya había vivido experiencias que no le correspondían. Sus palabras muestran la triple opresión que sufrió por ser mujer, negra y comunista en los Estsdos Unidos de los años 60 y 70.
El presente libro trata de las principales experiencias de la autora y acontecimientos relacionados con la misma hasta el momento en que la escribió, en 1974. Tal y como cuenta en la introducción, aborda su propia vida desde una perspectiva política e histórica, tratando de acometer un análisis de la realidad social del contexto en que ésta tiene lugar. El libro empieza en agosto de 1970, presentándonos a una Angela Davis fugitiva de la justicia por los cargos de asesinato, secuestro y conspiración. Tras un lapso de varios meses, la narración retrocede a los primeros años de la autora. Hija de unos padres negros que lograron estabilizar su situación, Davis creció en un barrio humilde de Birmingham, Alabama, víctima de la segregación racial, que establecía barrios de negros, colegios de negros, tiendas de negros, etc; con menos posibilidades que aquellos destinados a blancos. En los años venideros, este contexto motivará a la autora a promulgar y participar en movimientos destinados a la liberación de la raza negra, siendo éste el eje fundamental de este libro. El grueso de esta obra corresponde, pues, al activismo político de la autora, primero como parte de movimientos estudiantiles, posteriormente como miembro del Partido Comunista, así como a la represión por parte del sistema y el interminable proceso judicial al que se vio sometida.
Voy a empezar valorando el estilo del libro. En general es bastante denso y en algunas partes se me ha hecho complicado de seguir, con muchos nombres, datos, y una trama por momentos nada sencilla. El hecho de mover el periodo agosto-diciembre de 1970 al inicio del libro, para luego seguir un orden cronológico, no me ha gustado. Entiendo que es un recurso que he visto anteriormente en algunas series en que la escena culmen sale al principio para luego presentar cómo se ha llegado hasta ahí. Pero debido a la densidad del libro, en mi caso esto ha dificultado la comprensión. Mis críticas llegan hasta aquí.
Aún sin incluir numerosas explicaciones teóricas, me parece una obra muy útil para comprender mejor el fenómeno de la discriminación racial en la sociedad norteamericana de entonces. El tener unos servicios deliberadamente peores para las personas de raza negra, o relegarlos a las últimas filas de un autobús, son hechos que a mí personalmente me costaría imaginar, y que sin embargo sucedían no hace demasiado tiempo históricamente hablando. Conocer esta realidad permite una mejor comprensión de los casos de discriminación racial que existen hoy día en los Estados Unidos (y también aquellas formas de racismo que, en otras formas, se dan de manera estructural en otros países del mundo desarrollado), y explica la importancia de movimientos como el Black Lives Matter. En ese sentido, los temas tratados en este libro son de rabiosa actualidad.
Así que sí, me parece un libro totalmente aconsejable para los lectores interesados en cualquiera de estos temas. Y si se tiene la oportunidad y la capacidad, creo que sería más provechoso leerlo en versión original. El trabajo de los editores y traductores de la edición que yo he leído es realmente bueno, por ejemplo señalando qué palabras venían en castellano en la edición original, pero al mismo tiempo esto indica que el idioma en que este libro está escrito es importante.
El presente libro trata de las principales experiencias de la autora y acontecimientos relacionados con la misma hasta el momento en que la escribió, en 1974. Tal y como cuenta en la introducción, aborda su propia vida desde una perspectiva política e histórica, tratando de acometer un análisis de la realidad social del contexto en que ésta tiene lugar. El libro empieza en agosto de 1970, presentándonos a una Angela Davis fugitiva de la justicia por los cargos de asesinato, secuestro y conspiración. Tras un lapso de varios meses, la narración retrocede a los primeros años de la autora. Hija de unos padres negros que lograron estabilizar su situación, Davis creció en un barrio humilde de Birmingham, Alabama, víctima de la segregación racial, que establecía barrios de negros, colegios de negros, tiendas de negros, etc; con menos posibilidades que aquellos destinados a blancos. En los años venideros, este contexto motivará a la autora a promulgar y participar en movimientos destinados a la liberación de la raza negra, siendo éste el eje fundamental de este libro. El grueso de esta obra corresponde, pues, al activismo político de la autora, primero como parte de movimientos estudiantiles, posteriormente como miembro del Partido Comunista, así como a la represión por parte del sistema y el interminable proceso judicial al que se vio sometida.
Voy a empezar valorando el estilo del libro. En general es bastante denso y en algunas partes se me ha hecho complicado de seguir, con muchos nombres, datos, y una trama por momentos nada sencilla. El hecho de mover el periodo agosto-diciembre de 1970 al inicio del libro, para luego seguir un orden cronológico, no me ha gustado. Entiendo que es un recurso que he visto anteriormente en algunas series en que la escena culmen sale al principio para luego presentar cómo se ha llegado hasta ahí. Pero debido a la densidad del libro, en mi caso esto ha dificultado la comprensión. Mis críticas llegan hasta aquí.
Aún sin incluir numerosas explicaciones teóricas, me parece una obra muy útil para comprender mejor el fenómeno de la discriminación racial en la sociedad norteamericana de entonces. El tener unos servicios deliberadamente peores para las personas de raza negra, o relegarlos a las últimas filas de un autobús, son hechos que a mí personalmente me costaría imaginar, y que sin embargo sucedían no hace demasiado tiempo históricamente hablando. Conocer esta realidad permite una mejor comprensión de los casos de discriminación racial que existen hoy día en los Estados Unidos (y también aquellas formas de racismo que, en otras formas, se dan de manera estructural en otros países del mundo desarrollado), y explica la importancia de movimientos como el Black Lives Matter. En ese sentido, los temas tratados en este libro son de rabiosa actualidad.
Así que sí, me parece un libro totalmente aconsejable para los lectores interesados en cualquiera de estos temas. Y si se tiene la oportunidad y la capacidad, creo que sería más provechoso leerlo en versión original. El trabajo de los editores y traductores de la edición que yo he leído es realmente bueno, por ejemplo señalando qué palabras venían en castellano en la edición original, pero al mismo tiempo esto indica que el idioma en que este libro está escrito es importante.
December 22, 2023
what an extraordinary woman
September 9, 2012
I can't begin to express how much this book moved me. I wasn't even born when she began her political activism and only about 3 when she went on trial. All I really knew about Ms Davis was her Afro and that she fought for political and economic fairness for black people. This book has enlightened me to a very inspiring woman. I am somewhat ashamed that it took me until the age of 44 to read this book but I am so glad I finally did. I never knew she had done and accomplished so much. Never knew she was a communist until this book. Never knew she fought for mor than just black people until I read this book. She is definitely an inspiration. There is so much I didn't know about her or the movement and this book has opened up a "pandora's box" for me and I want/need to know more.
September 27, 2021
This was but a glimpse into the life of one of the most pivotal and prolific activists in the world and it packed one heck of a punch. I loved that Ms. Davis revealed her vulnerabilities, her doubts, her growth, her learning, and eventually her stance. She didn't just spout rhetoric — this book was full of her strengths and her flaws, her ups and her downs, her rise and her falls. What an incredible woman!
I was transported to Birmingham in the late 40's and early 50's, experiencing the blight that was segregation. I walked with her as she excelled at school, work and play... all around the world. I held her anger at the continued injustices the police, the politicians, the white public were inflicting onto innocent men and women. I felt her passion to provoke and inspire change. From her philosophical lessons to her charges of conspiracy, kidnapping and murder, Angela Davis took us along for all of it.
I spent as much time researching the people mentioned throughout this book as I did reading about them. My heart broke with hers over the senseless deaths of Jonathan and George Jackson. Her pain was all I could see when she went on trial with Ruchell Magee. Her words: [He] was all of us, not only in the way he was made a scapegoat of racism, but also in his resiliency, in his refusal to concede defeat.
While I did find the writing to be extremely dry, more textbook than story, I couldn't help but find myself lost to the history amidst the pages. The people she crossed paths with weren't just characters. They were people who lived and died, people who gave her so much, people who she connected to on another level. It is terribly difficult to find those types of connections these days. In a time with no cell phones and what we would call primitive technology, their words transcended small towns or major cities. They were spread across the globe!
And while I didn't agree with all of her ideology, I could see the logic behind many of her concepts and beliefs. Angela Davis is Black, a woman, and a communist. During the time period this autobiography covers, everything that made her... well her... was something to be persecuted. However, she had so much support that she couldn't let it get her down, even if she wanted it to. Despite the manipulations, lies, and illegal acts of those in the system, she didn't fall. She didn't waver. She stood strong and proud, knowing and understanding that it wasn't about her as an individual. She became a beacon for anyone who wanted to fight. A ray of hope for those who felt hopeless. She was someone to admire and respect and I love her for continuing to charge into battle to right every wrong.
Find my full review here
I was transported to Birmingham in the late 40's and early 50's, experiencing the blight that was segregation. I walked with her as she excelled at school, work and play... all around the world. I held her anger at the continued injustices the police, the politicians, the white public were inflicting onto innocent men and women. I felt her passion to provoke and inspire change. From her philosophical lessons to her charges of conspiracy, kidnapping and murder, Angela Davis took us along for all of it.
I spent as much time researching the people mentioned throughout this book as I did reading about them. My heart broke with hers over the senseless deaths of Jonathan and George Jackson. Her pain was all I could see when she went on trial with Ruchell Magee. Her words: [He] was all of us, not only in the way he was made a scapegoat of racism, but also in his resiliency, in his refusal to concede defeat.
While I did find the writing to be extremely dry, more textbook than story, I couldn't help but find myself lost to the history amidst the pages. The people she crossed paths with weren't just characters. They were people who lived and died, people who gave her so much, people who she connected to on another level. It is terribly difficult to find those types of connections these days. In a time with no cell phones and what we would call primitive technology, their words transcended small towns or major cities. They were spread across the globe!
And while I didn't agree with all of her ideology, I could see the logic behind many of her concepts and beliefs. Angela Davis is Black, a woman, and a communist. During the time period this autobiography covers, everything that made her... well her... was something to be persecuted. However, she had so much support that she couldn't let it get her down, even if she wanted it to. Despite the manipulations, lies, and illegal acts of those in the system, she didn't fall. She didn't waver. She stood strong and proud, knowing and understanding that it wasn't about her as an individual. She became a beacon for anyone who wanted to fight. A ray of hope for those who felt hopeless. She was someone to admire and respect and I love her for continuing to charge into battle to right every wrong.
Find my full review here
April 30, 2024
Geschafft! Ich habe einen ganzen Monat dafür gebraucht, aber nicht, weil das Buch besonders lang oder besonders zäh war (ist es beides nicht), sondern nur, weil es auf verschiedene Arten schwer zu ertragen war. Erstens wie das Leben aussieht, wenn intensives politisches Engagement die normale, naheliegende Reaktion auf Missstände ist, und wie unbekannt mir das alles leider ist. Zweitens die Probleme von damals, die noch etwas scheußlicher waren als die aktuellen. Drittens die Konfrontation damit, dass ich das alles jederzeit hätte wissen können, das Buch ist fast so alt wie ich. Ich habe es nur nicht gelesen. Positiv, wenn man so will, war nur die Erkenntnis, dass 1970 alles praktisch genau wie jetzt war, wir leben gar nicht in irgendeiner Ausnahmezeit. Ich war vielleicht nur ein bisschen verwöhnt durch die 90er, und natürlich durch Unwissen.
March 13, 2019
Words can not express the respect and admiration I have for Angela Davis... Woman of strength, courage, and power. I've been fortunate to hear her speak here in Montreal a few years back, not only once but on two separate occasions. Needless to say I was equally blown away both times and felt the luckiest person in the world, for what an honour... Her energy and presence are unlike anyone I've seen. She is human and genuine, a incomparable leader and such an inspiration - which is evident from and at the heart of this autobiography. One memorable quote: "Walls turned sideways are bridges" (now there's a message for Trump). Why I haven't read this book earlier is incomprehensible, Goodreads reminds me it's been sitting in my TR shelf since 2013... In any case, I finally got to it now and it was worth the wait. The perfect read for Women's History Month, Angela Davis: An Autobiography is a life changing book that will surely stay with me for years to come.
June 12, 2011
Highly recommend. It's amazing how many things in my life have come up to remind me of this book. That shit is still happening. People of color are getting murdered by police, prisoners are still tortured in jail, and the prison population is WAY more low-income African Americans than other demographics.
Four stars because it does present a simplified perspective. Important as that perspective is, it's not the only one. She goes through great pains to repeat the mantra that she couldn't get too upset about her position, even when she was up to her books got drowned by shit overflowing from a prison toilet, because other brothers and sisters have it worse. That's an extraordinarily strong position to take! but Davis admits in the introduction she wrote in 1985 that sometimes the personal is political. I'm grateful for her story and her current work.
Four stars because it does present a simplified perspective. Important as that perspective is, it's not the only one. She goes through great pains to repeat the mantra that she couldn't get too upset about her position, even when she was up to her books got drowned by shit overflowing from a prison toilet, because other brothers and sisters have it worse. That's an extraordinarily strong position to take! but Davis admits in the introduction she wrote in 1985 that sometimes the personal is political. I'm grateful for her story and her current work.
July 21, 2023
آه از این زن
November 15, 2014
Good enough that I--though I know the results very, very well--was still tense during courtroom scenes and on the edge of my seat when the verdict was rendered. Most people know Angela Davis's story, but not nearly enough people read what she has written over the years.
March 20, 2017
My admiration for this woman is infinite..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2BIZ...
There is in Davis' autobiography an abundance of brilliant, poignant, provocative and witty expressions, analogies and metaphors in every page. Here is one funny sociological observation of so many others:
"Some years back, Black visitors to Birmingham had all of three post cards from which to choose if they wanted a souvenir of the Black section of the city. Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. Parker High School. A. G. Gastons Funeral Home. Perhaps the white people who made the photographs and retouched them in bright reds and yellows had decided that our lives could be summarized by church, school and funerals. Once we were born, we got religion and a sprinkling of learning; then there was nothing left to do but die.."
The best review of the Sweet Black Angel's (as she was called by The Rolling Stones' song tribute to her) autobiography, would be John Lennon's wonderful lyrics, they resume all what she is:
"Angela, they put you in prison,
Angela, they shot down your man.
Angela, you're one of the millions
Of political prisoners in the world.
Sister, theres a wind that never dies,
Sister, we're breathing together.
Sister, our love and hopes forever,
Keep on moving, oh, so slowly round the world.
They gave you sunshine,
They gave you sea,
They gave you everything but the jailhouse key.
They gave you coffee,
They gave you tea,
They gave you evrything but equality.
Angela, can you hear the world is turning,
Angela, the world watches you.
Angela, you soon will be returning
To your sisters and your brothers of the world.
Sister, youre still a people teacher,
Sister, your word reaches far.
Sister, theres a million diffrent races,
But we all share the same future in the world.
They gave you sunshine,
They gave you sea,
They gave you everything but the jailhouse key.
Yeh, they gave you coffee,
They gave you tea,
They gave you everything but equality.
Hey, angela, they put you in prison,
Angela, they shot down your man.
Angela, you're one of the millions
Of political prisoners in the world."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ss65g...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2BIZ...
There is in Davis' autobiography an abundance of brilliant, poignant, provocative and witty expressions, analogies and metaphors in every page. Here is one funny sociological observation of so many others:
"Some years back, Black visitors to Birmingham had all of three post cards from which to choose if they wanted a souvenir of the Black section of the city. Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. Parker High School. A. G. Gastons Funeral Home. Perhaps the white people who made the photographs and retouched them in bright reds and yellows had decided that our lives could be summarized by church, school and funerals. Once we were born, we got religion and a sprinkling of learning; then there was nothing left to do but die.."
The best review of the Sweet Black Angel's (as she was called by The Rolling Stones' song tribute to her) autobiography, would be John Lennon's wonderful lyrics, they resume all what she is:
"Angela, they put you in prison,
Angela, they shot down your man.
Angela, you're one of the millions
Of political prisoners in the world.
Sister, theres a wind that never dies,
Sister, we're breathing together.
Sister, our love and hopes forever,
Keep on moving, oh, so slowly round the world.
They gave you sunshine,
They gave you sea,
They gave you everything but the jailhouse key.
They gave you coffee,
They gave you tea,
They gave you evrything but equality.
Angela, can you hear the world is turning,
Angela, the world watches you.
Angela, you soon will be returning
To your sisters and your brothers of the world.
Sister, youre still a people teacher,
Sister, your word reaches far.
Sister, theres a million diffrent races,
But we all share the same future in the world.
They gave you sunshine,
They gave you sea,
They gave you everything but the jailhouse key.
Yeh, they gave you coffee,
They gave you tea,
They gave you everything but equality.
Hey, angela, they put you in prison,
Angela, they shot down your man.
Angela, you're one of the millions
Of political prisoners in the world."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ss65g...
July 29, 2023
Angela Davis è una pensatrice da cui devo tornare per forza. Voi, intanto, leggetela ❤️
March 11, 2024
I genuinely didn’t think it was possible to love Angela Davis more than I already did but this book was a triumph and so is her life! Long live the struggle!
October 12, 2022
#BossBabe
Nah jokes aside Angela Davis is an internationalist hero. Just read the book dude
Nah jokes aside Angela Davis is an internationalist hero. Just read the book dude
February 2, 2022
So glad I read this. Angela Davis is such a good writer, this reads as powerfully today as it must have when it was first published. Part of what makes this book worth reading all these years later is the author's determination to think beyond her own story, and beyond immediate issues, and really focus on connecting with the larger struggles that will really make change. She's been working away at them ever since, and still carries on. I had some concern that the book would seem extremely dated, having been written in 1974, but to my surprise, that's not the case. The events are in the past, but the power of the story is not lost at all, in my opinion. Highly recommended!
P.S. Tom found an old gift card for City Lights bookstore, turns out they would still honor it, so my treat was to buy this new edition of a book I could easily have gotten from the library in an older edition. But I wanted to support the small press that brought out this new edition. Hopefully some royalties will go to the author, too.
P.S. Tom found an old gift card for City Lights bookstore, turns out they would still honor it, so my treat was to buy this new edition of a book I could easily have gotten from the library in an older edition. But I wanted to support the small press that brought out this new edition. Hopefully some royalties will go to the author, too.
September 18, 2022
Well written, Davis' first autobiography, written while she was in her early thirties, begins with her first lengthy imprisonment on charges of conspiracy, murder and kidnapping, and ends with her acquittal. In the meantime she details much of her early life in Birmingham and in academe with a substantial account of her first trip to Cuba. The focus of the book, however, is on the U.S. criminal justice system, our jails and prisons, her experiences in them, and the unequal treatment of minorities, particularly blacks.
Other than finding her very personable, what I hadn't known was how connected she was with the Frankfurt School, not just Herbert Marcuse. Nor had I known much about the realities of her long-term membership in the Communist Party, an affiliation which, as she describes it, made sense given her club's being all black. Finally, surprisingly, I learned that the term 'black' was once seen as pejorative in her Alabama community.
Other than finding her very personable, what I hadn't known was how connected she was with the Frankfurt School, not just Herbert Marcuse. Nor had I known much about the realities of her long-term membership in the Communist Party, an affiliation which, as she describes it, made sense given her club's being all black. Finally, surprisingly, I learned that the term 'black' was once seen as pejorative in her Alabama community.
April 24, 2017
For years I have been meaning to find out more about Angela Davis, and as so often happens, now that I've finally met her I cannot believe it took me so long—or that in all my reading, she's the first person to really address the whole problem instead of just parts. Lots of notes to share once I work through them.
February 2015, when I initially added the book to my TBR:
I was nearing the end of Brown Girl Dreaming as I got to work this morning, with Jacqueline Woodson talking about Angela Davis and me thinking how I'd like to learn more about her—then I got to my desk, pulled up Goodreads, and saw her autobiography recommended for me because I am also reading In the Frame, by Helen Mirren. Not the connection I would have expected, but anyway, I think it is fate.
February 2015, when I initially added the book to my TBR:
I was nearing the end of Brown Girl Dreaming as I got to work this morning, with Jacqueline Woodson talking about Angela Davis and me thinking how I'd like to learn more about her—then I got to my desk, pulled up Goodreads, and saw her autobiography recommended for me because I am also reading In the Frame, by Helen Mirren. Not the connection I would have expected, but anyway, I think it is fate.
August 25, 2023
خیلی دوستش داشتم. جدای از زندگی شگفتانگیز این زن چه روایت درخشانی داشت، حالا نمیدونم قلم خود آنجلا دیویس انقدر پرکشش بود یا مترجم ولی باعث شد خیلی از خوندنش لذت ببرم.
کتاب با روایت دستگیری آنجلا بعد از ۷ اوت شروع میشه و روایت زندان رو استاپ میکنه تا دربارهی دوران کودکی و تحصیلش حرف بزنه. چیزی که دربارهی این آدم شگفتزدهم میکنه تلاش و خستگیناپذیربودنشه. جوری که دربارهی دوران تحصیلش صحبت میکنه واقعا الهامبخش بود. لحظهای از کنجکاوی نمیفته، سرک میکشه به جاهای مختلف برای پیداکردن جواب سوالاش. میره تا آلمان که سر کلاس آدورنو بشینه. توصیفش از دستوپازدن آدم بین آکادمیا و شرکت در جنبش واقعا قابللمس بود. آنجلا به ژانوس تشبیه میکنه این دستوپازدن رو و واقعا یکجاهایی من نمیدونم چطور میتونست انقدر به هردو برسه و خستگی مانعش نشه. این دربارهش برام خیلی الهامبخش بود.
خوندن این کتاب بیشتر منو با ماهیت نژادپرستی آشنا کرد. تو دبیرستان یه معلم تاریخ داشتیم که دربارهی نژادپرستی برامون حرف میزد و خیلی هم رویکردش آی ببینید خود این آمریکاییها چه ستمهایی کردن و به جا بیچاره گیر میدن، بود. از مالکوم ایکس هم فراتر نمیرفت. موقع خوندن این کتاب داشتم فکر میکردم اگر فیگورهایی شبیه آنجلا دیویس و… رو به ما معرفی میکرد چقدر بیشتر میتونستیم باهاشون ارتباط برقرار کنیم و ازشون تاثیر بگیریم. بهخصوص که آنجلا مشخصا در مورد درگیریهاش بهعنوان یک زن مبارز حرف میزنه. این که چقدر برای همون برادران سیاه سخته که بپذیرن مدیریت امور رو یک زن سیاه به عهده گرفته و داره کارا رو پیش میبره و این که چقدر مبارزه براشون تبدیل شده به مفری برای اثبات «مردانگی». از اون طرف این که چقدر قانون برخورد دوگانهای داره نسبت به جنسیت و نژاد هم اینجا برای آدم ملموستر میشه. من کمتر میدونستم دربارهی اتهامات واهیای که یک سیاهپوست رو از سن خیلی پایین وارد زندان میکنه. دربارهی جنسیت هم خیلی جالبه که برای محکومیت آنجلا دست میذارن رو این که تمام مبارزات اون به دلیل «احساسات عاشقانه»ای بوده که نسبت به جورج جکسون داشته، که چقدر این مدل اتهام واردکردن جنسیتزده و زنستیزانهس.
در آخر روایت زندانیشدن، دفاع و در نهایت تبرئهی آنجلا دیویس واقعا مثل یک رمان جذاب آدمو دنبال خودش میکشوند و باعث شد به ژانر آتوبیوگرافی علاقهمند شم. اگر کتاب تاریخی خونده بودم دربارهی این موضوع، احتمالا با ماجرا اینطوری ارتباط برقرار نمیکردم.
پن: یه چیزی که خیلی جالبه اینه که آنجلا دیویس هم زنه، هم فمنیسته، هم کمونیست، هم سیاه و هم لزبین. واقعا هر آن روزنهای که میشه از طریقش مورد تبعیض واقع شد رو پوشش داده. :)))
پن ۲: از همون جلسهای که بتینا اپتکر داستان آنجلا رو روایت کرد، در کنار این که خیلی خوشحال شدم آنجلا دیویس بالاخره تبرئه شد، ولی آخر جلسه دیدم اشکهام داره میاد و فقط به نوید افکاری فکر میکردم، به اون صدای ضبطشدهای که اینجوری شروع میشد: درود به مردم شریف ایران، نوید افکاری هستم… . به این که نوید افکاری بعد از اون همه سروصدا تبرئه نشد و اعدام شد. خوندن این کتاب برام سخت بود چون یاد تمام لحظاتی میفتادم که ما زورمونو زدیم و نشد. یک شب فقط خواب نوید افکاری رو دیدم. هیچ چیز ویژهای هم نبود، تمام مدتی که خواب بودم تصویر نوید تو اون لباس زرشکی و بعد از کشتی جلوی چشمم بود. نمیدونم خیلی احساس ناامیدی و بیثمربودن میکنم.
کتاب با روایت دستگیری آنجلا بعد از ۷ اوت شروع میشه و روایت زندان رو استاپ میکنه تا دربارهی دوران کودکی و تحصیلش حرف بزنه. چیزی که دربارهی این آدم شگفتزدهم میکنه تلاش و خستگیناپذیربودنشه. جوری که دربارهی دوران تحصیلش صحبت میکنه واقعا الهامبخش بود. لحظهای از کنجکاوی نمیفته، سرک میکشه به جاهای مختلف برای پیداکردن جواب سوالاش. میره تا آلمان که سر کلاس آدورنو بشینه. توصیفش از دستوپازدن آدم بین آکادمیا و شرکت در جنبش واقعا قابللمس بود. آنجلا به ژانوس تشبیه میکنه این دستوپازدن رو و واقعا یکجاهایی من نمیدونم چطور میتونست انقدر به هردو برسه و خستگی مانعش نشه. این دربارهش برام خیلی الهامبخش بود.
خوندن این کتاب بیشتر منو با ماهیت نژادپرستی آشنا کرد. تو دبیرستان یه معلم تاریخ داشتیم که دربارهی نژادپرستی برامون حرف میزد و خیلی هم رویکردش آی ببینید خود این آمریکاییها چه ستمهایی کردن و به جا بیچاره گیر میدن، بود. از مالکوم ایکس هم فراتر نمیرفت. موقع خوندن این کتاب داشتم فکر میکردم اگر فیگورهایی شبیه آنجلا دیویس و… رو به ما معرفی میکرد چقدر بیشتر میتونستیم باهاشون ارتباط برقرار کنیم و ازشون تاثیر بگیریم. بهخصوص که آنجلا مشخصا در مورد درگیریهاش بهعنوان یک زن مبارز حرف میزنه. این که چقدر برای همون برادران سیاه سخته که بپذیرن مدیریت امور رو یک زن سیاه به عهده گرفته و داره کارا رو پیش میبره و این که چقدر مبارزه براشون تبدیل شده به مفری برای اثبات «مردانگی». از اون طرف این که چقدر قانون برخورد دوگانهای داره نسبت به جنسیت و نژاد هم اینجا برای آدم ملموستر میشه. من کمتر میدونستم دربارهی اتهامات واهیای که یک سیاهپوست رو از سن خیلی پایین وارد زندان میکنه. دربارهی جنسیت هم خیلی جالبه که برای محکومیت آنجلا دست میذارن رو این که تمام مبارزات اون به دلیل «احساسات عاشقانه»ای بوده که نسبت به جورج جکسون داشته، که چقدر این مدل اتهام واردکردن جنسیتزده و زنستیزانهس.
در آخر روایت زندانیشدن، دفاع و در نهایت تبرئهی آنجلا دیویس واقعا مثل یک رمان جذاب آدمو دنبال خودش میکشوند و باعث شد به ژانر آتوبیوگرافی علاقهمند شم. اگر کتاب تاریخی خونده بودم دربارهی این موضوع، احتمالا با ماجرا اینطوری ارتباط برقرار نمیکردم.
پن: یه چیزی که خیلی جالبه اینه که آنجلا دیویس هم زنه، هم فمنیسته، هم کمونیست، هم سیاه و هم لزبین. واقعا هر آن روزنهای که میشه از طریقش مورد تبعیض واقع شد رو پوشش داده. :)))
پن ۲: از همون جلسهای که بتینا اپتکر داستان آنجلا رو روایت کرد، در کنار این که خیلی خوشحال شدم آنجلا دیویس بالاخره تبرئه شد، ولی آخر جلسه دیدم اشکهام داره میاد و فقط به نوید افکاری فکر میکردم، به اون صدای ضبطشدهای که اینجوری شروع میشد: درود به مردم شریف ایران، نوید افکاری هستم… . به این که نوید افکاری بعد از اون همه سروصدا تبرئه نشد و اعدام شد. خوندن این کتاب برام سخت بود چون یاد تمام لحظاتی میفتادم که ما زورمونو زدیم و نشد. یک شب فقط خواب نوید افکاری رو دیدم. هیچ چیز ویژهای هم نبود، تمام مدتی که خواب بودم تصویر نوید تو اون لباس زرشکی و بعد از کشتی جلوی چشمم بود. نمیدونم خیلی احساس ناامیدی و بیثمربودن میکنم.
February 21, 2015
It's impossible to exaggerate the impact of this book on me.
I picked it up simply because I wanted to learn more about Angela Davis. I knew only that she had been associated with the Black Panthers, and that she'd fought for the freedom of political prisoners. Reading it, I learned that there was a lot more to her experience -- all of it extremely relevant today.
I found great personal meaning in her struggle with social class barriers, violence, and racism. Her insights about her political involvement reinforced my own urges in this direction. She describes a childhood growing up among other Black children who "fought the meanness of Birmingham while they sliced the air with knives and punched Black faces because they could not reach white ones" (94). She reflects that "It hurt to see us folding in on ourselves, using ourselves as whipping posts because we did not yet know how to struggle against the real cause of our misery" (95).
Davis's eventual understanding of the cause of her misery includes not simply racism but a social and economic system built on exploitation and alienation, one that uses racism to maintain the status quo. I found Davis's explanation of her own process of coming to, vetting, and eventually embracing Communism thoughtful, relevant, and moving. One startlingly important revelation is as follows: "[Racism] is not just the attitude that Black people are inferior. Racism, in the first place, is a weapon used by the wealthy to increase the profits they bring in -- by paying Black workers less for their work… [R]acism confuses white workers, who often forget that they are being exploited by a boss and instead vent their frustrations on people of color" (61-2).
In addition to her ideology, Davis's description of her own time behind bars was engrossing. She structures the text within the narrative frame of her struggle to overcome the charges of murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy with which she was framed after a fellow member of the movement, Jonathan Jackson, turned to violence instead of political protest in hopes of having his brother, George Jackson, released from prison.
During her time behind bars, Davis's experiences of the American penal system and its dehumanizing effects are compelling. She writes, "Jails and prisons are designed to break human beings, to convert the population into specimens in a zoo -- obedient to our keepers, but dangerous to each other… Consequently, two layers of existence can be encountered within almost every jail or prison. The first layer consists of the routines and behavior prescribed by the governing penal hierarchy. The second layer is the prisoner culture itself: the rules and standards of behavior that come from and are defined by the captives in order to shield themselves from the open or covert terror designed to break their spirit" (52).
Davis discovers "how vitally important it [is] to resist every destructive current of prison life. For jails and prisons are deadly places. There was the mesmerizing inanity of television; a few boring high school texts, some mysteries and a lot of unbelievably bad fiction. The women could write if they wished, but the small notepaper, which was seldom available, discouraged serious writing in favor of casual notes which would be censored anyway before they were mailed. Even getting hold of a pencil could be an extensive and complex undertaking. There were the well-worn cards and games, indispensable props for every jail -- things to coat the fact of imprisonment with sugary innocuousness, fostering as imperceptible regression back to childhood. ...in the jailers' eyes, whether we are sixteen or seventy, we are 'girls.' They loved to watch over their child-prisoners happily engrossed in harmless games. Any pastime that was intellectually demanding seems suspect" (308-9).
She details "inane episodes" (302) and power struggles with jail matrons designed, it seems, solely to erode her sanity. She describes humiliation and bureaucratic idiocy. Her experiences of the warped nature of jails and the justice system lead her to some disheartening conclusions about the judicial system itself: "Here as elsewhere Justice was an image -- heavy, slick and wholly deceptive" (262).
Davis also thoughtfully explores fissures within her own movement, including the "natural inclination to identify the enemy as the white man. Natural because the great majority of white people, both in the United States and in England, have been carriers of racism which, in reality, only benefits a small number of them -- the capitalists. Because the masses of white people harbor racist attitudes, our people tended to see them as the villains and not the institutionalized forms of racism, which, though definitely reinforced by prejudiced attitudes, serve, fundamentally, only the interest of the rulers. When white people are indiscriminately viewed as the enemy, it is virtually impossible to develop a political solution" (150).
As a radically empowered female activist, Davis experiences chauvinism among even those who purport to be working towards the same liberation of which she dreams. She writes about it here: "I became acquainted very early with the widespread presence of an unfortunate syndrome among some Black male activists -- namely to confuse their political activity with an assertion of their maleness. They saw -- and some continue to see -- Black manhood as something separate from Black womanhood. These men view Black women as a threat to their attainment of manhood -- especially those Black women who take initiative and work to become leaders in their own right. The constant harangue by the US men was that I needed to redirect my energies and use them to give my man strength and inspiration so that he might more effectively contribute his talents to the struggle for Black liberation" (161). Needless to say, Davis effectively resists and subverts these pressures throughout the experiences outlined in this autobiography. Still, her reflections on sexism within even the most radical groups and her refusal to be silenced by it are empowering.
As Davis's dedication page reads, in part, her book is "for those whose humanity is too rare to be destroyed by walls, bars, and death houses." Closing this book, I'm left thinking of how relevant her struggle and words remain today. Since the book's publication in 1974, not a whole lot seems to have changed. Black men and women are still shot down in the street with near total police impunity. Political prisoners and whistleblowers like Chelsea Manning are locked up and vilified. Communism is still a dirty word and a political affiliation that can get a teacher fired. One thing that does seem to have changed is that fewer people seem to be speaking up in solidarity. Truly, the struggle continues. The most important thing I am taking away from this book is the validation of the essential nature of my own role in that struggle. Now more than ever, I feel the moral obligation to work tirelessly for social justice.
I picked it up simply because I wanted to learn more about Angela Davis. I knew only that she had been associated with the Black Panthers, and that she'd fought for the freedom of political prisoners. Reading it, I learned that there was a lot more to her experience -- all of it extremely relevant today.
I found great personal meaning in her struggle with social class barriers, violence, and racism. Her insights about her political involvement reinforced my own urges in this direction. She describes a childhood growing up among other Black children who "fought the meanness of Birmingham while they sliced the air with knives and punched Black faces because they could not reach white ones" (94). She reflects that "It hurt to see us folding in on ourselves, using ourselves as whipping posts because we did not yet know how to struggle against the real cause of our misery" (95).
Davis's eventual understanding of the cause of her misery includes not simply racism but a social and economic system built on exploitation and alienation, one that uses racism to maintain the status quo. I found Davis's explanation of her own process of coming to, vetting, and eventually embracing Communism thoughtful, relevant, and moving. One startlingly important revelation is as follows: "[Racism] is not just the attitude that Black people are inferior. Racism, in the first place, is a weapon used by the wealthy to increase the profits they bring in -- by paying Black workers less for their work… [R]acism confuses white workers, who often forget that they are being exploited by a boss and instead vent their frustrations on people of color" (61-2).
In addition to her ideology, Davis's description of her own time behind bars was engrossing. She structures the text within the narrative frame of her struggle to overcome the charges of murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy with which she was framed after a fellow member of the movement, Jonathan Jackson, turned to violence instead of political protest in hopes of having his brother, George Jackson, released from prison.
During her time behind bars, Davis's experiences of the American penal system and its dehumanizing effects are compelling. She writes, "Jails and prisons are designed to break human beings, to convert the population into specimens in a zoo -- obedient to our keepers, but dangerous to each other… Consequently, two layers of existence can be encountered within almost every jail or prison. The first layer consists of the routines and behavior prescribed by the governing penal hierarchy. The second layer is the prisoner culture itself: the rules and standards of behavior that come from and are defined by the captives in order to shield themselves from the open or covert terror designed to break their spirit" (52).
Davis discovers "how vitally important it [is] to resist every destructive current of prison life. For jails and prisons are deadly places. There was the mesmerizing inanity of television; a few boring high school texts, some mysteries and a lot of unbelievably bad fiction. The women could write if they wished, but the small notepaper, which was seldom available, discouraged serious writing in favor of casual notes which would be censored anyway before they were mailed. Even getting hold of a pencil could be an extensive and complex undertaking. There were the well-worn cards and games, indispensable props for every jail -- things to coat the fact of imprisonment with sugary innocuousness, fostering as imperceptible regression back to childhood. ...in the jailers' eyes, whether we are sixteen or seventy, we are 'girls.' They loved to watch over their child-prisoners happily engrossed in harmless games. Any pastime that was intellectually demanding seems suspect" (308-9).
She details "inane episodes" (302) and power struggles with jail matrons designed, it seems, solely to erode her sanity. She describes humiliation and bureaucratic idiocy. Her experiences of the warped nature of jails and the justice system lead her to some disheartening conclusions about the judicial system itself: "Here as elsewhere Justice was an image -- heavy, slick and wholly deceptive" (262).
Davis also thoughtfully explores fissures within her own movement, including the "natural inclination to identify the enemy as the white man. Natural because the great majority of white people, both in the United States and in England, have been carriers of racism which, in reality, only benefits a small number of them -- the capitalists. Because the masses of white people harbor racist attitudes, our people tended to see them as the villains and not the institutionalized forms of racism, which, though definitely reinforced by prejudiced attitudes, serve, fundamentally, only the interest of the rulers. When white people are indiscriminately viewed as the enemy, it is virtually impossible to develop a political solution" (150).
As a radically empowered female activist, Davis experiences chauvinism among even those who purport to be working towards the same liberation of which she dreams. She writes about it here: "I became acquainted very early with the widespread presence of an unfortunate syndrome among some Black male activists -- namely to confuse their political activity with an assertion of their maleness. They saw -- and some continue to see -- Black manhood as something separate from Black womanhood. These men view Black women as a threat to their attainment of manhood -- especially those Black women who take initiative and work to become leaders in their own right. The constant harangue by the US men was that I needed to redirect my energies and use them to give my man strength and inspiration so that he might more effectively contribute his talents to the struggle for Black liberation" (161). Needless to say, Davis effectively resists and subverts these pressures throughout the experiences outlined in this autobiography. Still, her reflections on sexism within even the most radical groups and her refusal to be silenced by it are empowering.
As Davis's dedication page reads, in part, her book is "for those whose humanity is too rare to be destroyed by walls, bars, and death houses." Closing this book, I'm left thinking of how relevant her struggle and words remain today. Since the book's publication in 1974, not a whole lot seems to have changed. Black men and women are still shot down in the street with near total police impunity. Political prisoners and whistleblowers like Chelsea Manning are locked up and vilified. Communism is still a dirty word and a political affiliation that can get a teacher fired. One thing that does seem to have changed is that fewer people seem to be speaking up in solidarity. Truly, the struggle continues. The most important thing I am taking away from this book is the validation of the essential nature of my own role in that struggle. Now more than ever, I feel the moral obligation to work tirelessly for social justice.
April 3, 2019
Al haber escrito esta autobiografía con 28 años, el espacio temporal de lucha y vivencias es demasiado corto, por lo que algunos pasajes son narrados con más densidad y concreción de lo que deberían. Aún así, me ha gustado y Angela es grandísima ⭐
May 5, 2024
angela davis continues to be the guiding voice in my own politics and work towards collective liberation
January 16, 2021
I wasn't expecting to be unable to put this book down. I absolutely loved Angela Davis' narrative voice, the way she hooks you in, easy to comprehend but not simple or lacking nuance in any way, and the genius structure of the book, putting us in the present moment of the narrative before taking us back to her early adolescence and educational journey that led to her full-time activist work... each section containing a thought-provoking epigraph and metaphorical title that I found myself returning to after reading the section to really grasp its multiple meanings. Ultimately, one of my favorite written works. I learned so much. I will not stop thinking about it, for a long time.
June 14, 2022
Leer la vida como activista de Angela Davis ha sido una experiencia tanto inolvidable como inigualable. Porque sí, es su autobiografía política, como activista. Vemos las injusticias que vivió, como eran las condiciones de vida en prisión, la angustia de no saber si la condenarían a muerte o no... Pero sobretodo me ha fascinado como nos muestra su compromiso con la causa antiracista y como ha dado su vida por ella. Vemos como, ante todo, lo que más le preocupa es que sus hermanos y hermanas sean tratados con respeto e igualdad, y no se permite mirar por ella misma ni un segundo: si tiene que ir a la cárcel de nuevo por la causa, lo hace; si tiene que hacer de tripas corazón por la causa, lo hace; y ante todo lleva su fama y su alcance con total humildad.
Este relato consigue llevarte de un extremo a otro: te desgarra, te emociona, te llena de esperanza, te frustra... Y te acerca a las injusticias que sufre la comunidad negra, te da una imagen de su sufrimiento y te hace plantearte muchas cosas.
Creo que es fundamental escuchar la voz de Angela Davis, tanto como referente feminista como referente antiracista, y que es de la clase de personas que hace de este mundo un lugar mejor.
Este relato consigue llevarte de un extremo a otro: te desgarra, te emociona, te llena de esperanza, te frustra... Y te acerca a las injusticias que sufre la comunidad negra, te da una imagen de su sufrimiento y te hace plantearte muchas cosas.
Creo que es fundamental escuchar la voz de Angela Davis, tanto como referente feminista como referente antiracista, y que es de la clase de personas que hace de este mundo un lugar mejor.
December 19, 2016
This book blew me away and opened my eyes- peeling away more layers of my ignorance and exposing my privilege. It's not just a book. It left me with a renewed conviction to join the fight for absolute freedom of people who are oppressed, with no better example to go by. It is terribly sad to read of the accounts of police killing black people in 1970, especially in that it sounds hauntingly familiar about what is happening now in 2016. She tells of her countless experiences throughout her entire life, both overt and covert, individual and in the structural sense, of racism and oppression. Her unflagging spirit and selfless conviction to fight for freedom for all oppressed people is astonishing. I am humbled by her struggle and by her stark account of her political activism, and inspired by her passion.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 538 reviews