Blood in the Water recounts the history of an infamous prison rebellion in which, on September 9, 1971, nearly 1,300 incarcerated men seized control of a major section of New York State’s Attica Prison. Over the next four days, these rebels attempted to negotiate for the release of 43 hostages, but rather than accede to their demands, New York Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller deployed an assault force that recaptured Attica by killing 29 rebels, 10 hostages, and seriously wounding more than 100 others. For several days thereafter, an untold number of rebels were subjected to sadistic torture. State actors attempted to cover-up their role in the violence. Protracted legal battles between the state, the rebels, and the families of the slain and injured hostages ensued until 2005.

• Orisanmi Burton in a critical book review