title: Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy
author:  Heather Ann Thompson 
description: Praise for Heather Ann Thompsons<i>Blood in the Water</i> <br /><br />Gripping . . . Not all works of history have something to say so directly to the present, but Heather Ann Thompsons <i>Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy</i>, which deals with racial conflict, mass incarceration, police brutality and dissembling politicians, reads like it was special-ordered for the sweltering summer of 2016. But theres nothing partisan or argumentative about <i>Blood in the Water</i>. The power of this superb work of history comes from its methodical mastery of interviews, transcripts, police reports and other documents, covering 35 years, many released only reluctantly by government agencies . . . Its Ms. Thompsons achievement, in this remarkable book, to make us understand why this one group of prisoners [rebelled], and how many others shared the cost. Mark Oppenheimer, <i>The New York Times</i><br /> <br /> Chilling, and in places downright shocking . . . [Thompson] tells the story of the riot and its aftermath with precision and momentum. Bryan Burrough, <i>The Wall Street Journal<br /></i><br /> A masterly account . . . Essential . . . <i>Blood in the Water</i> restores [the prisoners] struggle to its rightful place in our collective memory. James Forman Jr., <i>The New York Times Book Review</i><br /><br />A long, memorable chronicle . . . dense with new information . . . Thompsons capacity for close observation and her honesty [are] impressive. Adam Gopnik,<i>The New Yorker</i><br /> <i></i><br /> Masterful. Lewis M. Steel, <i>The Nation<br /><br /></i>Thompsons book is a masterpiece of historical research; it is thoroughly researched, extensively documented and reads like a novel . . . Magnificent. Terry Hartle,<i><i>The Christian Science Monitor</i></i><br /><br /> Heather Ann Thompson tracked down long-hidden files related to the tragedy at Atticasome of which have since disappearedto tell the saga in its full horror. Larry Getlen, <i>New York Post</i><br /><br /> Writing with cinematic clarity from meticulously sourced material, [Thompson] brilliantly exposes the realities of the Attica prison uprising . . . Thompsons superb and thorough study serves as a powerful tale of the search for justice in the face of the abuses of institutional power. <i>Publishers Weekly</i> Review of the Day (starred review)<i><br /></i><br />[A] real eye-opener for readers whose interest in Attica and knowledge of what happened ended when the headlines receded . . . Compelling . . . Sensitive . . . Impressively authoritative and thoughtfully composed. <i>Kirkus Reviews</i> (starred review)<br /> <br /> <i>Blood in the Water </i>is extraordinaryatrue gift to the written history of civil rights and racial justice struggles in America. Michelle Alexander, author of <i>The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness</i><br /> <br /> Remarkable. <i>Blood in the Water</i> is a historical tour de force. It sheds new light on these most important historical events, events that in part triggered the wave of exponential prison growth today. For those of us who have been tracing the rise of mass incarceration in this country, Heather Ann Thompsons book is a must read. Bernard E. Harcourt, Professor of Law and Political Science at Columbia University<br /> <b><i></i></b><br /> Heather Ann Thompson wields the powers of the historian with mesmerizing force. Forty-five years after the Attica uprising, <i>Blood in the Water</i> offers the most complete history to date on that tragic episode and does so with unflinching purpose: a clearer view of the consequences for human life, both past and present. Glenn E. Martin, Founder and President of JustLeadershipUSA<br /> <br /> <i>Blood in the Water</i> tells of warning signs in 1971 that still exist more than forty years later. Heather Ann Thompsons prophetic analysis is a sobering reminder that we must all care about what is happening to human beings behind prison walls. Soffiyah Elijah, Executive Director of the Correctional Association of New York
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  Praise for Six by Ten
  
  “The voices heard in this powerful collection are haunting. As these men and
  women make inescapably clear, the practice of removing human beings from
  everything that makes them sane and stable—keeping them for days, months, and
  years in utter isolation without light, touch, sound, space, and hope—is
  unimaginably cruel. Six by Ten is a deeply moving and profoundly unsettling
  wake up call for all citizens. The use of solitary confinement is deeply
  immoral and we must insist that it be banned in all of our nation’s prisons.
  Immediately.”
  
  —Heather Ann Thompson, Pulitzer Prize–winning author,
  
  Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy
  
  “Some of the people in Six by Ten were convicted of crimes, but this book
  convicts the United States of an incomparably greater crime: blighting the
  lives and searing the souls of untold hundreds of thousands of men, women, and
  teenagers by a practice that more enlightened countries consider inhuman