History isn't just a list of dates. It's a wound that doesn't always heal correctly. When Heather Ann Thompson released Blood in the Water 2016, she wasn't just publishing another dry history book about the 1971 Attica Prison riot. She was dropping a massive, 700-page truth bomb on a narrative that the State of New York had spent decades trying to polish.
You’ve probably heard of Attica. It’s the shorthand for "prison rebellion." But before this book came out, the public version of those four days in September was basically a collection of half-truths and strategic omissions.
Thompson spent over a decade digging through archives that people didn't want her to see. We are talking about records tucked away in dusty courthouse basements and files that were supposedly "missing." What she found changed the entire conversation about American justice.
The Myth of the Attica Massacre
For years, the story was that the inmates were the primary source of the carnage. That's what the authorities wanted you to believe back in '71. They even told the press that inmates had slit the throats of hostages. It was a lie.
Pure fiction.
Every single one of the 39 people who died during the retaking of the prison—both hostages and inmates—was killed by police gunfire. Not a single hostage was killed by the prisoners during that final, chaotic assault. Blood in the Water 2016 painstakingly documents how the state troopers and correctional officers opened fire into a haze of tear gas, shooting indiscriminately. They hit their own people. Then, they blamed the men in the yard.
It’s heavy stuff. Honestly, reading the forensic details Thompson recovered is gut-wrenching because it highlights a total breakdown of state accountability. The book reveals how officials at the highest levels, including Governor Nelson Rockefeller’s administration, were more concerned with "restoring order" and political optics than the lives of the people inside those walls.
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Why Thompson’s Research Was a Game Changer
You might wonder why it took until 2016 for this specific version of events to become the definitive one. It’s because the cover-up was incredibly effective.
Thompson eventually won the Pulitzer Prize for History for this work, and for good reason. She found "the files." Specifically, she stumbled upon a massive cache of legal documents in an Erie County basement that provided the names of the shooters and the details of the grand jury investigations that followed. These were documents that the state had tried to keep under seal for forty years.
The Political Stakes
Rockefeller had presidential ambitions. He couldn't look "weak" on crime. This wasn't just a local prison riot; it was a national stage. By the time the helicopters were circling the yard, the decision had been made to use overwhelming force.
The prisoners had simple demands. They wanted better medical care. They wanted to be able to shower more than once a week. They wanted an end to the "silent system" and better food. They weren't asking to be set free; they were asking to be treated like human beings. But in the climate of 1971, those demands were seen as revolutionary threats to the American way of life.
The Human Cost and the "Forgotten" Victims
One of the most nuanced parts of Blood in the Water 2016 is how Thompson treats the hostages and their families. For a long time, there was this weird tension where the state tried to pit the families of the slain guards against the advocates for the prisoners.
Thompson shows that the state betrayed the guards, too.
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The families of the correctional officers were lied to about how their loved ones died. They were pressured into accepting tiny "workman's comp" checks that effectively waived their right to sue the state for negligence. It took decades for those families to get any semblance of the truth, let alone a fair settlement. The book bridges that gap, showing that the state's desire to protect itself hurt everyone involved—regardless of which side of the bars they were on.
The Legacy of 1971 in Today’s Prison System
Why does this matter now? Because the issues Thompson highlights haven't gone away.
We still struggle with the same questions about transparency in the carceral system. When a "critical incident" happens in a prison today, the first report usually comes from the Department of Corrections. And as Attica showed us, the first report is rarely the whole truth.
The book serves as a warning. It’s a reminder that without independent oversight and a free press that is willing to dig deeper than the official press release, the state can rewrite history in real-time.
A Quick Look at the Fallout
- The Trials: For years, the state only prosecuted the inmates. No law enforcement officers were indicted for the shootings until much later, and even then, the effort was largely toothless.
- The Settlement: It took until the year 2000 for a $12 million settlement to be reached for the survivors of the uprising.
- The Narrative Shift: Thompson’s book finally gave the "Forgotten Victims of Attica"—the guards' families—a voice alongside the inmates who had been brutalized during the retaking of the prison.
The Long Road to the Pulitzer
Winning the Pulitzer wasn't just a win for Thompson; it was a validation of the survivors' stories. For forty years, the men who survived the D-Yard were called liars. They told stories of being made to crawl through glass, of being tortured by guards after the surrender, and of seeing their friends executed.
Blood in the Water 2016 proved they were telling the truth.
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The level of detail is almost overwhelming. Thompson names names. She points to the specific troopers who fired. She details the meetings where officials decided to suppress the forensic evidence. It is a masterclass in investigative history. If you want to understand why the American prison system looks the way it does today—with its massive scale and its culture of secrecy—you have to start with Attica.
Actionable Insights: Learning from Attica
If you're looking to dive deeper into this or understand the impact of Attica on modern policy, here is how you can actually engage with this history:
1. Verify the Source Material
Don't just take a summary's word for it. If you're researching this for academic or personal reasons, look into the McKay Commission Report. It was the official state-funded (but surprisingly honest) investigation shortly after the riot. Comparing that 1972 report with Thompson's 2016 findings shows exactly what was hidden for decades.
2. Follow the Money of "Qualified Immunity"
Attica is a foundational case for understanding why it is so hard to sue state officials for misconduct. Study the legal aftermath of the Attica lawsuits to understand the origins of the legal protections that currently shield law enforcement officers.
3. Support Transparency Legislation
On a practical level, the lesson of Attica is that secrecy kills. Support local and state-level "Freedom of Information" (FOIA) laws that specifically target prison records. Many states still have "secrecy laws" that prevent the public from seeing body camera footage or incident reports from within correctional facilities.
4. Read the Survivors
Supplement Thompson’s historical overview with first-hand accounts. Look for the writings of Frank "Big Black" Smith, who was the head of security for the inmates during the riot. His perspective on the leadership within the yard provides a humanizing counter-narrative to the "riot" label.
Attica wasn't just a riot. It was a protest that turned into a massacre, followed by a forty-year cover-up. Blood in the Water 2016 finally set the record straight, but the work of ensuring such a cover-up never happens again is ongoing.