Rating: 
Summary: Thugs Do Have A Heart
Review:
INSIDE A THUG'S HEART is a compilation of original poems and letters written and exchanged between Tupac Shakur and the author Angela Ardis. Through the letters, poems and phone conversations, the author gives us a glimpse into the heart of Tupac Shakur. Readers will find that behind the hard exterior and the media hype, Tupac was a very intelligent, deep, sensitive, sensual, funny and genuine human being. He was a true believer in keeping it real.
On a dare from her friends and co-workers, Angela Ardis writes to Tupac while he is incarcerated in New York. She is quickly surprised by a message left by Tupac, "Hi, Angela. This is Tupac..." Not only did she win the bet, she embarked on a very unusual pen pal relationship with the notorious Tupac Shakur. Their relationship quickly grows into friendship, lust and a unique kind of love. From the letters, you realize that Tupac is a contradiction in spirit and mind. His letters and poems envelop a sensitive and erotic feel, yet the thuggish persona is still apparent.
Angela Ardis shares these poems, letters and phone conversations to give readers a true sense of how complex and deep Tupac truly was as a person. He knew he was not perfect, but he had a good heart. She was able to convey all the facets of Tupac. Even after she met him behind prison walls and she realized he was under the influence of drugs, she never changed her perception of him. He was a man who was not perfect, who loved hard, gave freely from his heart and was genuinely a good person.
INSIDE A THUG'S HEART has some commentary interspersed between the letters that were sent back and forth. It was well written, but the real story lies within the letters and poems written by Angela and Tupac. Each poem and letter tells you so much about Tupac from his funny nature, introspective moments, erotic needs and good heartedness. If you are interested in knowing what is harbored in a thug's heart, this story will definitely give you some insight.
Reviewed by Cashana Seals
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers
Rating: 
Summary: Another Opportunist, A Betrayal of Trust
Review: As a voracious reader, a serious hip hop head and a survivor of South Central Los Angeles, I have always been attracted to Tupac, his warmth, his lyricist skills/delivery and his angst.I read Mrs. Ardis' book in about 4 hours, and wasn't impressed. In fact, it felt invasive reading this man's love letters written "exclusively for Angelea" and eavesdropping on his private telephone conversations. Nonetheless, I did purchase and read the book in its entirety. The relationship between Mrs. Ardis and Tupac seemed too contrived, and well very calculated on her part. A case in point, who actually transcribes every telephone conversation and keeps every peice of correspondence. She lost all credibility with me, when she stated her desire to become a writer. I felt Tupac was simply her launching pad, an opportunity to spark her writing career. The media's portrayal of any African-American man, including Tupac is biased, sensationsalistic and ultimately negative. To know Tupac, listen to Tupac -- his lyrics speak his truths to you. In as many books I have read about the life of Tupac, I still do NOT get his Thug Life philosophy. It appeared shallow, destructive, not well thought out and somewhat immature. The title of this book - "Inside A Thug's Heart" lead me to believe I would gain abetter understanding of his philosphy. I expected Mrs. Ardis to challenge him to think deeper about his ability to influence young African-American men and provide a framework for their economic, social and mental development. I was disappointed yet again - with Pac and with Ms. Lovely. The convaluted dialogue re. Mrs. Ardis and Tupac's queen, his widow Keisha was disturbing. The subjugation of all women will remain until each woman learns to respect each other. I found Mrs. Ardis niave to believe she was the only "girlfriend" in Tupac's life, outside his marriage. Incarceration is mentally damaging, does strange things to a person's mind, his letters or "kites" as we call them in So. Central L.A were just that -- a lonely man seeking comfort, support, companionship and sexual release. I would not be surprised to learn, he developed such a relationship with many other women throughout the country while incarcerated. She does not come across as special-- Tupac was simply passing time. And she although is beautiful, bright, ambitious, introspective, a decent writer, and at times unflinchingly honest, she ultimately bretayed his trust.
Rating:
Summary: Ear to Ear
Review: I am a realist with no aspiration for commitment, very little interest in relationships, and a minimal amount in sex. But a friend of mine is a hopeless romantic. She always tells me stories of strange things she's done (engaged after a month, living with dude after two) and I shake my head and start advice with "You need to..." Angela Ardis reminds me of my friend of 15 years. But somehow, I managed to root for Angela even with my apprehensions about Tupac's ideas on relationships, his "queen"-wife, his poem where he drools (UGH!) and grinned from ear to ear with every letter HE WROTE. I knew the man was funny, but he's hilarious! I found out Angela is an intriguing poet, but was bored and ignored her romance stories (too cliche). I thought Tanya was entertaining and reminded me of me. I was really burnt out around the "keeping it real about his Queen" chapter. I wanted to shelf the book right there. But I hate to stop reading a book, especially this one with so much potential. So I kept highlighting my favorite lines. The beginning **** The middle * The end? Wow. I could read this book beginning AND end midnight-style (Angela knows that means 20 times) and still grin about it (minus the feces section! Girl, YOU NEEDED to leave that out!)
Rating: 
Summary: One Star For Effort
Review: I have to say that Angela Ardis really got one over on me with this one. I was under the impression that this book was going to dive deep into the mentality of Tupac. I was looking to find out more about him, his inner most thoughts and feelings but all I really found out was how a thug puts his mack down and into action.
Rating:
Summary: NOT IMPRESSED
Review: I love Tupac for his insight I loved the book because I loved to hear Tupacs poetry, thoughts, and ideas. I hated the book because it was boring and coniving. The author must be crazy she should be ashamed for putting his secrets and others in a book to be published he would not be happy with that. This book is not what I expected - I expected more than just copies of his love letters between him and the author. Please don't waste your time!
Rating:
Summary: NOT IMPRESSED
Review: I love Tupac for his insight I loved the book because I loved to hear Tupacs poetry, thoughts, and ideas. I hated the book because it was boring and coniving. The author must be crazy she should be ashamed for putting his secrets and others in a book to be published he would not be happy with that. This book is not what I expected - I expected more than just copies of his love letters between him and the author. Please don't waste your time!
Rating: 
Summary: Tender Tupac
Review: I loved this book!! It showed a tender, vulnerable, lonely Tupac. I loved reading the letters in his own handwriting. It was very intimate. Makes me wonder if there are any other Tupac prison letters out there...
Rating:
Summary: Reality Within Fiction
Review: I'm not a very big fan of Tupac's music, but I absolutely love his poetry, especially after reading this book along with "The Rose That Grew From Concrete." I received this book for my birthday, and I finished it in less than three hours. The story seems so unlikely. The events that Angela Ardis decribed in it seemed so much like something that would happen in a fiction novel, but the way she describes the events, with Tupac's and her own poetry woven in between the chapters, along with the fact that this really, truly, did happen keep you hooked on it until the last page.
Rating:
Summary: Reality Within Fiction
Review: I'm not a very big fan of Tupac's music, but I absolutely love his poetry, especially after reading this book along with "The Rose That Grew From Concrete." I received this book for my birthday, and I finished it in less than three hours. The story seems so unlikely. The events that Angela Ardis decribed in it seemed so much like something that would happen in a fiction novel, but the way she describes the events, with Tupac's and her own poetry woven in between the chapters, along with the fact that this really, truly, did happen keep you hooked on it until the last page.
Rating:
Summary: Read it in a few hours!
Review: I've always thought 2Pac was a great lyracist, so I like reading his poetry. It shows the less hard, sentimental man behind the thug! I finished this book in one sitting. I recommend it as well as "The Rose That Grew from Concrete", which features his poetry from younger days before stardom.
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