In the past months under the organization of Tupac Shakur’s mother Afeni Shakur, three definitive works based on the life of hip-hop legend Shakur were released. The works include an album, a movie and a book.

The book, “Tupac: Resurrection 1971-1996” is the poignant definition of who Tupac Amaru Shakur was in his own words. Readers of the book are privileged to personal photographs that display Tupac both inside and outside the mainstream media hype.

The arrangement of Tupac’s words on the pages illustrates his intensity, his passion and his intelligence.

The book’s chapters are divided in such a way to illustrate where Tupac was in both his mental and physical growth. The first chapters are titled after the cities and the years Tupac spent in them. The beginning of the book takes readers on an expedition of his young life from birth in 1971 into his career crescendo in 1994.

The best thing about the first chapters of the book are they introduce readers to the little acknowledged Tupac. Fans discover Tupac the student, the prophet, the poet, the activist and the lover.

Among his autobiography, readers are not only fortunate enough to see private photos, but also read unpublished poetry, letters and the original lawsuit document Shakur filed against the city of Oakland after claiming he was brutally assaulted by two of their finest officers.

In the final chapters of the book, readers see how the media portrayed Tupac; the trials and his time in prison. But by his own account, even in prison, Shakur is a vigilant student. Nothing is done in vain, not even hard time. The last titled chapter is identified as DeathRow 1995-1996. Tupac describes his last year in the music industry with a light-hearted attitude. Tupac was happy to be on a record label with people he admired.

Although Death Row 1995-1996 portrays Tupac as satisfied and happy with his new position, the final chapter of the book shatters this contented facade.

The final chapter of Tupac: Resurrection has no title. The chapter comprises the prophetic works of Tupac’s death. In the final chapter, readers get to understand what Tupac felt right before he died.

His words and the songs he wrote before his death tell he knew his time had had come.

• A review by Brett T. Harrington