Blood in the Water

Blood in the Water is a 2016 historical non-fiction book written by American historian Heather Ann Thompson. In it, she explores the uprising at Attica prison in New York State in 1971 and its bloody suppression by the state. As well as the causes of these events, Blood in the Water looks at their legal and political aftermath, in terms of both the state’s prosecution of prisoners and inmate efforts to find justice for violence inflicted in the retaking. Blood in the Water won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for History and the 2017 Bancroft Prize (for books about the history of the Americas). This guide uses the 2017 Vintage Books edition.

When New York State troopers and correction officers regained control of Attica in September 1971 in a barrage of rifle and shotgun fire, 39 inmates and hostages were killed, and scores were injured. Surviving, often gravely injured, prisoners were then beaten and sometimes tortured as they were herded back to their cells. Blood in the Water tell the story of how and why this happened, exploring the social, cultural, and political forces, as well as the personal ambitions and narratives, that allowed such violence to occur. It also tells of the state’s attempted cover up of these events and the fight of prisoners, lawyers, and activists to bring them to light.