Blood in the Water

This book by Heather Ann Thompson is the first definitive history of the infamous Attica prison uprising, the state’s violent response, and the victims’ decades-long quest for justice.

Drawing from more than a decade of extensive research, historian Heather Ann Thompson sheds new light on every aspect of the uprising and its legacy, giving voice to all those who took part in this forty-five-year fight for justice: prisoners, former hostages, families of the victims, lawyers and judges and state officials and members of law enforcement. Blood in the Water is the searing and indelible account of one of the most important civil rights stories of the last century.

“Chilling, and in places downright shocking . . . [Thompson] tells the story of the riot and its aftermath with precision and momentum.” —Bryan Burrough, The Wall Street Journal.

The full title of the book is: “Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and its Legacy”. Published by Vintage UK (April 2017).

.Compiled and reviewed by Clara Rayess