Santi Elijah Holley has reported for more than a decade on the intersection of culture, music, race, religion, and politics. His work has appeared in numerous national and international outlets, including The Atlantic, The New Republic, The Economist, The Guardian, the Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post. Holley is the recipient of grants from PEN America and the Robert B. Silvers Foundation, and he was awarded an Oregon Literary Fellowship for nonfiction. He lives in Los Angeles.
"Magnificent…. A uniquely intimate history of Black liberation….
Writing as a historian and storyteller, Holley never lets us lose
sight of the complex tapestry of movements that marked the era….The
greatest triumph of An Amerikan Family is the way Holley
expertly blends archival research — including court documents,
congressional transcripts, FBI records and newspaper clippings —
with oral history to tell human stories that are at once
exceptional and recognizable…. Seeing the humanity in these
revolutionaries can allow the next generation of activists to see
themselves as capable of resilience, and of becoming new models for
making change." — Los Angeles Times
"Sets a standard for drama that seems impossible to sustain. But
the cast of characters expands, and somehow each one the reader
encounters is as compelling as the last.... As revealing and
inclusive a portrait of the Shakurs as we have seen.... An Amerikan
Family offers no romantic assurance that the Shakurs’ legacy in
politics or music will live on exactly as they intended. Instead,
it provides readers with a visceral and unsanitized account of the
Black liberation struggle as a material and often lawless battle
between the American government and Black people who refuse to be
trampled upon." — New York Times Book Review
"A history of a dynasty of Black resistance.... Well written and
richly detailed, this book is a strong contribution to the
literature of Black militancy." — Kirkus Reviews (starred
review)
"Holley’s prose is captivating, as he describes the lives of
Lumumba Shakur, Afeni Shakur, and Sekou Odinga, among others, and
their impact on Black nationalism as well as on modern
activism.... Holley’s riveting, detailed history is essential
reading for understanding modern America and the Shakurs' enduring
legacy." — Booklist (starred review)
"[A] riveting group portrait.... Sweeping and sober, this is a
vital chapter in the history of the struggle for racial justice." —
Publishers Weekly
"Holley presents a teeming narrative. Details may astonish readers,
but the plot feels right at home in the season of Black Lives
Matter and the reemergence of white nationalism." — Alta
Journal
"Santi Elijah Holley uncovers the truth about this family of
artists and activists and tells their story in a whole new way." —
The Root
“An Amerikan Family is a first chapter in making the world better,
with truth and beauty. For those of us who haven’t seen their
stories written as they battled the darkness around them, An
Amerikan Family is a light helping us go forward.” — Nikki
Giovanni, poet
“What COINTELPRO worked so hard at wiping out is forever chronicled
in this lost chapter of Amerikan history. Funny how the
history of one family can cover so much ground, unearth so many
bodies, and reveal so many conspiracies and hard-born realities —
from the heart of the U.S. government's anti-black policies to the
very soul of the Black power and liberation movements. Holley’s
impeccable research takes what has been handed down orally to the
children of the movement and lines it up with what has been
factually documented. One way or another we have all been touched
by the Shakur family, and here is a testament to the fiery spirit
that has sparked the brains of generations to come.” — Saul
Williams, author of Said the Shotgun to the Head and The Dead Emcee
Scrolls
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