A review by sujuv
Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy by Heather Ann Thompson

5.0

I'd heard the chant "Attica" but never knew what it meant until I picked up Blood in the Water (thanks for the recommendation Marc Weingarten)- one of the finest nonfiction books I've read. A moving, comprehensive, revelatory (to me at least) telling of the lead up to the uprising at Attica prison in 1971, the unnecessarily violent retaking, the horrific abuse meted out on inmates as revenge by guards and state troopers, and the decades long fight for justice by inmates and former hostages. A damning indictment of a system of mass incarceration that has unfortunately only become worse over time and under the leadership of AG Session, is set to hit new levels of bad. And despite the seriousness and difficulty of the subject matter, it's wonderfully written and an easy read. Well worth picking up.