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Tough Love: The Life and Death of Tupac Shakur
An early anthology of essays, poems and letters about Tupac, edited by Michael Datcher and Kwame Alexander and published months after his death.
- Editors
- Michael Datcher and Kwame Alexander
- Introduction
- Kierna Dawsey (per catalog)
- Epilogue
- Mutulu Shakur
- Published
- December 1996 by BlackWords; the Library of Congress record gives 1997 and Alexander Publishing Group, Alexandria, Virginia
- Length
- 132 pages (other listings: 160)
- ISBN
- 1-888018-05-4
- Language
- English; no German edition known
Tough Love was one of the first books to appear after Tupac’s death in September 1996. It is not a biography but a gathering of voices: essays, poems, letters and short reflections by African American writers trying to make sense of Tupac and of his death. The subtitle spells out the approach: “Cultural Criticism & Familial Observations”.
About the book
What it covers
The pieces circle the contradictions that followed Tupac even in life: son of a Black Panther activist, rapper with a gangster image, actor, prisoner, idol. Some are eulogies and acts of mourning; others ask what responsibility society and the media bear for the path he took. According to one review, the contribution by journalist Esther Iverem in particular widens the lens beyond the usual readings.
The book closes with a letter from Tupac’s stepfather Mutulu Shakur, then in prison, a personal farewell to his son.
Assessment
A contemporary anthology of mourning and debate from a small press. Its value lies in capturing the mood right after the murder, from an African American perspective and without hindsight. It is less useful as a factual source; some of it reads as hastily written. Kwame Alexander later became well known as an author of books for children and young adults.
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