Words for My Comrades by Dean Van Nguyen, Hardcover, 9781399615433 | Buy online at The Nile
Departments
 Free Returns*

Words for My Comrades

A Political History of Tupac Shakur

Author: Dean Van Nguyen  

Words for My Comrades
Hardcover

A biography of the legendary American rapper Tupac Shakur, his personal politics and position as a symbol for revolution

Read more
Pre order release date
29th September 2025
Pre Order
$56.01
Or pay later with
Free 30 day returns       Secure transaction
Pre order release date
29th September 2025
Check delivery options
Hardcover

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Summary

A biography of the legendary American rapper Tupac Shakur, his personal politics and position as a symbol for revolution

Read more

Description

Before his murder at twenty-five, Tupac Shakur rose to staggering artistic heights as the pre-eminent storyteller of the 90s, building, in the process, one of the most iconic public personas of the last half century. He recorded several platinum-selling albums, starred in major films and became an activist and political hero known the world over.

In this cultural history and brilliantly researched biography, Van Nguyen reckons with Tupac's coming of age, fame and influence and how the political machinations that shaped him as a boy have since buoyed his legacy as a revolutionary following the George Floyd uprising. Words for My Comrades crucially engages with the influence of Tupac's mother, Afeni, whose role in the Black Panther Party, with its dedication to dismantling American imperialism and police brutality, informed Tupac's art. Tupac's childhood as a son of the Panthers, coupled with the influence of his militant step-father Mutulu Shakur, became his own riveting code of ethics that helped listeners reckon with America's inherent injustices.

Drawing upon conversations with the people who bore witness - from Panther veterans and other committed Marxist revolutionaries of 1970s America, to good friends and close collaborators of the rapper himself - Van Nguyen demonstrates how Tupac became one of the most enduring musical legends in hip-hop history and how intimately his name is threaded with the legacy of Black Panther politics. Words for My Comrades is the story of how the energy of the Black political movement was subsumed by culture and how America produced, in Tupac and Afeni, two of its most iconic, enduring revolutionaries.

Read more

Critic Reviews

In a time in which having a rich relationship with the truth is especially vital, here comes Dean Van Nguyen. History is either a tool of the state or an outside screaming for freedom. Words for My Comrades is about freedom - it is freedom at work Saeed Jones, award-winning author of How We Fight For Our Lives
Words for My Comrades is elegant, incisive, and deeply considered. With Tupac's political history as the focus, Dean Van Nguyen properly humanizes a man who reached mythical status long ago. An astounding achievement Marcus J. Moore, author of High and Rising (A Book About De La Soul)
In Words For My Comrades, Dean Van Nguyen deftly ties Tupac's brilliant career with his anti-capitalist upbringing. A richly researched biography that honours his subject's bold, deeply textured life and art Walter Thompson-Hernández, author of The Compton Cowboys
Moves confidently . . . Fresh interpretations of a foundational hip-hop narrative Kirkus Reviews

Read more

About the Author

Dean Van Nguyen is an Irish-Vietnamese writer, journalist and critic covering music, culture, identity, race relations and left wing politics. He has written for Irish Times, the Guardian, the Independent, Pitchfork, The Atlantic, Uproxx, Wax Poetics, Jacobin and more. He writes a monthly music column for the Dublin Inquirer and a column on new reissues for Bandcamp Daily. In 2019, he published Iron Age: The Art of Ghostface Killah, a collection of essays on New York rapper that blends music criticism, cultural examination and personal appreciation.

Read more

Product Details

Publisher
Orion Publishing Co | White Rabbit
Published
19th June 2025
Pages
464
ISBN
9781399615433

Returns

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.

Pre Order
$56.01
Or pay later with
Free 30 day returns       Secure transaction
Pre order release date
29th September 2025
Check delivery options
Browse by category
YOUR PAYMENT IS SECURE

We use 100% PCI DSS compliant payment services. That means your payment information is always protected, and never gets seen by anyone.
30-DAY FREE RETURN POLICY

Return nearly all items within 30 days of delivery. Unused or faulty items are acceptable as free returns. *Exceptions apply, see our returns policy.

The Nile
Follow Us
Help & Support
Contact Us

Copyright © 2025 The Nile Group.

Zip

 AfterPay

PayPal

Credit Card
Buy Baby at The Nile
 
 
 
Buy Toys at The Nile
Buy Books at The Nile
Buy Movies & TV at The Nile
Our Top Brands