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Inside a Thug's Heart
Angela Ardis on her 1995 correspondence with the imprisoned Tupac, with facsimiles of his letters and poems. First published 2004, reissued 2024.
- Author
- Angela Ardis, described by her publisher as an author, screenwriter, actress and model; Tupac is credited as co-author for his own writings
- First edition
- 2004, Dafina Books (Kensington), New York, hardcover; ISBN 0-7582-0789-1
- Length
- roughly 200 to 240 pages depending on the edition
- Paperback
- 2009
- Anniversary edition
- 2024, marking 20 years, Dafina, 320 pages, with a new introduction and closing note by Ardis and a foreword by journalist Kevin Powell
Inside a Thug’s Heart tells the story of an unusual connection. In early 1995 Tupac Shakur was being held at Rikers Island in New York. Angela Ardis wrote to him, on a bet among friends and co-workers, as she tells it, and enclosed a photo and her phone number. Tupac called. What followed was months of almost daily letters and phone calls. The book is in English.
The facts
What it’s about
At the heart of the book are Tupac’s letters and poems to Ardis, reproduced in facsimile, together with her memories of their phone conversations. Many of the letters date from after his transfer from Rikers to the prison in Dannemora, in upstate New York. Tupac writes about music, prison, uncertainty and his plans for the future, often in a voice very close to his lyrics.
Verdict
A personal memoir built on genuine primary material, which is what makes it interesting for fans. A Booklist review called it good fan material and a primary resource, while pointing out that Ardis thanks Afeni Shakur in the acknowledgments for allowing the book to appear at all. The selection may therefore have been shaped with the estate in mind. Ardis’s reading of the relationship is her own; there are hardly any independent accounts of it. More titles: Books.
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