From the Bookshelf: Assata: An Autobiography

I think I have a new found sweet spot for autobiographies. I'm trying to type the words that could explain the emotions that spill off the pages in this book. There are none, or at least I can't eloquently lay them out so I oped for a list instead:

• It is a brilliant illustration of the pervasive, gross, and dehumanizing prison system we have in America.

• It is the story of a political prisoner; a story not unlike many political pensioners that seem to have fallen on deaf ears since the 21st century.

• It is the story of a black woman that made the choice to stand for a cause. 

• It is a must read for members of my generation that are striving for  social justice, equal education, economic freedom so that the pursuit of happiness doesn't seem so damn impossible. 

• It is powerful ad empowering. 

Good Reads!

When you read a good blog post that naturally brings a smile to your face then it is necessary   that you share it. The blog post below from TheFreshXpress is one such post. It was a great read to go over as I ate my pita bread stuffed with roasted bell peppers and tempeh last night.

And exert is below, but you gotta (yes gotta) read the whole post for the full effect.

“The very nature of a black man is to love a black woman. I’ve come to realize it after that experience. He can love any woman, but not to the degree he can love a black woman. I state this with no reservation and remorse for those it might offend. For that brief moment I loved her hair, because it was the very hair that grew out of my own head. I loved her skin, because it was the same skin that covered my flesh. I saw her as the mother of my children, because I knew when I looked at their faces I wouldn’t be able to see my half or hers. I would only see us. At that moment I loved myself more because I was looking at everything that makes me amazing. I could never love a woman of another race that way”