Death Blossoms : Reflections from a Prisoner of Conscience

Rating:
Summary: A book of truth and of hope. No writer is objective.
Review: After watching the HBO documentary "Mumia Abu-Jamal: A Case for Resonable Doubt?", I came to believe that our government has sentenced to death an innocent man; so I attended a rally for his freedom in Philadelphia on April 27th and bought this book there. This book is not only about Mumia's life, but about all of our lives. None of our lives in America exist outside of the system. By not doing anything we passively concede to what our government decides to do for us. Either we're for it or against it. There is no middle ground. This book breathes of life and of freedom. It has opened my eyes wider than I had wanted them to open and has exposed the truth a little more. I wouldn't call this book an excellent piece of literature, but I would say that it's good because it gives life and hope in a dark and unjust world.

Rating:
Summary: Must read
Review: Death Bloosoms" picks up where "Live From Death Row" leaves off. Mumia's reflections from family to the system make the reader stop and think about what is really going on. Even after almost 15 years on death row, Mumia has not lost hope or has his will been broken but prison life. This book is not for his supportors only, but for anyone that has any type of social conscience. In some ways this book is a little more heart-drenched than his first, but that is to be expected. When you can actually feel the emotion that the writer is trying to convey, then the writer has succeded in making his point. Now I know that there are many people who think Mumia is guilty, but how can we keep a man a death row when some other man has come forward and confessed to the murder. If anything, Mumia deseves to be freed while an investigation is conducted. This leads you to wonder how fair our judicial system really is if a man cant be freed after someone else has confessed. This book will take you into the depths of hell and give you a first hand look at what life really is like on death row. If this book cant make you re-think you position on capitol punishment, than I dont know what can.

Rating:
Summary: Unfortunate, the world is out to get him.
Review: First of all, let me say congratulations to mumia and every one who fought to get his sentence overturned. Let's hope it stays that way. Second, if you are just now hearing of mumia abu-jamal buy this book. It will blow your mind.

Rating:
Summary: A fascinating record of a spiritual journey
Review: I found "Death Blossoms: Reflections from a Prisoner of Conscience," by Mumia Abu-Jamal, to be an engrossing book. A collection of short pieces, it is written by a death row inmate who was convicted of murdering a police officer, but who many supporters believe to be innocent. The book contains a foreword by Cornel West and an introduction by Julia Wright. Also included is a prison interview with the author.

From a literary standpoint, West really hypes up the author in his foreword; he compares Abu-Jamal to Herman Melville, Theodore Dreiser, Toni Morrison, Eugene O'Neill, and other great American authors. Wright contributes further to this theme, comparing "Death Blossoms" to works by Baudelaire and Oscar Wilde. So is Mumia all that? I don't know, but "Death Blossoms" is good stuff.

Although there is the expected sociopolitical critique, "Death Blossoms" is, at its core, the record of the author's spiritual journey. Abu-Jamal reflects on his mother's Baptist heritage and his father's Episcopalianism; he also details his explorations of other spiritual paths: Judaism, Catholicism, and the Black Muslim movement. His writings in these sections are powerful and evocative. Ultimately, he pays tribute to the guru known as John Africa and discusses at some length the path founded by this man.

Abu-Jamal also writes about prison life, the media, and United States history. Along the way he cites such diverse sources as Salman Rushdie, Ray Bradbury, the Qu'ran, Nietsche, and Ghanaian folklore.

Overall, this is a fascinating book. I did feel that some of the supplemental material by other authors reads too much like a hagiography of Mumia; it's like the publishers are trying to market him as some kind of modern saint. I also felt that this supplemental material was insensitive to the victim of the crime for which Abu-Jamal was convicted.

Is Abu-Jamal really guilty of murder, or is he an innocent man who was wrongly convicted under a fatally flawed system? I don't know. But I can say that "Death Blossoms" is a compelling piece of contemporary literature.

Rating:
Summary: A Must Read!
Review: In this book, Mumia Abu-Jamal deals a lot with faith and religion. He talks about the hypocritical past of Christianity, the militancy of the Nation of Islam, and of his own faith (and the faith of many MOVE members): "Life." Mumia has managed to keep an optimistic view on life even though he has been on death row for over fifteen years.

This book is of mostly one or two page essays concerning objectivity in the media, prison brutality, the outlook on life many death row prisoners have, faith, and his past. There is an excellent interview at the end of the book, conducted by the publisher. Whether or not you believe in the guilt of Mumia, this is a profound book that will provoke much thought and discussion.

Rating:
Summary: Profound essays by a "prisoner of conscience"
Review: In this book, Mumia Abu-Jamal deals a lot with faith and religion. He talks about the hypocritical past of Christianity, the militancy of the Nation of Islam, and of his own faith (and the faith of many MOVE members): "Life." Mumia has managed to keep an optimistic view on life even though he has been on death row for over fifteen years.

This book is of mostly one or two page essays concerning objectivity in the media, prison brutality, the outlook on life many death row prisoners have, faith, and his past. There is an excellent interview at the end of the book, conducted by the publisher. Whether or not you believe in the guilt of Mumia, this is a profound book that will provoke much thought and discussion.

Rating:
Summary: Before the grave closes
Review: Mumia Abu-Jamal gives us here a short but particularly pungent and stringent book. We find in those pages a sensitive man, a resolute human being, a deep believer in life, an optimist about the future and humanity, and yet a realist about the present, the US and American justice. What's new about his approach is that it blends poetry and facts so well that the poetry is the heart of the facts. And we definitely will keep in mind his main argument, or what I consider as such: how can anyone invoke the Christian God to support the most unhumane treatment of some men or women or even children, when Jesus, the Son of God, was treated exactly the same way. How dare they, the self-declared-righteous fake Christians submit any human being to what is the very basis of their own supposed and self-asserted religion? One answer: religion is a sunday entertainment and distraction (they are deranged) for them, and they are basically hypocritical. One reference is missing in the book: social darwinism. The Death Row of any prison in the US or in the world, is nothing but the elimination device of those who are not the fittest, that is to say who are not part of the dominant group of their societies. Dr Jacques COULARDEAU Université of Paris IX and II

Rating:
Summary: Very Moving
Review: this book is a must for the Social minded.very powerful&makes you think.so much heart&soul from Mumia Abdu-Jamal.he always makes you think about things.He writes from the soul of his mind.very compelling book.This Man deserves to be Heard&given a fair chance.

Rating:
Summary: an amazing book
Review: This booked filled me with an indescribable feeling. Mumia Abu Jamal has been in jail for over 15 years waiting to be killed, and yet he is still able to write books like this that no doubt have a profound affect on anybody who reads it. It is definitely worth reading. On another note, can i just say that the person who gave this book one star below has got their facts wrong. the things he has claimed are presented in an untrue and very biased manner. to get the real details about the court case and another things surronding Mumia's inprisionment, just do a seach for his name on the net and it will be easy to track down.