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Review
All Things Censored

All Things Censored
A New Book with CD
by Mumia Abu-Jamal


Edited by Noelle Hanrahan
Foreword by Alice Walker
"Abu-Jamal (is) a gifted and controversial Philadelphia journalist...(who) has continued to write, and now, thanks to his supporters, 75 of his eloquent and indelible essays about the failings of the courts, so-called correctional facilities, and the media are available, accompanied by a CD of his banned radio recordings. When Abu-Jamal is censored, everyone's civil rights are threatened. Let freedom ring; let Abu-Jamal speak."
- Donna Seaman, Booklist May 2000 (starred review)

More than 79 essays-many freshly composed by Mumia with the cartridge of a ball-point pen, the only implement he is allowed in his death row cell-embody the calm and powerful words of humanity spoken by a man on death row. Abu-Jamal writes on many different topics, including the ironies that abound within the U.S. prison system and the consequences of those ironies, and his own case. Mumia's composure, humor, and connection to the living world around him represents an irrefutable victory over the "corrections" system that has for two decades sought to isolate and silence him.

The title, All Things Censored, refers to Mumia's hiring as an on-air columnist by National Public Radio's "All Things Considered," and subsequent banning from that venue under pressure from law and order groups. The CD, a compilation of Mumia's best recordings to date-including previously unreleased material-also features comments from other writers, luminaries, and activists, including Alice Walker, Cornel West, Assata Shakur, Martin Sheen, John Edgar Wideman, and others.

Mumia Abu-Jamal is an award-winning journalist and author of two books, Live From Death Row and Death Blossoms, which have reached millions, and which address prison life from a critical and spiritual perspective. In 1981 he was elected president of the Association of Black Journalists (Philadelphia chapter). His 1982 murder trial and subsequent conviction has raised considerable controversy and criticism for alleged constitutional violations and other improprieties. In spite of his almost two-decade long imprisonment on death row, Abu-Jamal has fought for his freedom and for his profession. He holds a BA from Goddard College and an MA from California State University, Dominguez Hills. His books have sold more than 100,000 copies and have been translated into seven languages.

Noelle Hanrahan is an investigative journalist and the director of Prison Radio, an organization that challenges mass incarceration and racism by airing the voices of men and women in prison. Since 1992 she has recorded the commentaries of Mumia Abu-Jamal, including those that were censored by National Public Radio's "All Things Considered." In 1993 she won a National Federation for Community Broadcasting (NFCBA) Golden Reel Award for "The Execution of Robert Alton Harris." And in 1997, she received another NFCBA Award for the radio adaptation of the film "Mumia Abu-Jamal: A Case for Reasonable Doubt." She lives in the San Francisco area.

Alice Walker is the author of more than 30 books including The Color Purple and Possessing the Secret of Joy. She lives in Northern California.

Publication Date: May 15, 2000
240 Pages 6 1/4 x 8 3/4
$29.95 Cloth/79-minute CD ($45.00 Canada)
ISBN: 1-58322-022-4
Current Affairs / Journalism




© 2000 ART12/VanderHoek Publishing. All rights reserved.