Mumia Abu-Jamal, �We Want Freedom: A Life in the Black Panther Party�
I�m gonna have to put some of these reviews up out of order, as I�ve been waiting for some stuff scanned photos that I can upload. Meanwhile, things are moving at too rapid of a pace to wait any longer.
This was my first review assignment for Maximum RockNRoll, so it�s nice that the book they sent me was one that I would most definitely (Or should I say mos def? After all this is the Panthers) would have purchased if and when it filtered into the store.
I think I shocked the hell out of the assignment editor from MRR, as she sent this with a due date of May 15, and also said that she could push it back another month if I needed it.
I got the review back to her in three days. I�m betting she thinks I didn�t read it.
I�ll say this though � it was hard to keep myself out of the review after two-plus years of doing these �reviews� on this site. I�m glad I got it out of the way before this breakup happened, lest I launch into a diatribe about how Fred Hampton got it easy � after all, he only got killed. I�m the one that has to keep on living.
I know, I know, nobody wants to hear me rabbit on about how I miss her. I swear I'll limit my maudlin comments to one per book.
And since this is my spot to talk about her, I�d just like to say you never realize how many people say, �How you doing?� in a retail situation until you�re actually doing absolutely fucking awful. You know how many people say it in one day?
42 times in nine hours.
�How you doin�?�
�Actually, really terrible. A friend of mine just died, my psychotic ex-girlfriend still wont leave me alone after five years, and while I was all emotional distraught over that, my current girlfriend, who I wasn�t having any problems with, unceremoniously dumped me...�
�Uh, hey listen buddy, I was just making small talk.�
�...And then, to make things worse...What do you mean? You asked how I was doing. I�m answering you.�
�Yeah, but I was just, you know, making small talk. White noise. Filler. Fodder. Whatever.�
�You were? You mean you�re not actually interested?�
�Uh, well, I don�t even know you.�
�Well why ask then? I mean, you could have talked about the weather, or the books you�re buying. Hell, it�s not original, but you could have mentioned that the gray cat is really fat, if you felt that you had to keep your lips flapping. That�s a particularly popular topic. None of these involve a personal question, which most people would expect a response for.�
�Yeah, I never thought about that. Look, uh, I�m sorry. Is there anything I can do?�
�Hmmmm. Well, I don�t really swing that way. Uh... How about if you bought a copy of my book?�
�Is this yours? Um, okay. What�s it about?�
�Well, it�s based in England. Primarily the story revolves around a girl that I really cared for who ended up breaking my heart...�
Jesus. My entire life is a clich�d plot point in a romantic comedy.
I�m not going to put the review I did on this site. There aren�t any mentions about copyright law or right to reproduce in the magazine, and as staff is all volunteer, it doesn�t really matter, but I reproduce enough stuff when I�ve run out of things to say in the first place. I�ll saw this though � it�s better than the book reviews from other writers from the last issue. Not that this means anything.
I will say this, for those in the know about Mumia Abu-Jamal � if you�re looking for insight into the man himself, it�s not here. This is really more of a retrospective/history lesson of the Black Panther Party.
But the book is pretty good, especially if you�re interested in the Panthers, as I am. It almost made me feel ashamed about my business membership at Costco, which says I work for the Black Panthers. But then I remember Bobby Seale, one of the earliest members of the Oakland chapter, and how he now hawks Barbecue equipment on late-night infomercials.
And I realize that there�s no way I can cheapen the movement any further.
