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nashwa017's review against another edition
5.0
Ben Crump, the author of this book is an attorney and now presenting George Floyd’s family in court. And this book was eye-opening and extremely engaging. Crump tells us case by case why the killing of black people in the US is a modern day genocide. Just because they’re not being killed in large numbers, it doesn’t mean it’s less of a genocide. He talks about all the ways the system is designed to protect white people and criminalise black people. There are so many examples in this book where white shooters are arrested without being harmed and black kids are killed for wearing a hoodie. He talks about modern day segregation, environmental racism, voter suppression and all the ways black and brown people are kept in oppression. As someone who loves history, this was brilliant but I feel like if you’re American, you’d benefit a lot from this book. Listened to this as an audiobook by and the narrator did a wonderful job!
shoelessmama's review against another edition
4.0
9/10. Should be required reading. Especially for those who don't understand why "black lives matter" needs to be pointed out to people, unlike "all lives matter" which goes without saying. Additionally I was glad that the author included 12 action steps to take at the end of the book. Often I leave books like this feeling a sense of hopelessness about the system and what I personally can do to help. I don't think most people would want the system to continue as it is if they truly understood the depth of the problems. They are stated as "personal" action steps, however many of the steps are things we need to do as a society. I think it's more about getting the information about each of the steps out there which can be difficult, but it can be done.
sammantha's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Racism, Murder, Racial slurs, and Gun violence
the_bitextual's review against another edition
5.0
Are you white? Do you live in the U.S.A.? Have you ever said 'all lives matter' 'blue lives matter' or have one of those flags with the blue stripe? Heck, it doesn't matter if your passivley, actively, or anti-racist, read this book, please? Please?
lauren_deen's review against another edition
4.0
3.5
This book is an overview of systemic racism in the US. What I did really like was that emphasis on systemic/institutional racism (ie racism isn't just interpersonal or even mostly interpersonal, it's taking place on a much larger scale). But ultimately I was really disappointed in this book. I agree with a lot of his conclusions, but this felt like I was reading just a rough draft and not a finished book. Some chapters were far more developed than others, transitions were odd and inconsistent, and there were a few blatant errors that should have been caught in editing before this was published.
I do think that part of my disappointment in this book might have been due to mismatched expectations. I studied policy analysis in grad school and I think I was expecting something much more academic. I did round up my rating because I think this could be a good book if you're just beginning to look into these issues.
This book is an overview of systemic racism in the US. What I did really like was that emphasis on systemic/institutional racism (ie racism isn't just interpersonal or even mostly interpersonal, it's taking place on a much larger scale). But ultimately I was really disappointed in this book. I agree with a lot of his conclusions, but this felt like I was reading just a rough draft and not a finished book. Some chapters were far more developed than others, transitions were odd and inconsistent, and there were a few blatant errors that should have been caught in editing before this was published.
I do think that part of my disappointment in this book might have been due to mismatched expectations. I studied policy analysis in grad school and I think I was expecting something much more academic. I did round up my rating because I think this could be a good book if you're just beginning to look into these issues.
itsmeyseniab's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
5.0
Our democracy will always be a work in progress, no matter what issues rule the day, no matter how the demographic face of America changes, and no matter who wins or loses an election. A more perfect union is possible so long as we embrace the struggle and acknowledge the instances in which American justice falls short and takes steps to rectify it.
This was excellent and should be required reading for all Americans and/or people who are interested in educating themselves further about the racial injustices in the United States and the #BlackLivesMatter movement.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism