"This intensely personal and political autobiography belies the fearsom image of Joanne Chesimard long projected by the media and the state. With wit and candor, Assata Shakur recounts the experiences that led her to a life of activism and portrays the strengths, weaknesses, and eventual demise of Black and White revolutionary groups at the hands of government officials. The result is a signal contribution to the literature about growing up Black in America that has already taken place along side The Autobiography of Malcom X and the works of Maya Angelou."