Compassion, Creativity, Buddhism, The Quest for Truth & Wisdom, Health & Wellness, Music, Films, Literature, Art, Revolution, Healing, Critical Thinking, Mental Health Advocacy, Social Justice, Resilience, Reflection, The Beauty of Melancholy, Spiritual Development, Consciousness, Memento Mori, LOVE…
In this reflection, I wanted to explore the intellectual and poetic side of Tupac that is rarely discussed {the same happens with Jim Morrison the lead singer of The Doors}.
I hope to explore other artist’s reading lists in future reflections.
He was a voracious reader and student of life. His passion for learning and social justice advocacy was a part of his essence.
Tupac’s intellectual power came from a vast knowledge of eclectic topics. He loved to explore esoteric, the metaphysical and philosophical topics. This study became the foundation for his song lyrics and life philosophy.
His mother, Afeni Shakur, had already instilled in him a revolutionary education as she was a member of The Black Panthers. She passed on her wisdom and Tupac continued to polish the jewels.
Tupac was truly an autodidact {a self-taught person}. He would educate others through his song lyrics.
In this short video, Tupac’s first manager Leila Steinberg discusses Tupac’s love of literature and critical thinking.
“Leila Steinberg is an artist and community organizer who began working with youth twenty years ago in the San Francisco Bay area. As the daughter of a criminal defence attorney, she grew up surrounded by the workings of the justice system and took a front row seat at the personal tragedies and socio-economic pressures that turn so many at-risk youths into hardened felons. Steinberg helps them connect with their hearts and turn anger and pain into creativity. AIM promotes artistic expression as a way to handle problems as opposed to choosing violence, drugs or other forms of escape. As the program facilitator, Steinberg sees confronting pain as the best way to move past it. She believes self-awareness is a key to making better choices. Steinberg is committed to helping people who fall through the cracks of society. In 1995 she began a series of specialized programs for youth within the juvenile justice system and those residing in residential treatment facilities. As hip-hop music became the expression of today’s youth, Steinberg began training artists to develop voices powerful enough to reach a generation. While conducting poetry workshops in Northern California, she met Tupac Shakur and he became a regular participant in her class. They shared a vision of developing a space where each artist in attendance is encouraged, inspired and motivated to address social change in their work. Tupac referred to Leila as the “bow” and himself as the “arrow.” –http://www.pinlight.com/leila.htm
It is said to be a “documentary examining the politics, music and life of Tupac Shakur.”
This is the description from the Youtube video…
“This is a list of books read by Tupac during his lifetime including while he was at the Baltimore School of Arts and in prison. They are presented in no particular order. The topics include Black history, the afterlife, religion including Zen, war, women’s liberation, music, and poetry. Reading these books, it is clear how they moulded Tupac’s thinking and language. This is a handy list of good reading material if you ever find yourself locked up.”
One Hundred Years of Solitude Written by: Gabriel Garcia Marquez
1984 Written by: George Orwell
Ah, This! Written by: Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh
All God’s Children: The Boskett Family and the American Tradition of Violence Written by: Fox Butterfield
All You Need to Know About the Music Business Written by: Donald Passman
And Still I Rise Written by: Maya Angelou
Art of War Written by: Sun Tzu
Assata: An Autobiography Written by: Assata Shakur
At the Bottom of the River Written by: Jamaica Kincaid
The Autobiography of Malcolm X As told to: Alex Haley
Bhagavad-Gita As It Is Written by: A.C. Bhaktive-danta Swami Prabhupada
Black Like Me Written by: John Howard Griffin
Black Sister: Poetry by Black American Women, 1746 to 1980 Edited by Earlene Stetson
Blues People Written by: Amiri Baraka
Catcher in the Rye Written by: J.D. Salinger
The Complete Illustrated Book of the Psychic Sciences Written by: Walter B. Gibson and Litzka R. Gibson
The Confessions of Nat Turner Written by: William Styron
The Destiny of the Nations Written by: Alice A. Bailey
The Diary of Anais Nin Edited and with a Preface by: Gunther Stuhlmann
The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy Written by: E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, James Trefil
The Grapes of Wrath Written by: John Steinbeck
Great White Lie: Slavery, Emancipation and Changing Racial Attitudes Written by: Jack Gratus
The Harder We Run:
Black Workers Since the Civil War Written by: William H. Harris
Here and Hereafter Written by: Ruth Montgomery
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Written by: Maya Angelou
I Shall Not Be Moved Written by: Maya Angelou
Imitation of Christ Written by: Thomas a Kempis
In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens Written by: Alice Walker
Initiation Written by: Elisabeth Haich
Interesting People:
Black American History Makers Written by: George L. Lee
James Baldwin: The Legacy Edited by: Quincy Troupe
Kabbalah Written by: Gersham Scholem
Life and Words of Martin Luther King, Jr. Written by: Ira Peck
Life as Carola Written by: Joan Grant
Linda Goodman’s Sun Signs Written by: Linda Goodman
Makes Me Wanna Holler Written by: Nathan McCall
The Meaning of Masonry Written by: W.L. Wilmshurst
Moby Dick Written by: Herman Melville
Monster:
The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member Written by: Sanyika Shakur
Music of Black Americans: A History Written by: Eileen Southern
Mysticism Written by: Evelyn Underhill
Native Son Written by: Richard Wright
Nature, Man and Woman Written by: Alan W. Watts
No Man Is an Island Written by: Thomas Merton
Nostradamus: The Millennium & Beyond Written by: Peter Lorie
The Phenomenon of Man Written by: Teilhard de Chardin
Ponder on This: A Compilation From the Writings of: Alice A Bailey & the Tibetan Master, Djwhal Khul
The Practical Encyclopedia of Natural Healing Written by: Mark Bricklin
The Prince Written by: Niccolo Machiavelli
The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead Written by: Timothy Leary, Ph.D., Ralph Metzner, Ph.D., Richard Alpert, Ph.D.
The Psychic Realm Written by: Naomi A. Hintze and J. Gaither Pratt, Ph.D.
A Raisin in the Sun Written by: Lorraine Hansberry
Roots Written by: Alex Haley
Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools Written by: Jonathan Kozol
Secret Splendor Written by: Charles Essert
Serving Humanity From the writings of: Alice A. Bailey
Sisterhood is Powerful: Anthology of Writings from the Women’s Liberation Movement Written by: Robin Morgan
The State of the World Atlas Written by: Michael Kidron and Ronald Segal
Social Essays Written by: LeRoi Jones
The Souls of Black Folk Written by: W.E. Burghardt DuBois
Teachings of the Buddha Written by: Jack Kornfield
Telepathy Written by: Alice A Bailey
The Tibetan Book of the Dead Written by: W.Y. Evans-Wentz
Thoughts and Meditations Written by: Kahlil Gibran
Tropic of Cancer Written by: Henry Miller
The Visionary Poetics of Allen Ginsberg Written by: Paul Portuges
Wisdom of Insecurity Written by: A.N. Watts
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance Written by: Robert M. Pirsig
Radiohead came to be my favourite band out of all the many bands/artists that I love.
I simply adore them.
My faith in humanity, life and love is restored when I listen to them.
When I watch this video, I am reminded of how much musicians and artists are so necessary in this world. They are vital because they are alchemists who can transform pain and suffering into beauty and enlightenment.
They are also healers that greatly contribute to the healing of the world.
I have a great reverence for musicians and artists.
Jack’s desire to create something new is the nucleus of his creative process.
He vehemently rejects the usual paradigm of the rock musician lifestyle of sex, drugs and rock n’ roll {although he says it is a heavy metal way of thinking}.
Jack says, “That’s not creating. That’s not art. That’s not trying to exist in a place where you are sort of mimicking God in a way, in a small tribute to try to create something brand new that didn’t exist before and to see if it can change people’s emotions…”
I love everything Jack said but particularly the notion of musicians mimicking God with their creative tribute. We have all heard the phrase “rock god” in reference to certain rock n’ roll musicians. Jack’s version is a lot more humble and realistic. He only claims to mimic God and not actually be a god. His reasons are very pure because he only wants to create art and provide a conduit for people’s emotions. Music has the transformative and cathartic power to alter people’s emotions. Music therapy exists to help people heal.
Jack’s impetus for being a musician is derived from his creativity. He wants to share emotions and create an experience for his listeners- an emotional connection born from an artistic experience.
Jack ends the video clip with this observation,
“Partying and all those things and meeting people is kind of boring. It’s easy to do that in a bar. That’s for people who really have no idea what to do with themselves, I think. That shouldn’t be associated with art.”
It seems as though his artistic vision is quite clear and that he is a serious artist. Jack deeply loves and respects music. He has a higher vision for art; perhaps one of elevated consciousness and transcendence. Art can be so many things to different people. It can cathartic or destructive. It can be haunting or enlightening.
*I am a fan of Jack White but especially The White Stripes. When I first heard The White Stripes all those years ago, I simply fell in love with their music.
I have yet to hear his other bands The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather.
Tilda Swinton as David Bowie. Photographed by Craig Mcdean for AnOther Magazine.
Tilda channels David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust alter ego…
Tilda is a Rebel Rebel…
Tilda is a huge David Bowie Fan…
“The other day, I was going through the airport security and I was searched by a male security guard. I’m very often referred to as “Sir” in elevators and such. I think it has to do with being this tall and not wearing much lipstick. I think people just can’t imagine I’d be a woman if I look like this.”
“You’re always playing yourself. It’s all autobiography, whatever you’re doing. It’s using them as a kind of prism through which to throw something real about yourself, or something relaxed at least. Because the last thing you want is to look like you’re acting.”
Tilda Swinton in Candy Magazine
Tilda is a Futuristic Cosmic Mermaid…
Tilda as a Cosmic Space Goddess…
Tilda Laughs At The Status Quo…
Tilda Transforms Through Make-up Artistry…
“These photographic performances and the opportunity they afford me to play with the shapes and attitudes of this lexicon are thrilling to me.”
*
Tilda Swinton is a brilliant actress and performer {one of my favourites}.
“Society circumscribes us and we play into this feeling that we have to pick one identity and stick with it and any natural transformation within our spirit is to be resisted at all costs.
If there is some great shift in someone’s life one is to feel nothing, but shame and failure, that’s the thing I am constantly drawn back to.”
“There is something insane about a lack of doubt. Doubt, to me anyway, is what makes you human, and without doubt even the righteous lose their grip not only on reality but also on their humanity.”
What keeps her engaged in performing and acting is the moment of shift and doubt in one’s identity.
“There’s such an effort to try and explain people.”
Tilda Removes The Wig/Veil/Metaphorical Mask…
Tilda The Transformer…
*
Gender, identity and beauty are such an intriguing topics which I hope to explore in future posts.
“Tilda does not always play women; she has played Mozart on stage, an Elizabethan nobleman in Orlando (1992) and an androgynous angel, Gabriel, in Constantine (2005).” -Internet Movie Database
*
Please enjoy the fascinating video of master make-up artist Joseph Harwood as he transforms himself from a male/androgynous appearance into a female appearance.
{Joseph really shows us how make-up is art and how you can express yourself and construct our own identity}.
I am most grateful for a class I took called “sociology of gender relations” because it enlightened me about gender.
This class also brought to my awareness the struggles of women, gay people, transgendered people and other types of minorities.
More than anything this class convinced me that everyone deserves equality, there needs to be more love, compassion and acceptance in the world and that we should collectively fight discrimination of all kinds.
The beautiful marriage of creativity and intelligence…
Do you think that creativity and intelligence are interrelated or do you think that they are separate entities?
Does “creative intelligence” exist?
Do you think that creative expression can heal?
Can creative expression be a spiritual practice?
How do you like to express your creativity and intelligence?
Are there other creative outlets that you would like to try?
Would you rather stay with your favourite forms of creative expression?
{I would like to try many creative outlets…music {being a DJ and learning to play an instrument}, photography, jewellery design, graphic design, interior design, fashion design, teaching {the alchemy of education}, cooking, gardening, cinematography, graffiti artist, painting, sculpting, origami, making art on Etsy and Deviantart, learning photoshop, make-up artistry, typography, calligraphy {the art of beautiful writing}, dancing, yoga, meditation, etc }.
There is so much to choose from in a possible creativity palette.
{Some of these creative possibilities can even be a spiritual practice e.g. Buddhist monks creating mandalas for meditative purposes}.
“For those of you who want to attain enlightenment,
do not study many teachings.
Only study one.
What is it?
It is great compassion.
Whoever has great compassion has all Buddha’s qualities in his hand.”
-Buddha
Compassion Mantra: Om Ma Ni Pad Me Hum “All the teachings of Buddha are contained within the six letters, also it is the embodiment of the compassion Buddha Avalokiteshvara. Tibetans believe that praying or chanting the mantra will increase your compassion and make closer your connection to the Buddha Avalokiteshvara eventually achieving Buddhahood.“
Photo Courtesy of http://www.wiseattention.org/blog/2012/04/01/palden-gyatso/ This photo accompanies a sobering and inspiring article entitled, ‘Compassion for My Torturer’: A Meeting With Palden Gyatso.” Written by: Vishvapani on http://www.wiseattention.org/ “Tibetan Buddhist monk, Palden Gyatso, spent 33 years imprisoned by the Chinese and drew deep on his Buddhist practice to survive his brutal treatment. He escaped to the West to tell his story and I met him in London to discuss his experiences his searing memoir, Fire Under the Snow.”
Angelina Jolie Photographed by: PER-ANDERS PETTERSSON The caption on his website: Darfur Refugees “Angelina Jolie, the Oscar winning actress and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, holds a mentally disturbed boy, as he is tied with a rope in a camp in Oure Cassoni, Chad, 2007. Angelina Jolie met the 7 year-old boy while spending two days visiting Oure Cassoni, a refugee camp close to the Sudan border. Almost 27,000 refugees lives there and it was opened in 2004.” “I also spent time with SOS Children’s villages staff, and we visited a 7-year-old boy that was held with a rope to a pole by his family. This to keep him from wandering away, they said. According to SOS, the boy saw his village bombed when he was 3- years old. He hid alone in the bush for 2 days before his family found him and they all fled across the border. SOS Children’s villages launched an emergency relief program for refugees from Darfur in 2006. They focus on providing psychosocial care for traumatized children and their parents. They presently care for about 230 children and adults. Many have been living in the camp since 2004. Many children experience symptoms such as nightmares, bedwetting and behavioral problems. These children are often in a state of anxiety and they often have hallucinations. The children attend group therapy sessions where they play, sing and paint. They work closely together with UNHCR and International Rescue Committee in the camp.”
There are Tibetan Buddhist monks in a temple in the Himalayas endlessly reciting mantras for the cessation of your suffering and for the flourishing of your happiness.
Someone you haven’t met yet is already dreaming of adoring you.
Someone is writing a book that you will read in the next two years that will change how you look at life.
Nuns in the Alps are in endless vigil, praying for the Holy Spirit to alight the hearts of all of God’s children.
A farmer is looking at his organic crops and whispering, “nourish them.”
Someone wants to kiss you, to hold you, to make tea for you.
Someone is willing to lend you money, wants to know what your favourite food is, and treat you to a movie.
Someone in your orbit has something immensely valuable to give you — for free.
Something is being invented this year that will change how your generation lives, communicates, heals and passes on.
The next great song is being rehearsed.
Thousands of people are in yoga classes right now intentionally sending light out from their heart chakras and wrapping it around the earth.
Millions of children are assuming that everything is amazing and will always be that way.
Someone is in profound pain, and a few months from now, they’ll be thriving like never before. They just can’t see it from where they’re at.
Someone who is craving to be partnered, to be acknowledged, to ARRIVE, will get precisely what they want — and even more. And because that gift will be so fantastical in it’s reach and sweetness, it will quite magically alter their memory of angsty longing and render it all “So worth the wait.“
Someone has recently cracked open their joyous, genuine nature because they did the hard work of hauling years of oppression off of their psyche — this luminous juju is floating in the ether, and is accessible to you.
Someone just this second wished for world peace, in earnest.
Someone is fighting the fight so that you don’t have to.
Some civil servant is making sure that you get your mail, and your garbage is picked up, that the trains are running on time, and that you are generally safe.Someone is dedicating their days to protecting your civil libertiesand clean drinking water.
Someone is regaining their sanity. Someone is coming back from the dead. Someone is genuinely forgiving the seemingly unforgivable.Someone is curing the incurable.
“Danielle LaPorte is the creator of WhiteHotTruth.com, which has been called the best place on-line for kick-ass spirituality.”
Please visit her website for some inspiration and wisdom…She is so brilliant. I just “discovered” her and will most likely be doing more blog posts about her and her writing.
If you want more inspiration and wisdom from Danielle, please go to her website: http://www.daniellelaporte.com/to sign up for her newsletters. You can choose to receive via email a “daily truthbomb”, a “somewhat weekly” newsletter and a “monthly digest” newsletter. I am signed up for all of them and highly recommend them.
Danielle has generously provided the first chapter of her book for free on her website. You can read it on Scribd or download it in pdf format. Please click on this link: The Fire Starter Sessions Chapter One.
This incisive quote reminds me of Chuck Palahniuk’s other novel Fight Club which was made into an enlightening film called Fight Club– one of my favourite films.
{I highly recommend watching Fight Club because of the acidic social commentary, intriguing story and excellent acting}.
In essence, Chuck Palahniuk is alluding to commodity fetishism. The term that Karl Marx invented to describe how commodities are being fetishized and given an intrinsic value. It analyzes how the means of production and the relationships between consumers and workers are being obscured. {I apologize for the poor definition but I hope to elaborate on this in future posts}.
This quote asks us to re-consider our consumerist urges and desires.
Why do I really want a new thing?
Do I really need it?
Or do I simply just want it?
Why do I want it?
Do I just have a materialist itch to scratch?
Is there actually anything wrong with the one I have or am I just getting caught up in the consumerist zeitgeist?
Designed by Dutch firm Studiomeiboom, The Enlightenment illuminates your shelf rather your soul. Made from plexiglass and lit by an energy-saving bulb, the lamp plugs into an outlet with a standard cord.
*
During my hunt for pictures in the universe of the internet, I came across a brilliant idea from a WordPress blog called: Words&Words.
He has an inventory of all the books he has read.
Recently, he has even added dates. Eventually he says that he will even organize it in alphabetical order.
You may be surprised to learn that the maker of movies such as Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, and Lost Highway is an avid spiritual practitioner, but as a remarkably upbeat and ebullient David Lynch told WIE recently, he’s been sitting down twice a day, every day since 1977, to practice Transcendental Meditation. Last spring, Penguin published his book Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity, in which Lynch writes about how his long-standing passion for meditation has influenced his work as a filmmaker and artist.
WHAT IS ENLIGHTENMENT: You describe the experience of meditation in Catching the Big Fish as “electric gold.” What do you mean by that?
David Lynch: When human beings dive within and transcend—which means you go to the source of thought, you experience the unbounded and eternal ocean of pure consciousness—it feels like you’ve been hooked in to the cosmic electric factory of bliss and it’s flowing right into you. As I say in the book, the side effect of this experience is that negativity starts to go away. It can’t live in the light of unity. People throughout time have been sitting in meditation, and for what reason? To dive within, experience this field, and unfold their full potential. Their full potential is called enlightenment. Things get so good when you have this experience—it’s electric gold!
WIE: In the book you debunk a common idea that artists need to feel anger, pain, or conflict in order to have a creative edge. Why do you think so many artists these days, as you say, “don’t like the idea of getting happy”?
Lynch: Well, I’m kind of the same way. I don’t want to lose my edge. I don’t want to be some kind of happy goofball who’s laid-back, because sooner or later you’re not going to have any power in your work. If meditation made me that way, I would quit so fast it would make your head spin. But the truth is that meditation leads to the reverse. When you dive into it, you literally and truly grow in creativity and intelligence. Those “big fish,” the good ideas that are ahead of other people’s ideas and are really hip, come from that unified field of consciousness. The belief that you have to be depressed to work is a joke. You can’t work when you’re depressed! That idea is some kind of French thing. I mean, it’s great to get chicks, because they feel sorry for you and cook things for you and take care of you. But if you really want to get into the creative flow, then you have to dive into that electric gold.
WIE: You write that if you were enlightened and doing “enlightened filmmaking,” perhaps your films would not be as dark and as violent as they generally are. What would enlightened films look like? Do you have any examples?
Lynch: I don’t have any examples, but I do think about this from time to time. I believe enlightened filmmaking would somehow portray the whole spectrum and depth of human experience. It would be transcendental filmmaking. It would be the surface and every single level on down, all the way to the transcendent. It would have fullness. It would have unbelievable power, understanding. It could be a simple story, but it would be completely thrilling on all levels. Filmmaking is still pretty new—only 110 years old! There’s still a lot of potential in it.
WIE: How has your initiative to bring TM into the American school system been going?
Lynch: It’s been real good. The foundation is raising money. There are new schools introducing Transcendental Meditation into their curriculum. Every single time it happens, students become absolutely transformed. Their grades go up; they aren’t afraid to go to school; they’re happy inside themselves. When you see kids that are reflecting more and more consciousness, they glow with a new power and become so self-assured you stop worrying about them. I think education should really develop the full potential of the human being, and that all you have to do is give them this simple technique that allows them to dive within and enliven the deepest level of themselves. It’s such a beautiful thing. “When you dive within, it feels like you’ve been hooked into the cosmic electric factory of bliss and it’s flowing right into you. It’s electric gold!”
Reflection for today…Critical Reading -Henry David Thoreau & Tupac Shakur
13 Sep* Editor’s Note: Today {September 13th, 1996} marks the 23rd anniversary of Tupac’s tragic death at the age of 25.
Rest in Peace Tupac.
We will continue to celebrate your life and your legacy.
{Things are not the same without you…}
https://2paclegacy.net/today-marks-23-years-since-tupac-was-killed/
In this reflection, I wanted to explore the intellectual and poetic side of Tupac that is rarely discussed {the same happens with Jim Morrison the lead singer of The Doors}.
I hope to explore other artist’s reading lists in future reflections.
*
“Readers are plentiful;
thinkers are rare.”
–Henry David Thoreau
*
Tupac Shakur was always hungry for knowledge.
He was a voracious reader and student of life. His passion for learning and social justice advocacy was a part of his essence.
Tupac’s intellectual power came from a vast knowledge of eclectic topics. He loved to explore esoteric, the metaphysical and philosophical topics. This study became the foundation for his song lyrics and life philosophy.
His mother, Afeni Shakur, had already instilled in him a revolutionary education as she was a member of The Black Panthers. She passed on her wisdom and Tupac continued to polish the jewels.
Tupac was truly an autodidact {a self-taught person}. He would educate others through his song lyrics.
“Before his tragic death at age of 25, Tupac rapped about poverty, violence in the black community, police brutality, black empowerment, political strategy and spirituality.” https://www.blackfaves.com/story/11-books-tupac-shakurs-bookshelf-still-relevant-today/
*
In this short video, Tupac’s first manager Leila Steinberg discusses Tupac’s love of literature and critical thinking.
“Leila Steinberg is an artist and community organizer who began working with youth twenty years ago in the San Francisco Bay area. As the daughter of a criminal defence attorney, she grew up surrounded by the workings of the justice system and took a front row seat at the personal tragedies and socio-economic pressures that turn so many at-risk youths into hardened felons. Steinberg helps them connect with their hearts and turn anger and pain into creativity.
AIM promotes artistic expression as a way to handle problems as opposed to choosing violence, drugs or other forms of escape. As the program facilitator, Steinberg sees confronting pain as the best way to move past it. She believes self-awareness is a key to making better choices.
Steinberg is committed to helping people who fall through the cracks of society. In 1995 she began a series of specialized programs for youth within the juvenile justice system and those residing in residential treatment facilities. As hip-hop music became the expression of today’s youth, Steinberg began training artists to develop voices powerful enough to reach a generation. While conducting poetry workshops in Northern California, she met Tupac Shakur and he became a regular participant in her class. They shared a vision of developing a space where each artist in attendance is encouraged, inspired and motivated to address social change in their work. Tupac referred to Leila as the “bow” and himself as the “arrow.” –http://www.pinlight.com/leila.htm
*
This clip is from the movie Tupac Shakur: Thug Angel.
It is said to be a “documentary examining the politics, music and life of Tupac Shakur.”
This is the description from the Youtube video…
“This is a list of books read by Tupac during his lifetime including while he was at the Baltimore School of Arts and in prison. They are presented in no particular order. The topics include Black history, the afterlife, religion including Zen, war, women’s liberation, music, and poetry. Reading these books, it is clear how they moulded Tupac’s thinking and language. This is a handy list of good reading material if you ever find yourself locked up.”
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Written by: Gabriel Garcia Marquez
1984
Written by: George Orwell
Ah, This!
Written by: Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh
All God’s Children:
The Boskett Family and the American Tradition of Violence
Written by: Fox Butterfield
All You Need to Know About the Music Business
Written by: Donald Passman
And Still I Rise
Written by: Maya Angelou
Art of War
Written by: Sun Tzu
Assata: An Autobiography
Written by: Assata Shakur
At the Bottom of the River
Written by: Jamaica Kincaid
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
As told to: Alex Haley
Bhagavad-Gita As It Is
Written by: A.C. Bhaktive-danta Swami Prabhupada
Black Like Me
Written by: John Howard Griffin
Black Sister:
Poetry by Black American Women, 1746 to 1980
Edited by Earlene Stetson
Blues People
Written by: Amiri Baraka
Catcher in the Rye
Written by: J.D. Salinger
The Complete Illustrated Book of the Psychic Sciences
Written by: Walter B. Gibson and Litzka R. Gibson
The Confessions of Nat Turner
Written by: William Styron
The Destiny of the Nations
Written by: Alice A. Bailey
The Diary of Anais Nin
Edited and with a Preface by: Gunther Stuhlmann
The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy
Written by: E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, James Trefil
The Grapes of Wrath
Written by: John Steinbeck
Great White Lie:
Slavery, Emancipation and Changing Racial Attitudes
Written by: Jack Gratus
The Harder We Run:
Black Workers Since the Civil War
Written by: William H. Harris
Here and Hereafter
Written by: Ruth Montgomery
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
Written by: Maya Angelou
I Shall Not Be Moved
Written by: Maya Angelou
Imitation of Christ
Written by: Thomas a Kempis
In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens
Written by: Alice Walker
Initiation
Written by: Elisabeth Haich
Interesting People:
Black American History Makers
Written by: George L. Lee
James Baldwin: The Legacy
Edited by: Quincy Troupe
Kabbalah
Written by: Gersham Scholem
Life and Words of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Written by: Ira Peck
Life as Carola
Written by: Joan Grant
Linda Goodman’s Sun Signs
Written by: Linda Goodman
Makes Me Wanna Holler
Written by: Nathan McCall
The Meaning of Masonry
Written by: W.L. Wilmshurst
Moby Dick
Written by: Herman Melville
Monster:
The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member
Written by: Sanyika Shakur
Music of Black Americans: A History
Written by: Eileen Southern
Mysticism
Written by: Evelyn Underhill
Native Son
Written by: Richard Wright
Nature, Man and Woman
Written by: Alan W. Watts
No Man Is an Island
Written by: Thomas Merton
Nostradamus: The Millennium & Beyond
Written by: Peter Lorie
The Phenomenon of Man
Written by: Teilhard de Chardin
Ponder on This: A Compilation
From the Writings of: Alice A Bailey & the Tibetan Master, Djwhal Khul
The Practical Encyclopedia of Natural Healing
Written by: Mark Bricklin
The Prince
Written by: Niccolo Machiavelli
The Psychedelic Experience:
A Manual Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead
Written by: Timothy Leary, Ph.D., Ralph Metzner, Ph.D., Richard Alpert, Ph.D.
The Psychic Realm
Written by: Naomi A. Hintze and J. Gaither Pratt, Ph.D.
A Raisin in the Sun
Written by: Lorraine Hansberry
Roots
Written by: Alex Haley
Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools
Written by: Jonathan Kozol
Secret Splendor
Written by: Charles Essert
Serving Humanity
From the writings of: Alice A. Bailey
Sisterhood is Powerful:
Anthology of Writings from the Women’s Liberation Movement
Written by: Robin Morgan
The State of the World Atlas
Written by: Michael Kidron and Ronald Segal
Social Essays
Written by: LeRoi Jones
The Souls of Black Folk
Written by: W.E. Burghardt DuBois
Teachings of the Buddha
Written by: Jack Kornfield
Telepathy
Written by: Alice A Bailey
The Tibetan Book of the Dead
Written by: W.Y. Evans-Wentz
Thoughts and Meditations
Written by: Kahlil Gibran
Tropic of Cancer
Written by: Henry Miller
The Visionary Poetics of Allen Ginsberg
Written by: Paul Portuges
Wisdom of Insecurity
Written by: A.N. Watts
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Written by: Robert M. Pirsig
Copied from: https://www.thuglifearmy.com/index.php/tupac-reading-library.html
{Goodreads also has an alternate list of books that Tupac read}.
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For more information…
Henry David Thoreau…http://thoreau.library.ucsb.edu/thoreau_life.html
Tupac Shakur…http://2pac.com/
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000637/?ref_=nmbio_bio_nm
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/23942.Books_Read_by_Tupac_Shakur_
Tupac Shakur: Thug Angel Movie…http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0314806/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
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Peace & Poetic Love…
-V.
Tags: Ability to Think Critically, Advocate, Afeni Shakur, Autodidact, Book, Books, Creative Reading, Critical Reader, Critical Reading, Critical Thinker, Critical Thinking, Eclectic, Education, Enlighten, Enlightening, Enlightens, Esoteric, Henry David Thoreau, Hip Hop, Hip Hop Artist, Hip hop music, Hip Hop Musician, Intellect, Intellectual, Intelligence, Intelligent, Knowledge, Learn, Learning, Legacy, Literature, Metaphysical, Metaphysics, Music, Music Therapy, Musician, Old School Hip Hop Artist, Old School Hip Hop., Passion, Passionate, Philosophical, Philosophy, Poet, Poetic, Rap Music, Rap., Rapper, Read, Reading, Reading List, Religion and Spirituality, Revolution, Revolutionary, Self Taught, Social Commentary., Social Inequality, Social Justice, Social Justice Advocacy, Spiritual, Spirituality, The Black Panthers, Thoreau, Tupac, Tupac Shakur