Reviews for Tupac Shakur

The average rating for Tupac Shakur based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2008-10-01 00:00:00 Angela Corrado (Disclosure: Carrie Golus, author of this book, is a personal friend of mine.) Of all the rap artists of the so-called "gangster" period of the '90s and '00s, it is Tupac Shakur who still remains such a quintessential example; gunned down in 1996 at the age of 25, he still remains one of the best-selling artists of the entire genre, as well as an example of the "thug life" street credibility such artists were expected by their fans to maintain. And that's what makes it so hard to write an effective children's book on the life and times of Shakur, in that it is filled with thorny and complex issues easy to misinterpret even as an adult -- his mother was a prominent Black Panther in the '60s, he himself was a fan of Irish pop music and challenging contemporary literature, yet his career largely depended on the exploitation of women and the advocacy of mindless violence and drug abuse, all of it peppered with liberal sprinklings of the "n-word" and other derogatory language. It's to the credit of author Carrie Golus, then, and publisher Lerner's "Just The Facts" series, that their own overview of Shakur's life should come out so nuanced, easy to read, and surprisingly appropriate for younger children; instead of hiding from all these issues, they tackle them in a straightforward and balanced way, inserting a plethora of sidebar articles within the text helping to explain so many of these complicated issues to young readers, without once ever insulting them or otherwise talking down to their audience. The portrait of Shakur that emerges from this book is an intriguing and unexpected one, one that is sure to resonate with many kids; partly a victim of his own success, partly a self-denier of his own intelligence and love of culture, this sympathetic look at his career and life highlights the constant struggle between art and commerce, between one's personal principles and the realities of whatever community one is a part of. A must-read for teens struggling with their own young identities, and of course simply a great factual overview of Shakur's life as well, for those who would like to know more.

Review # 2 was written on 2020-03-09 00:00:00 Jerrilyn Richardson I think that this book is good because it tells slot about his backround image, even before he was gangsta, another thing I also find Interesting, I had no idea that Tupac was the son of a Black Panther, or that he excelled in an art school for children, or that he had survived 2 shootings before the on that really killed him. And I think the writing is really effective at explaining his life before rap. However, they could talk a little more about how he became famous because that was kinda weak. i would 10/10 recommend to a classmate or someone