Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.57 AVERAGE
4.57 AVERAGE
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
informative
slow-paced
A series of interviews between Angela Davis and Eduardo Mendieta about abolition, race, gender, the prison and military industrial complexes, capitalism, imperialism, and state violence. I decided to reread Abolition Democracy after it came up in a conversation for my job (educating and organizing foundations to give to abolitionist and anti-criminalization organizing and movement building). It had been 15ish years since I first read it, but given the political and media conversation about the "state of U.S. democracy" it also felt especially timely. In the conversations that comprise the book, Angela Davis builds on W.E.B. DuBois' writing that the mere absence of enslavement is insufficient if new institutions are not created in its place, extrapolating his original concept of abolition democracy to guide organizing that both eliminates the prison industrial complex and envisions a world were prisons and punishment are rendered obsolete. Written in the mid-2000's, the content of Davis and Mendieta's conversations are very *of the time* with a heavy focus on the then-recently released photos of Iraqi men at Abu Ghraib prison tortured by U.S. military personnel. However, because of the exponential increase of imprisonment and policing as part of U.S. domestic and foreign policy over the past 17 years, there are unfortunately still relevant theory and organizing implications for much of what Davis shares. Recommended to everyone, especially those looking for something just beyond intro level that includes a gender lens / analysis and stresses the importance of transnational connection in thought and action.
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
I wish I could share all the highlights I made in this book. It’s an interview of Angela Davis mostly centered around Abu Ghraib, the Bush-era “patriotism”, Guantanamo, etc... but it feels like it was written about the current regime. So many parallels, so many incredibly prescient views on prison abolition, the rise of the police state, and the growing political movements and protests. Another one that should be in high school curriculums.
adventurous
challenging
dark
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
I wasn’t familiar with a lot of Angela Davis’ work before I picked up this book, I knew her only as a powerful, Black Communism figurehead during the Civil Rights movement. I was interested in learning about the Prison Abolition movement and what it truly means for society and this book has been an invaluable tool in my education. Written after the photos emerged of Abu Graib, this book is a series of interviews about the intersection of domestic prisons, race, and sexuality, alongside a socialist criticism of American Democracy. Angela Davis’ words spring to life on the page, she is eloquent but concise and I am now motivated to read more of her work.
challenging
informative
reflective
fast-paced