Not all works of history have something to say directly to the present, but Heather Ann Thompson’s ‘‘Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy’’ reads as if it were special-ordered for the sweltering summer of 2016. The book deals with racial conflict, mass incarceration, police brutality and dissembling politicians.adcelannotate = {"mobilepaywallcategory" : "MOBILE_PREM-LIFE_ENTERTAINMENT","nativepaywallcategory" : "NATIVE_PREM-LIFE_ENTERTAINMENT"};