'Big Black: Stand At Attica' shines a light on the necessity of prison and police reform

"Big Black: Stand At Attica" is a graphic novel memoir about the historical 1971 Attica prison uprising told from the perspective of Frank Smith also known as "Big Black."

*SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD if you're unfamiliar with the historical context of this event

The prisoners wanted one simple thing: to be treated as human beings.

From dropping hot shell casings on one's skin, to one roll of toilet paper per month, to poor medical treatment, the prisoners had enough, so they drafted a manifesto. When that didn't work, they took matters into their own hands.

Written by Frank "Big Black" Smith and Jared Reinmuth, and illustrated by Améziane, what I was especially interested in and looking forward to prior to the completion of this book —not to mention the fantastic illustrations— was observing the idea of reversal of power.

It took a moment, a faulty lock that broke the wall separating the oppressed from those in charge. When the rebellion started, they kept hostages and demanded to speak to those in charge from the new prison commissioner to Gov. Rockefeller. It really shined a light on how prisoners voices are silenced or misconstrued because at first, the media reported misinformation. Almost 55% of the incarcerated at Attica were African American, according to Britannica, and racial tensions were especially high during this time period, so one can only imagine how different audience populations reacted to what was being aired. It may have seemed for a short period of time that there was a reversal of power, but it makes one think, did they ever, even for a second, have their voices heard? The Attica prison uprising ended in a bloody massacre of police indiscriminately firing and teargassing.

I definitely recommend this book for mature audiences interested in police/prison reform, race studies, and the criminal justice system.

(This book review was last updated on July 14, 2022)

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