On March 7th, Ms. Heather Thompson the author of Blood in the Water – The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and its Legacy lectured on her experiences on research and writing her historic bestseller. Thompson covered
a thorough history and recap of the uprising along with the racial and political tensions of the time, background politics that led up to it, commentary from inmates and corrections officers who witnessed it, negotiations for and thoughts on the hostages, the reasons for the decision to go in with force, and the aftermath and cover up by those involved. She also talked about the difficulties she encountered while researching her book. She signed up for what she thought would be a three-year project, and it stretched to 13 years. Her difficulties uncovering the whole picture through press coverage, interviews, and documents led her on a journey for truth in a world of inaccuracies, exaggerations, and lies.

Ms. Thompson talked about the interviews and reactions from participants from all sides of the event. She thanked them for daring to tell their stories, and recounted how all of them were not only willing, but wanting, to tell it. Her voice is the voice of many that has been silenced for too long. She also pointed out several everyday heroes, like the coroner who refused to alter the cause of death for one inmate, who was beaten and shot to death, and stood firm in the face of the anti-prisoner political climate. Ms. Thompson also expressed her historian’s personal perspective of her research and emphasized that what we often see and hear about an event has so many sources of input, all with their own influences, and the whole picture is never really the whole picture. To fill the gaps, it is always best to get first hand accounts because the details, including the feelings and emotions of all involved, are important in telling the story.
I purchased a copy of Ms. Thompson’s book and am looking forward to reading it.