{"product_id":"on-a-move-philadelphias-notorious-bombing-and-a-native-sons-lifelong-battle-for-justice-9780063318885","title":"On a Move: Philadelphia's Notorious Bombing and a Native Son's Lifelong Battle for Justice","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe incredible story of MOVE, the revolutionary Black civil liberties group that Philadelphia police bombed in 1985, killing 11 civilians--by one of the few people born into the organization, raised during the bombing's tumultuous aftermath, and entrusted with repairing what was left of his family.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"As necessary and powerful as it is captivating.\" -\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eMichael Harriot, \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling author of \u003cem\u003eBlack AF History\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"Searing and urgent.\" - Bakari Sellers, \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling author of \u003cem\u003eMy Vanishing Country \u003c\/em\u003eand \u003cem\u003eThe Moment\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBefore police dropped a bomb on a residential neighborhood on May 13, 1985, few people outside Philadelphia were aware that a Black-led civil liberties organization had taken root there. Founded in 1972 by a charismatic ideologue called John Africa, MOVE's mission was to protect all forms of life from systemic oppression. They drew their ideology from the Black Panther Party and pre-dated animal and environmental rights groups like PETA and Earth First. MOVE emerged in an era when Black Philadelphians suffered under devastating policies brought by the long, doomed war in Vietnam, Mayor Frank Rizzo's overtly racist police surveillance, and, eventually, President Ronald Reagan's War on Drugs. MOVE members lived together in a collection of West Philadelphia row houses and took the surname Africa out of admiration for the group's founder.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut in MOVE's lifestyle, city officials saw threats to their status quo. Their bombing of MOVE homes shocked the nation and made international news. Eleven people were killed, including five children. And the City of Brotherly Love became known as the City That Bombed Itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmong the children most affected by the bombing was Mike Africa Jr. Born in jail following a police attack on MOVE that led to his parents' decades-long incarcerations, Mike was six years old and living with his grandmother when MOVE was bombed. In the ensuing years, Mike sought purpose in the ashes left behind. He began learning about the law as a teenager and became adept at speaking and inspiring public support with the help of other MOVE members. In 2018, at age 40, he finally succeeded in getting his parents released from prison.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOn a Move\u003c\/em\u003e is one of the most unimaginable stories of injustice and resilience in recent American history. But it is not only one of tragedy. It is about coming-of-age for a young activist, the strong ties of family, and, against all odds, learning how to take indignities on the chin and to work within the very system that created them. At once a harrowing personal account and an impassioned examination of racism and police violence, \u003cem\u003eOn a Move\u003c\/em\u003e testifies to the power of love and hope, in the face of astonishing wrongdoing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Mike Africa Jr\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Mariner Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/19\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 304\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.55lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.60h x 5.10w x 0.80d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780063318885\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAfrica Jr, Mike:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMike Africa Jr.\u003c\/strong\u003e is a sought-after speaker and writer who has been featured in \u003cem\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/em\u003e and on NPR. He starred in the HBO documentary \u003cem\u003e40 Years a Prisoner\u003c\/em\u003e and was featured in the Audible original docu-series about the MOVE bombing, \u003cem\u003eSummer of '85\u003c\/em\u003e, produced by Kevin Hart and Charlamagne tha God, and narrated by Hart. As a keynote speaker, Mike has been invited to speak everywhere from the Smithsonian and the University of Pennsylvania to the 55 Year Anniversary of the Black Panther Party.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eD. Watkins\u003c\/strong\u003e is the \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling and award-winning author of \u003cem\u003eThe Beast Side\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Cook Up\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eBlack Boy Smile\u003c\/em\u003e, as well as coauthor of \u003cem\u003eWhere Tomorrows Aren't Promised\u003c\/em\u003e. He is also editor at large for \u003cem\u003eSalon\u003c\/em\u003e and a college lecturer at the University of Baltimore. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Mike Africa Jr \/ Paperback \/ English","offer_id":47598598946973,"sku":"9780063318885","price":37.97,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_9318cd6a-0488-4a57-8f56-1ead4e71bfcd.jpg?v=1769516585","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/on-a-move-philadelphias-notorious-bombing-and-a-native-sons-lifelong-battle-for-justice-9780063318885","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}