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rachelfaye's review against another edition
5.0
[Read in a social justice book club.] ABSOLUTELY MUST READ. Even though it is very academic, it is incredibly important to read. Watching the documentary on Netflix "The 13th" is a great supplement to this book, and even features this author quite a bit. I look at my white upper middle class upbringing, city, and the black people who lived there so differently now, as well as all those who I was previously taught to view as "criminals" instead of the much more humanizing and accurate individuals who have been brought into the criminal justice system. I learned about the school to prison pipeline, the War on Drugs, the failings of both Republican and Democratic presidents, the disgustingly obvious and proven ways that black and brown people are treated grossly different by law enforcement, how messed up cash bail is, and more. It's upsetting that barely any white people know this information (myself included before reading this book). (Note: I am a white woman from the US.)
morgob's review against another edition
4.0
This book left me with a lot to think about for sure. I loved how much I learned from it, how much history I wasn't aware of, and I appreciated the topic. I'm glad I read The Color of Law and this in the same summer. They compliment each other nicely regarding the history of the United States and racism in the United States. Perhaps one of my favorite things about this book is that it didn't offer a solution. The author clearly stated that was not the point of the book. I'm very glad of that, because I don't think it needs to have a solution. It exists to call attention to the problems. It's not up to one person to tell other people how we need to fix those problems. Also, it's going to take a lot of time, effort, money, and commitment to fix the problems we as a country--or, rather, our leaders--have created. One of my favorite quotes came from near the end of the book. The author talks about how our systems of power are systemically racist, and what people think that means versus what it actually means, because you will find a ton of rebuttal from people who do not believe our systems of power are systemically racist. "Our understanding of racism is therefore shaped by the most extreme expressions of individual bigotry, not by the way in which it functions naturally, almost invisibly (and sometimes with genuinely benign intent), when it is embedded in the structure of a social system." What it means is we typically think of racism and racist systems as examples of the extreme, like the KKK, fire hoses at protests, beating and lynching, etc. We don't think of it in the way that a lot of systemic racism actually is, which is people either wanting to uphold the systems we have because it benefits them and not minorities, or people thinking things are just "better this way," or even people saying we are not yet ready for equality or change. I think that was the biggest takeaway for me, that our country's systemic racism is not always defined by the extremes. All it took was little steps along the way and a lot of people either not caring or going along with it.
Don't get me wrong, this book made me very angry. I know I was sounding passive about it. It made me very very angry to read how police systems work as far as "random" drug searches and the bribing and all that. And don't even get me started on the court system! But, as awful as it is to know these things and feel anger, I am very glad I know them now. I think this, paired with The Color of Law and the Netflix documentary 13th, is a great resource if you want to know more about why the world is the way it is. Especially if you want to increase your knowledge on the things that inspire movements like BLM and why people may be feeling the way they do about police and the prison system. Because the bottom line is, the prison system in this country is horrible. This should be a much bigger area of concern for people, especially people in politics, because they might have the power to help change it.
Also, I kept thinking the whole time about how this book was published ten years ago. I kept thinking of how it would change if it were updated or rewritten today. What sort of things would be added? How would the statistics change? If anything, they've gotten worse. But that just kept going through my head. A lot of the things she talked about I know would change if this book were written now. I just thought it was interesting and I kind of want an updated version now.
Don't get me wrong, this book made me very angry. I know I was sounding passive about it. It made me very very angry to read how police systems work as far as "random" drug searches and the bribing and all that. And don't even get me started on the court system! But, as awful as it is to know these things and feel anger, I am very glad I know them now. I think this, paired with The Color of Law and the Netflix documentary 13th, is a great resource if you want to know more about why the world is the way it is. Especially if you want to increase your knowledge on the things that inspire movements like BLM and why people may be feeling the way they do about police and the prison system. Because the bottom line is, the prison system in this country is horrible. This should be a much bigger area of concern for people, especially people in politics, because they might have the power to help change it.
Also, I kept thinking the whole time about how this book was published ten years ago. I kept thinking of how it would change if it were updated or rewritten today. What sort of things would be added? How would the statistics change? If anything, they've gotten worse. But that just kept going through my head. A lot of the things she talked about I know would change if this book were written now. I just thought it was interesting and I kind of want an updated version now.
laineybarbour's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
zucaritas101's review against another edition
5.0
Devastating and so important. Everyone should read this.