dr. heather ann thompson, pulitzer prize, attica, professor, book

Dr. Heather Ann Thompson is a historian at the University of Michigan, and is the Pulitzer Prize and Bancroft Prize-winning author of Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy (Pantheon Books, 2016). Blood in the Water won the Ridenhour Prize, the J. Willard Hurst Prize, the Public Information Award from the New York Bar Association, the Law and Literature Prize from the New York County Bar Association, the Media for a Just Society Award from the National Council for Crime and Delinquency, and the book also received a rarely-given Honorable Mention for the Silver Gavel Award from the American Bar Association.

Blood in the Water was also long listed for the Cundill Prize in History, and was a finalist for the National Book Award as well as the Los Angeles Times Book Award. Upon its release Blood in the Water was prominently reviewed and profiled in the New York Times in four different sections, and Thompson herself was profiled in the highly-coveted “Talk” section in the New York Times MagazineBlood in the Water ultimately landed on fourteen “Best of 2016” lists including the New York Times Most Notable Books of 2016 listand ones published by Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Newsweek, Christian Science Monitor, the Boston Globe, and others. 

The book also received rave reviews in over 100 top popular publications, and Thompson appeared on over 25 television shows, including PBS Newshour, CBS Sunday Morning and the Daily Show, as well as on over 50 radio programs, including Sirius and NPR.

Read more.

 
background1.jpg
 

Inquiries

Allyson Moralez
Assistant to Dr. Heather Ann Thompson
amoralez@umich.edu

Book Publicity Inquiries:
Ms. Angelia Venezia
avenezia@penguinrandomhouse.com
212-572-2642
1745 Broadway, 13th Floor
New York, NY 10019
212-572-2082

Book Agent Inquries:
Ms. Susan Ginsburg
sginsburg@writershouse.com
Writers House
120 Broadway, 22nd Floor
New York, NY 10271
P: 212-685-2400 F: 212-685-1781

Film Rights Inquiries:
Mr. Jon Cassir, agent
Creative Artists Agency
2000 Avenue of the Stars
Los Angeles, CA 90067
P: 424-288-2000 F: 424-288-2900

Other Entertainment Project Inquiries:
Mr. Joel Behr, manager/attorney
Behr, Abramson, Levy
9696 Wilshire Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
P: 310-556-9222

 
background2.jpg
 

BLOOD IN THE WATER

The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy

THE PULITZER PRIZE IN HISTORY, 2017 · BANCROFT PRIZE IN AMERICAN HISTORY AND DIPLOMACY 2017 · RIDENHOUR BOOK PRIZE 2017 · NEW YORK CITY BAR ASSOCIATION AWARD 2016 · MEDIA FOR A JUST SOCIETY BOOK AWARD 2017 · LAW AND LITERATURE BOOK AWARD, 2017 · J. WILLARD HURST AWARD IN SOCIO-LEGAL HISTORY, 2017 · SILVER GAVEL AWARD FOR MEDIA AND THE ARTS (HONORABLE MENTION MAY, 2017) · NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST 2016 · LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE FINALIST 2017 · CUNDILL BOOK PRIZE LONGLIST 2017 · NEW YORK TIMES, PAPERBACK ROW, 2017 · SEATTLE TIMES, TOP TEN NON-FICTION, 2017 · NEW YORK TIMES MOST NOTABLE BOOKS  OF 2016 · TOP TEN BEST BOOKS OF 2016 PUBLISHERS WEEKLY · TOP TEN BEST WORKS OF NON FICTION OF 2016 KIRKUS REVIEWS · TOP TEN BOOKS OF 2016 NEWSWEEK · BEST HUMAN RIGHTS BOOKS OF 2016 · BEST HISTORY BOOKS OF 2016 BLOOMBERG · BEST BOOKS OF 2016 BOSTON GLOBE · BEST NONFICTION BOOKS 2016 CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR · FAVORITE BOOKS 2016 BUFFALO NEWS · TOP TEN NON-LOCAL BOOKS OF 2016 BALTIMORE CITY PAPER · BEST BOOKS 2016 THE UNDEFEATED · BEST CRIMINAL JUSTICE BOOKS 2016 THE MARSHALL PROJECT · BEST NONFICTION BOOKS 2016 BOOK SCROLLING · CURATOR PICK BEST OF 2016, THE SMITHSONIAN · BEST BOOKS OF 2016, TROPICS OF META · AMAZON, #1 BESTSELLER LAW ENFORCEMENT · STARRED REVIEWS: KIRKUS REVIEW, PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, LIBRARY JOURNAL · VARIOUS “STAFF PICKS” AT LOCAL BOOKSTORES INCLUDING BARNES & NOBLE UNION SQUARE, MAINE BOOK SHOP AND CAFE, NORTHSHIRE BOOKSTORE, ETC.

Blood in the Water

Available for order:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Powell's | BAM | Apple Books | Kobo

 
background1.jpg
 
 
background2.jpg
 
Blood in the Water won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize.

THE FIRST DEFINITIVE HISTORY OF THE INFAMOUS 1971 ATTICA PRISON UPRISING, THE STATE’S VIOLENT RESPONSE, AND THE VICTIMS’ DECADES-LONG QUEST FOR JUSTICE.
 
On September 9, 1971, nearly 1,300 prisoners took over the Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New York to protest years of mistreatment. Holding guards and civilian employees hostage, the prisoners negotiated with officials for improved conditions during the four long days and nights that followed. 

On September 13, the state abruptly sent hundreds of heavily armed troopers and correction officers to retake the prison by force. Their gunfire killed thirty-nine men—hostages as well as prisoners—and severely wounded more than one hundred others. In the ensuing hours, weeks, and months, troopers and officers brutally retaliated against the prisoners. And, ultimately, New York State authorities prosecuted only the prisoners, never once bringing charges against the officials involved in the retaking and its aftermath and neglecting to provide support to the survivors and the families of the men who had been killed.
 
Drawing from more than a decade of extensive research, historian Heather Ann Thompson sheds new light on every aspect of the uprising and its legacy, giving voice to all those who took part in this forty-five-year fight for justice: prisoners, former hostages, families of the victims, lawyers and judges, and state officials and members of law enforcement. Blood in the Water is the searing and indelible account of one of the most important civil rights stories of the last century.

 
background1.jpg
 

Praise for Heather Ann Thompson’s Blood in the Water

“Gripping . . . Not all works of history have something to say so directly to the present, but Heather Ann Thompson’s Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy, which deals with racial conflict, mass incarceration, police brutality and dissembling politicians, reads like it was special-ordered for the sweltering summer of 2016. But there’s nothing partisan or argumentative about Blood in the Water. The power of this superb work of history comes from its methodical mastery of interviews, transcripts, police reports and other documents, covering 35 years, many released only reluctantly by government agencies . . . It’s Ms. Thompson’s achievement, in this remarkable book, to make us understand why this one group of prisoners [rebelled], and how many others shared the cost.”
— Mark Oppenheimer, The New York Times

“Chilling, and in places downright shocking . . . [Thompson] tells the story of the riot and its aftermath with precision and momentum.”
— Bryan Burrough, The Wall Street Journal

“A masterly account . . . Essential . . . Blood in the Water restores [the prisoners’] struggle to its rightful place in our collective memory.”
— James Forman Jr., The New York Times Book Review

“A long, memorable chronicle . . . dense with new information . . . Thompson’s capacity for close observation and her honesty [are] impressive.”
— Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker

“Masterful.”
— Lewis M. Steel, The Nation

“Thompson’s book is a masterpiece of historical research; it is thoroughly researched, extensively documented and reads like a novel . . . Magnificent.”
— Terry Hartle, The Christian Science Monitor

“Heather Ann Thompson tracked down long-hidden files related to the tragedy at Attica—some of which have since disappeared—to tell the saga in its full horror.”
— Larry Getlen, New York Post

“Writing with cinematic clarity from meticulously sourced material, [Thompson] brilliantly exposes the realities of the Attica prison uprising . . . Thompson’s superb and thorough study serves as a powerful tale of the search for justice in the face of the abuses of institutional power.”
Publishers Weekly Review of the Day (starred review)

“[A] real eye-opener for readers whose interest in Attica and knowledge of what happened ended when the headlines receded . . . Compelling . . . Sensitive . . . Impressively authoritative and thoughtfully composed.”
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Blood in the Water is extraordinary—a true gift to the written history of civil rights and racial justice struggles in America.”
— Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness

“Remarkable... Blood in the Water is a historical tour de force. It sheds new light on these most important historical events, events that in part triggered the wave of exponential prison growth today. For those of us who have been tracing the rise of mass incarceration in this country, Heather Ann Thompson’s book is a must read.”
— Bernard E. Harcourt, Professor of Law and Political Science at Columbia University
 
“Heather Ann Thompson wields the powers of the historian with mesmerizing force. Forty-five years after the Attica uprising, Blood in the Water offers the most complete history to date on that tragic episode and does so with unflinching purpose: a clearer view of the consequences for human life, both past and present.”
— Glenn E. Martin, Founder and President of JustLeadershipUSA

Blood in the Water tells of warning signs in 1971 that still exist more than forty years later. Heather Ann Thompson’s prophetic analysis is a sobering reminder that we must all care about what is happening to human beings behind prison walls.”
— Soffiyah Elijah, Executive Director of the Correctional Association of New York

 
background2.jpg