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thisguyreads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.25
euangepp's review against another edition
5.0
Within this sublime collection of essays, letters, courtroom statements and poems (Ericka Huggins can WRITE), the conditions within Californian prisons, the broadening definition of a “political prisoner” and a person’s right to self-representation in court are all examined through the lenses of the lives of Black radicals such as Bobby Seale, the Soledad Brothers and Angela Davis. It shows how unjust the justice system was (still is) and contemplates whether “innocent until proven guilty” has ever really been the case for Black people.
This book deserves five stars purely for its significance as an historical document but it also shines a light on and causes us to think about the modern day justice system - has much really changed?
I would highly HIGHLY recommend to anyone who wants to learn more about the Black struggle in the justice system/more about the lives of key Black radicals in the 70s. Overall it is not hard to follow (although there are a couple of obscure references to events/people but it does not really impede on your understanding of the subject matter). In certain places - specifically in regards to the details of Angela Davis’ imprisonment and the details of the Soledad Brothers’ case - it can seem repetitive but it wasn’t so much so that it warrants a star to be taken off. Truly a fantastic collection!
This book deserves five stars purely for its significance as an historical document but it also shines a light on and causes us to think about the modern day justice system - has much really changed?
I would highly HIGHLY recommend to anyone who wants to learn more about the Black struggle in the justice system/more about the lives of key Black radicals in the 70s. Overall it is not hard to follow (although there are a couple of obscure references to events/people but it does not really impede on your understanding of the subject matter). In certain places - specifically in regards to the details of Angela Davis’ imprisonment and the details of the Soledad Brothers’ case - it can seem repetitive but it wasn’t so much so that it warrants a star to be taken off. Truly a fantastic collection!
shreyshrey's review against another edition
5.0
It’s so beautiful to see how one person’s life and actions can have such an impact on the rest of the world
stressbuilds's review against another edition
4.0
“When I feel cross or impatient with my brothers and sisters, I remember all the things you taught me and tears come to my eyes for the struggle you are going through.” - Matron at one of the institutions where Angela Davis was imprisoned.
hallsifer's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
A collection of essays, letters and some poetry, this book is very easy to read and understand while not skimping on theory, conviction or historical sourcing, however the nature of it being a collection of essays does mean some points are repeated. The focus of the book, if you’re coming in blind, is prison abolition in the USA/occupied turtle island and specifically focuses on the Black Panther Party’s efforts as well as wider systemic racism in the prison system.
Do be prepared for a very exhausting realisation - nothings fucking changed. Every step forward has been repressed, forcibly forgotten, fractured & obfuscated to the point that nothing has been taught in formal education. The movements and history have been so far removed from newcomers to left wing politics that it’s depressing finding everything is an ongoing problem with the same words used across time to describe it. The patterns of police brutality repeat themselves over & over again and are still to face consequences by a fascist legal system…but why would they!
It’s broken in half by Ericka Huggins poetry, which further affirms both the radical struggles of oppressed communities (this book obviously highlights and emphasises the very real fact Black people are served with heavier and far more ruthless sentences for minor crimes compared to other ethnicities, while also stressing the necessity of solidarity between all imprisoned people) & the inhumanity of the fascist states' use of incarceration. Political poetry carries messages far smoother than any other medium, I find.
Two sections I found personally important were how prison reform is simply changing the picture frame but keeping the same picture, and another is a direct quote from Angela Y. Davis -
Do be prepared for a very exhausting realisation - nothings fucking changed. Every step forward has been repressed, forcibly forgotten, fractured & obfuscated to the point that nothing has been taught in formal education. The movements and history have been so far removed from newcomers to left wing politics that it’s depressing finding everything is an ongoing problem with the same words used across time to describe it. The patterns of police brutality repeat themselves over & over again and are still to face consequences by a fascist legal system…but why would they!
It’s broken in half by Ericka Huggins poetry, which further affirms both the radical struggles of oppressed communities (this book obviously highlights and emphasises the very real fact Black people are served with heavier and far more ruthless sentences for minor crimes compared to other ethnicities, while also stressing the necessity of solidarity between all imprisoned people) & the inhumanity of the fascist states' use of incarceration. Political poetry carries messages far smoother than any other medium, I find.
Two sections I found personally important were how prison reform is simply changing the picture frame but keeping the same picture, and another is a direct quote from Angela Y. Davis -
Parenthetically, I would like to raise the question as to why the law, allegedly designed to protect the rights of the people, is virtually incomprehensible to the people.
Overall, I found this an essential read to further understand the Black revolutionary struggle & the history of prison abolition movements.as well as establish context with current movements that share goals - today it’s movements like & including BLM and its allies. While it’s very USA-centric it shouldn’t be written off, it’s important to recognise solidarity around the world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Police brutality, Racism, and Violence
sheralegend's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
archytas's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
4.5
I really enjoyed this book, which a strange thing to say for a book motivated by such urgent and deep injustice. So, not happy that there was a need for this book in 1972, and not happy that it remains relevant today (nor that one of the writers, now 79-year-old Ruchelle Magee, remains incarcerated four decades later).
But it is a fresh breath of air to read. The prose here hits straight and hard, a call to arms and a refusal to cede space. The book was not published for posterity. It is written with urgent specifics - to support the acquittal of Angela Davis, Magee, Ericka Huggins and Bobby Seale, among others. It is a window into another time, and yet, it often feels, that it is one in which basic realities: that policing entrenches systemic racial injustice - were spoken about more clearly.
But it is a fresh breath of air to read. The prose here hits straight and hard, a call to arms and a refusal to cede space. The book was not published for posterity. It is written with urgent specifics - to support the acquittal of Angela Davis, Magee, Ericka Huggins and Bobby Seale, among others. It is a window into another time, and yet, it often feels, that it is one in which basic realities: that policing entrenches systemic racial injustice - were spoken about more clearly.