A review by specialk75
Abolish Rent by Leonardo Vilchis, Tracy Rosenthal

hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

I am part of an abolitionist/socialist reading group and this was our most recent book for education and discussion. I (un)learned so much and the authors helped me to see that housing is/should be a human right. 

Abolish Rent got me thinking about the ways government prioritizes and subsidizes speculators/landlords and homeowners, as well as supports (to a degree) people who are incarcerated, over those who are poor, unhoused and/or pay rent. 

One of my favorite quotes from early on, spoke about “the coincidences that makes us who we are.” There were so many more ideas, that I found moving and inspiring, including: “if we don’t fight, we lose.” 

I appreciate how strikes (including rent) have the power to “reorder our beliefs about what is possible and who can bring it about.” I was also struck by the idea of tenant struggle being a land struggle and refusing the logic by which financial value is prioritized over human use.