{"product_id":"words-for-my-comrades-a-political-history-of-tupac-shakur-9781399615457","title":"Words for My Comrades: A Political History of Tupac Shakur","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA biography of the legendary American rapper Tupac Shakur, his personal politics and position as a symbol for revolution \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eFeatured on \u003ci\u003eNPR\u003c\/i\u003e's \u003ci\u003eBooks We Love 2025\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e'An astounding achievement' MARCUS J. MOORE\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Learned [and] compassionate' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eTHE TIMES\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A must-read' \u003ci\u003eIRISH TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eBefore his murder at twenty-five, Tupac Shakur rose to staggering artistic heights as the pre-eminent storyteller of the 1990s. He recorded several platinum-selling albums, starred in major films and became an activist and political hero known the world over. In this extraordinary cultural history, Dean Van Nguyen reckons with Tupac's coming of age, fame and influence and how the political machinations that shaped him as a boy have since buoyed his legacy as a icon.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eDrawing upon conversations with the people who bore witness,\u003ci\u003e Words for My Comrades\u003c\/i\u003e tells the story of how the energy of the Black political movement was subsumed by consumer culture - and how America produced, in Tupac and his Black Panther mother Afeni, two of its most iconic revolutionaries.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ch4\u003eDetails\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003eISBN13: 9781399615457\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFormat: Paperback \/ softback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNumber of Pages: 464\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEdition: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication Date: 22 Sep 2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublisher: Orion Publishing Co\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication City, Country: United Kingdom\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDimensions (cm): 19.6(H)x13(L)x4(W)400\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWeight (gm): 400\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cb\u003eDean Van Nguyen\u003c\/b\u003e is an Irish-Vietnamese writer, journalist, and critic covering music, culture, identity, race relations, and left wing politics.  He has written for\u003ci\u003e Irish Times\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eIndependent\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003ePitchfork\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Atlantic\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eUproxx\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eWax Poetics\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eJacobin\u003c\/i\u003e and more. He writes a monthly music column for the \u003ci\u003eDublin Inquirer\u003c\/i\u003e and a column on new reissues for \u003ci\u003eBandcamp Daily\u003c\/i\u003e. In 2019, he published \u003ci\u003eIron Age: The Art of Ghostface Killah\u003c\/i\u003e, a collection of essays on New York rapper that blends music criticism, cultural examination, and personal appreciation.\u003ch4\u003eReviews\u003c\/h4\u003eSets out to transcend the standard pop star biography, carefully knotting the evolution of hip-hop into a sweeping account of 20th-century radical US politics . . . With the old-school grit of a hard-boiled crime writer, Van Nguyen sketches out a story full of explosive characters and explosive violence . . . It's no failing of this learned, compassionate narrative that Shakur the man remains elusive -- Victoria Segal * THE TIMES *\u003cbr\u003eThis is a beautifully written, fascinating look at the legacy of an American legend through a different lens -- Michael Schaub * NPR, Books We Love 2025 *\u003cbr\u003eIn a time in which having a rich relationship with the truth is especially vital, here comes Dean Van Nguyen. History is either a tool of the state or an outside screaming for freedom. \u003ci\u003eWords for My Comrades\u003c\/i\u003e is about freedom - it \u003ci\u003eis \u003c\/i\u003efreedom at work * Saeed Jones, award-winning author of How We Fight For Our Lives *\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eWords for My Comrades\u003c\/i\u003e is elegant, incisive, and deeply considered. With Tupac's political history as the focus, Dean Van Nguyen properly humanizes a man who reached mythical status long ago. An astounding achievement * Marcus J. Moore, author of High and Rising (A Book About De La Soul) *\u003cbr\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eWords For My Comrades\u003c\/i\u003e, Dean Van Nguyen deftly ties Tupac's brilliant career with his anti-capitalist upbringing. A richly researched biography that honours his subject's bold, deeply textured life and art * Walter Thompson-Hernández, author of The Compton Cowboys *\u003cbr\u003eMoves confidently . . . Fresh interpretations of a foundational hip-hop narrative * Kirkus Reviews *\u003cbr\u003eDean Van Nguyen's fascinating new book tells the story of a musical icon's political life . . . Insightful, readable and thoroughly well researched, this is a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of politics and pop culture * IRISH TIMES *\u003cbr\u003e[There is] much to admire about Van Nguyen's industrious, thought-provoking research, oral histories and thorough critical analysis of Shakur's significance . . . anyone (Shakur fans or not) interested in hip-hop history and Black radical political ideology will, with some justification, love it * IRISH TIMES *\u003cbr\u003eThe defiant stare, gangster caricature, and death at just twenty-five: all of it has been repackaged into a consumable legend, more often than not detached from the political environment that made him. \u003ci\u003eWords for My Comrades \u003c\/i\u003eis, at its core, a rejection of that hollowing out. It is Van Nguyen's attempt to return Tupac to the radical context from which he emerged ... These revealing excavations of Tupac's personal and political journey make his book as captivating as it is revealing -- Hamza Shehryar * Jacobin *\u003cbr\u003eInsightful . . . Van Nguyen contextualizes the hallowed lyrics of Shakur's music by contrasting a personal biography of the rapper with relevant history lessons on, among others, the Black Panthers and Malcolm X * The San Francisco Chronicle *\u003cbr\u003eMusic journalist Dean Van Nguyen paints a comprehensive portrait of Tupac Shakur-not just as the legendary rapper, but also as an artist existentially shaped by radical politics . . . As this bold biography makes evident, Shakur's political conscience naturally informed the way he approached his art * Harper's Bazaar *\u003cbr\u003eThis smart and sharp political biography traces Tupac's activism and artistry, exploring how his radical legacy continues to resonate-especially after the George Floyd uprisings. A bold, insightful take that moves beyond the myth, this book celebrates Shakur as a voice for justice and change in America's racial and cultural landscape * RTÉ *\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eWords for My Comrades\u003c\/i\u003e is a searing, essential corrective to the myth-making machine . . . reminding us that behind every platinum plaque might be a Panther's ghost, still howling for justice * Monique Snyman, Bram Stoker-award nominated author of The Night Weaver *\u003cbr\u003eThe book expertly tells the political story of Tupac's life and how the radicalisation he grew up in impacted his music and, by extension, the world. But more than that, it walks you through two generations of justice, hurt, love, pain, and trauma, by not only telling his story, but the story of his mother * Stanley Fritz, author of Confessions of a Sucker for Love *","brand":"Dean Van Nguyen","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50837514453209,"sku":"9781399615457","price":26.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0502\/9530\/8441\/files\/9781399615457.jpg?v=1793104990","url":"https:\/\/www.arielbooks.com.au\/products\/words-for-my-comrades-a-political-history-of-tupac-shakur-9781399615457","provider":"Ariel","version":"1.0","type":"link"}