I Am Maroon - by Russell Shoatz (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Russell Shoatz was a gang member from age 11, battling for territory and dignity amid the white flight of 1950s Philadelphia. But at 23, after hearing Malcolm X speak on a street corner in Harlem, his life changed course. Shoatz would become a lifelong crusader for justice, a soldier in the most militant units of the Black Liberation Army, a Black Panther fighting the notorious Frank Rizzo and his Blue Guards. The fight turned increasingly violent, and as one of the "Philly Five," Shoatz was convicted to life in prison after a coordinated attack on a police station, which left one officer dead. The prison walls, however, could not deter Shoatz's battle for personal and collective freedom. He escaped maximum security facilities twice, making him a living legend, endowed with the moniker "Maroon," once used to honor runaways from plantations. He survived 22 years in solitary confinement, prompting an international campaign for his freedom. In October 2021, after 49 years in prison, Maroon was released into hospice care, reuniting briefly with his children before he passed away. But for nine years before his death, he worked with Sri Lankan writer Kanya D'Almeida, who he recognized as a comrade, to record his life's work in print. I Am Maroon charts a life of dizzying intrigue, set during the height of the struggle for Black liberation. With an unforgettable voice and a personality that comes off the page, Maroon reminds us that we too are capable of radical change, and leaves us a blueprint for how we might dedicate our lives and minds to the ongoing fight for freedom"--

Book Synopsis

In this cinematic memoir, follow one man's journey from gang member to Black liberation leader to political prisoner-and the justice and redemption he fought for along the way.

Inspired by Malcolm X, Russell Shoatz became a lifelong crusader for justice, a soldier in the most militant units of the Black Liberation Army. Shoatz was convicted to life in prison following a coordinated attack on a park police station that left one guard dead.The prison walls, however, could not deter Shoatz's battle for personal and collective freedom. He escaped state prisons twice, making him a living legend, and endowed him with the moniker "Maroon," once used to honor runaway slaves from plantations. He survived 22 years in solitary confinement, prompting an international campaign for his freedom.

I Am Maroon charts a life of dizzying intrigue and a long struggle for liberation. With an unforgettable voice, Maroon reminds us that we too are capable of radical change, leaving us a blueprint for how we might dedicate our lives and minds to the ongoing fight for freedom.

Review Quotes

"An epic tale told with ferocity and nuance, wit and grace; a tale of freedom as much as a story of imprisonment."
--Leslie Jamison, New York Times-bestselling author of the Empathy Exams

"In tracing the social, political, and moral evolution of a truly extraordinary individual, I Am Maroon also attests to the ongoing maturation of a movement in which the vision of freedom becomes increasingly more expansive. The story of Russell Shoatz reveals that the quest for Black liberation demands disentanglement from its pernicious embrace of heteropatriarchy. It also reveals the ultimate kinship of all struggles for freedom."
--Angela Y. Davis, feminist activist, scholar, and author of many books, including Freedom Is a Constant Struggle

"Shoatz lived his entire life trying to effect changes within the system! We honor him by imitating and acknowledging this."
--Robert H. King, last surviving member of the Angola Three

About the Author

Russell "Maroon" Shoatz was a dedicated community activist, founding member of the Black Unity Council, former member of the Black Panther Party, and soldier in the Black Liberation Army.

Kanya D'Almeida is a writer and winner of the 2021 Commonwealth Short Story Prize. As a journalist, she reported for a decade on global economic apartheid, reproductive justice and prison abolition.