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guperez's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Rape, and Police brutality
nderiley's review against another edition
5.0
Heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time. I have so much respect for Woodfox's strength of spirit and his ability to self educate and self improve despite *years* of isolation, beatings and humiliations.
marandacantrell's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
michelleloretta's review against another edition
5.0
This is a must read. I’ve had SO MANY emotions while learning of Albert Woodfox’s life in solitary confinement... anger, sadness, frustration, hope, joy, wonder, amazement, exasperation. Reading about someone’s life in solitary confinement (43 years) isn’t an easy thing to do, but this is an important account that deserves attention.
kevinmccarrick's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.5
aprilbethp's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
raych_arles's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
mariahistryingtoread's review against another edition
5.0
TW: prison abuse, medical neglect, police brutality, male on male rape (discussed but no graphic descriptions and Woodfox is never raped)
If you were looking for a sign to support prison reform: this is it. Solitary is an eye-opening glimpse at the lengths the system will go to, to exact retribution from you over imagined slights.
It's not just the fact that Albert Woodfox was punished for a crime he didn't commit that makes this so harrowing a tale; it's the fact that even after society, became 'enlightened' as to the deep disservice being done to Black people in America, those in power took pains to penalize him to the nth degree. Even when it was abundantly clear the prison system was in the wrong, when it was clear that a deep injustice was being inflicted every day, when it was clear human rights were being violated at every turn, they still chose their pride over doing what was morally right. A decades long grudge against a man for daring to ask for fair treatment was more important than doing the right thing.
It goes to show that we have not come nearly as far as they want us to think we have.
If you were looking for a sign to support prison reform: this is it. Solitary is an eye-opening glimpse at the lengths the system will go to, to exact retribution from you over imagined slights.
It's not just the fact that Albert Woodfox was punished for a crime he didn't commit that makes this so harrowing a tale; it's the fact that even after society, became 'enlightened' as to the deep disservice being done to Black people in America, those in power took pains to penalize him to the nth degree. Even when it was abundantly clear the prison system was in the wrong, when it was clear that a deep injustice was being inflicted every day, when it was clear human rights were being violated at every turn, they still chose their pride over doing what was morally right. A decades long grudge against a man for daring to ask for fair treatment was more important than doing the right thing.
It goes to show that we have not come nearly as far as they want us to think we have.