Angela Davis
An Autobiography
The third edition of Angela Y. Davis’s seminal autobiography reintroduces the activist and scholar to audiences old and new.
Written during her late twenties, soon after she was acquitted of charges related to a courtroom shootout, Davis presents her life in mobius strip-style. The book, rendered in six parts, starts with her flight from California and subsequent capture and incarceration in New York. Curling back on itself, it then traces Davis’s life from childhood through to university, spending particular time on her budding interest in collectivism, and her discovery of communism through reading The Communist Manifesto.
The book returns to its present to conclude with Davis’s extradition from New York to California, incarceration in that state, and the trial and acquittal. Along the way, Davis ruminates on the dehumanizing nature of jail life, shares observations on the selfishness inherent in individualism, and reveals her growing realization that her personal fulfillment is predicated on an active political life.
With its clear language and honest reflections, the book continues to be a timely window into the life and ideology of one the most well-known living activists for Black liberation. Angela Davis: An Autobiography is perfect for readers interested in the intersections of personal ethics and political thought and activism.
Reviewed by
Dontaná McPherson-Joseph
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
