Jasmine Guy's Book "Afeni Shakur: Evolution of a Revolutionary" Is Published

In early 2004, the publisher Atria Books released a book about Tupac’s mother: Afeni Shakur: Evolution of a Revolutionary. It was written by actress Jasmine Guy, a friend of Tupac. The book has 240 pages and cost 25 dollars. Publishers Weekly reviewed it in the issue of February 1, 2004.

A Life in Her Own Words

The book is structured as a conversational biography: Afeni Shakur, born Alice Faye, tells her story herself. Publishers Weekly summarized the arc as follows: a childhood in a violent, broken home, anger at personal demons and racism that led her into a leadership role with the Black Panthers, followed after the party’s collapse by bad relationships, crack addiction, and the breakup of the family. At the end stand the path out of addiction through a twelve-step program and her comeback at the helm of Tupac’s posthumous music business.

Praise for the Voice, Criticism of the Author

The review was divided. Guy, who had secured the rights to Afeni’s story, intruded too often into the frame and mentioned too frequently what kind of movie could come of it. Sometimes she failed to draw a coherent narrative from the conversation. Yet Afeni’s own voice came through clearly: at times defiant, at times reflective, at times wistful, and painfully honest regarding her own failures.