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campbelle177's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence
starrybooker's review
It would feel strange to give a book like this a star-rating, so I’m just going to write down my thoughts instead.
This was a great book, and one I highly recommend to anyone interested in the abolitionist movement. That being said, it definitely shouldn’t be your introduction to abolitionist politics (there are great articles across the internet, and the free pdf of Are Prisons Obsolete? is pretty easy to find).
It’s a really challenging read in lots of different ways, which is to be expected from a book that deals with the topic of sexual violence. I don’t agree with all of their stances, but I enjoyed it regardless - it’s nice to read a leftist text that I’m not immediately nodding along to and is instead actively pushing my ideas and political boundaries.
It’s also a book that’s interested in solutions alongside the problems it presents. The section on restorative and transformative justice (and the difference between the two) was particularly great, and it ends with a manifesto that clearly sums up the points they build to throughout the book.
While I found some of their points difficult to swallow, I recognise that theirs is a standpoint built on radical empathy, and I respect the vision of the society they wish to see. You can’t call for an end on policing and prisons without taking sex offenders into account, and this book does just that.
This was a great book, and one I highly recommend to anyone interested in the abolitionist movement. That being said, it definitely shouldn’t be your introduction to abolitionist politics (there are great articles across the internet, and the free pdf of Are Prisons Obsolete? is pretty easy to find).
It’s a really challenging read in lots of different ways, which is to be expected from a book that deals with the topic of sexual violence. I don’t agree with all of their stances, but I enjoyed it regardless - it’s nice to read a leftist text that I’m not immediately nodding along to and is instead actively pushing my ideas and political boundaries.
It’s also a book that’s interested in solutions alongside the problems it presents. The section on restorative and transformative justice (and the difference between the two) was particularly great, and it ends with a manifesto that clearly sums up the points they build to throughout the book.
While I found some of their points difficult to swallow, I recognise that theirs is a standpoint built on radical empathy, and I respect the vision of the society they wish to see. You can’t call for an end on policing and prisons without taking sex offenders into account, and this book does just that.
morgenrote85's review
5.0
Una lectura fundamental para quienes, ya sea el activismo o la academia, estamos comprometidxs con erradicar la violencia sexual de nuestras comunidades.
annalieegk's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
sad
fast-paced
0.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence