Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy Summary
Heather Ann Thompson

Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy Overview

Heather Ann Thompson's Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy is the first comprehensive and historically accurate retelling of the five-day Attica prison uprising and the state of New York's violent retaking of the prison on the fifth day. Armed with one-hundred pages worth of source material and indexed information at the end of her book, this study relies on personal interviews, what remains of public records, and most importantly, an accidentally-found collection of the state's Attica files to prove that the state was not only responsible for the deaths of thirty people, but it also intentionally tried to cover-up any incriminating evidence. While simultaneously retelling the story of Attica and pointing out the flaws in the state's conduct, Thompson also weaves relevant social and political issues into her narrative, which allows much of her study to be applicable to the modern sociopolitical climate.