An Amerikan Family: The Shakurs and the Nation They Created

An enlightening history of the rise and lasting impact of Black liberation groups in America, as seen through the Shakurs, one of the movement's most prominent and fiercely creative families, home to Tupac and Assata, and a powerful incubator for today's activism, scholarship, and artistry.

They have been celebrated, glorified, and mythologized. They have been hailed as heroes, liberators, and freedom fighters. They have been condemned, pursued, imprisoned, exiled, and killed. But the true and complete story of the Shakur family--one of the most famous names in contemporary Black American history — has never been told.

For over fifty years, the Shakurs have inspired generations of activists, scholars, and music fans. Many people are only familiar with Assata Shakur, the popular author and thinker, living for three decades in Cuban exile; or the late rapper Tupac. But the branches of the Shakur family tree extend widely, and the roots reach into the most furtive and hidden depths of the underground.

An Amerikan Family is a history of the fight for Black liberation in the United States, as experienced and shaped by the Shakur family. It is the story of hope and betrayal, addiction and murder, persecution and revolution. An Amerikan Family is not only family genealogy; it is the story of Black America's long struggle for racial justice and the nation's covert and repressive tactics to defeat that struggle. It is the story of a small but determined community, taking extreme, unconventional, and often perilous measures in the quest for freedom. In short, the story of the Shakurs is the story of America.

"An Amerikan Family is a first chapter in making the world better, with truth and beauty. For those of us who haven't seen their stories written as they battled the darkness around them, An Amerikan Family is a light helping us go forward." Nikki Giovanni, poet

"What COINTELPRO worked so hard at wiping out is forever chronicled in this lost chapter of Amerikan history. Funny how the history of one family can cover so much ground, unearth so many bodies, and reveal so many conspiracies and hard-born realities, from the heart of the U.S. government's anti-black policies to the very soul of the Black power and liberation movements. Holley's impeccable research takes what has been handed down orally to the children of the movement and lines it up with what has been factually documented. One way or another we have all been touched by the Shakur family, and here is a testament to the fiery spirit that has sparked the brains of generations to come." Saul Williams, poet, filmmaker and musician

Santi Elijah Holley has reported for nearly a decade on the intersection of culture, music, race, religion, and politics. He has contributed to numerous national and international periodicals, including The Guardian, The Atlantic, The New Republic, and The Economist, and his book reviews appear regularly in The Washington Post. He has been a guest on radio, television, and podcasts, including The Majority Report With Sam Seder and Bad With Money With Gaby Dunn. During his years of reporting, he has embedded himself with confrontational Christian street preachers in Cincinnati, bunked at an historic multiracial communal farm in south Georgia, met with elder Black Panthers in New York, and been tear gassed by federal police in Portland during the 2020 protests for racial justice.