Angela Y. Davis has been a political activist at the cutting edge of the Black liberation, feminist, queer, and prison abolitionist movement for more than five decades. Told with warmth, brilliance, humor, and conviction, Angela Davis's autobiography is a classic account of life in struggle.

I found this book amongst those I inherited from my late uncle, and it had found its way onto my crowded to-read table. It took me a little time to get through this one as it is a long book and does drag here and there due to details especially when it comes to the legal system and webs of communication. However, I did find this to be a very compelling, and unfortunately, still relevant read.
The first quarter of the book is concerned with her flight from the authorities and time behind bars, the second is a retelling of some relevant events from her formative years, the third bit is concerned with her activism and the events that lead to her flight and eventual incarceration, and the final fourth is about her trial. I do not have any solid complaints about this book; some of it really had me on edge or fully on her side and frustrated and outraged with the injustice of the justice system. I did like this book and found it a decent read. The prose was clear and straightforward. However, the sections are insanely long with no chapter breaks and are broken up with extra line spaces. This, for me, is definitely a weakness but easily overcome due to the clarity of her writing. I did have a few favorite bits scattered about the book.
One such bit is when talking about how some of her radical contemporaries view all white people as the enemy and not the institution of racism itself, I think she hit the nail on the head with this: “When white people are indiscriminately viewed as the enemy, it is virtually impossible to develop a political solution.” (pg.148) Similarly, her take on reactionary responses was also spot on. “I was learning that as long as the Black response to racism remained purely emotional, we would go nowhere.” (pg.148)
Another is her mention of the bond between capitalists and racism presented by James Forman of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee and is, IMHO, still very relevant today. "His presentation was clear and incisive: power relationships which placed Black people at the bottom stemmed from the use of racism as a tool of the economically ascendant class – the capitalists. Racism meant more profits and, insofar as white workers are concerned, division and confusion.” (pg.158) Today, it seems just about anything that can identify someone or group of people as “other” is weaponized in the pursuit of profits and control to the benefit of man-child billionaires, corrupt politicians, and mega-corporations. Likewise, idealizing the oppressed's struggle is not a good idea either. Realism and practicality driven by radicalism is the theme/moral that I came away with from this book. “Romanticizing the plight of oppressed people is dangerous and misleading." (pg.208)
Another favorite is: “It seemed to me that if there were hungry children, something was wrong and if I did nothing about it, I would be wrong too.” (pg.88)
I definitely like this book, and I would recommend this to just about anyone though with the caveat about the section length and no actual chapters to speak of. And if you’re a radical, there are some pointers in here you might be interested in. ( )

nonfiction/biography-memoir. The iconic (and super smart) social justice leader's take on her Communist education and her experiences inside and outside of the criminal justice system in the 1970s, edited by Toni Morrison.

Note that Davis writes in her most recent foreword (since this is the third printing, the second re-printing of the original book) that she wrote this text some 50 years ago, and thus the language and frame of thinking about homosexuality and other issues that she used was different (and not as informed) than what she might use now. ( )

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.

I love this book! Angela Davis has such a strong voice. It was a real treat to be able to get a closer look at her life, her ideas and the work she has done. Reading this book sparked my interest in autobiographies and got me reading more books by and about women I admire. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in civil rights, radical history, criticisms of the prison industrial complex, anti-racism, prison-abolition, communism and stories of resistance. The story of her activism is very relevant to today's climate, and her analysis has had a great influence on the Black Lives Matter movement. A truly inspiring read!! ( )