Home Books Tupac Shakur: The Authorized Biography

Tupac Shakur: The Authorized Biography

Tupac Shakur: The Authorized Biography

by Staci Robinson

Crown ·2023 ·448 pages ·Biography
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I Index
68/99
Near the Top

52/99

Critics

Top of the Pile

84/99

Readers

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Scholars

27/99

Rating

77/99

Volume

94/99

Rating

75/99

Volume

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About This Book

The authorized biography of the legendary artist, Tupac Shakur, a moving exploration of his life and powerful legacy, fully illustrated with photos, mementos, handwritten poetry, musings, and more Artist, poet, actor, revolutionary, legend Tupac Shakur is one of the greatest and most controversial artists of all time. More than a quarter of a century after his tragic death in 1996 at the age of just twenty-five, he continues to be one of the most misunderstood, complicated, and influential figures in modern history. Drawing on exclusive access to Tupac's private notebooks, letters, and uncensored conversations with those who loved and knew him best, this estate-authorized biography paints the fullest and most intimate picture to date of the young man who became a legend for generations to come. In Tupac Shakur, author and screenwriter Staci Robinson—who knew Tupac from their shared circle of high school friends in Marin City, California, and who was entrusted by his mother, Afeni Shakur, to share his story—unravels the myths and unpacks the complexities that have shadowed Tupac's existence. Decades in the making, this book pulls back the curtain to reveal a powerful story of a life defined by politics and art—a man driven by equal parts brilliance and impulsiveness, steeped in the rich intellectual tradition of Black empowerment, and unafraid to utter raw truths about race in America. It is a story of a mother and son bound together by a love for each other and for their people, and the relationship that endured through their darkest times. It is a political story that begins in the whirlwind of the 1960s civil rights movement and unfolds through a young artist's awakening to rage and purpose in the '90s era of Rodney King. It is a story of dizzying success and its devastating consequences. And, of course, it is the story of Tupac's music, his timeless, undying message as it continues to touch and inspire us today.


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Reviews

"Tupac's outsized personality, his love of literature...and dedication to Black liberation shine throughout this passionate portrait of a profoundly influential artist."

Lesley Williams· Booklist Read review ↗ Top of the Pile

"This authorized biography of Shakur is intimate and personal, but it could use more gravitas."

Kirkus Read review ↗ Near the Top

"While offering a valiant defense, Robinson excuses Tupac of many provocations ..."

Sheldon Pearce· The New York Times Read review ↗ Near the Top

"She never veers into outright apology or mitigates or conceals troubling details."

Jesse McCarthy· The Washington Post Read review ↗ Near the Top

"A reverential and exhaustive telling of Shakur's story, leaning heavily on the perspective of his immediate family, featuring pages reproduced from the notebooks he kept in his teens and twenties ..."

Hua Hsu· The New Yorker Read review ↗ Near the Top

"Enriched by invaluable excerpts from the rapper's notebooks and sketch pads, this will have hip-hop devotees enthralled."

Publishers Weekly Read review ↗ Near the Top

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