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A review by alissajayne
Soledad Brother: The Prison Letters of George Jackson by George L. Jackson
3.0
In terms of a review, not much can be said about a book like this. This is a collection of letters written by George Jackson while he was incarcerated to a number of different people including family, friends, activists, and attorneys. I was introduced to Jackson while reading about the Attica Prison uprising of 1971, and felt I had to read his work after learning how important he was to other political prisoners (and incarcerated persons in general).
This is a dense collection of writing. At times I felt like I was back in my Social Theory class, and indeed his work fits right in alongside that of other sociologists. I was somewhat surprised that he wasn’t ever mentioned in any of my Soc classes, but then again, he WAS a black revolutionary, and we know how touchy Americans are about that stuff…
Jackson was brilliant, almost too brilliant for his own good. I felt badly for his parents on the receiving end of some of his more frustrated letters, though I related to his insistence that they understand his argument(s). His demand for liberation was, in some ways, his love language. His views were largely ahead of their time, and I regret to say that if he were still alive, he would be utterly disgusted by the lack of progress made since the 60s & 70s.
Many take umbrage with his antifeminist views (which he does eventually soften somewhat) but to be completely honest, I wasn’t reading this book for feminist theory and neither should you. That’s not the point of this work, and if that’s all you took from it, you missed the bigger picture.
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“Pigs come here to feed on the garbage heap for two reasons really, the first half because they can do no other work, frustrated men soon to develop sadistic mannerisms; and the second half, sadists out front, suffering under the restraints placed upon them by an equally sadistic-vindictive society. The sadist knows that to practice his religion upon the society at large will bring down upon his head their sadistic reaction. Killing is great fun, but not at the risk of getting killed.
But the restraints come off when they walk through the compound gates. Their whole posture goes through a total metamorphosis. Inflict pain, satisfy the power complex, and get a check.
How can the sick administer to the sick.”
This is a dense collection of writing. At times I felt like I was back in my Social Theory class, and indeed his work fits right in alongside that of other sociologists. I was somewhat surprised that he wasn’t ever mentioned in any of my Soc classes, but then again, he WAS a black revolutionary, and we know how touchy Americans are about that stuff…
Jackson was brilliant, almost too brilliant for his own good. I felt badly for his parents on the receiving end of some of his more frustrated letters, though I related to his insistence that they understand his argument(s). His demand for liberation was, in some ways, his love language. His views were largely ahead of their time, and I regret to say that if he were still alive, he would be utterly disgusted by the lack of progress made since the 60s & 70s.
Many take umbrage with his antifeminist views (which he does eventually soften somewhat) but to be completely honest, I wasn’t reading this book for feminist theory and neither should you. That’s not the point of this work, and if that’s all you took from it, you missed the bigger picture.
.
.
.
“Pigs come here to feed on the garbage heap for two reasons really, the first half because they can do no other work, frustrated men soon to develop sadistic mannerisms; and the second half, sadists out front, suffering under the restraints placed upon them by an equally sadistic-vindictive society. The sadist knows that to practice his religion upon the society at large will bring down upon his head their sadistic reaction. Killing is great fun, but not at the risk of getting killed.
But the restraints come off when they walk through the compound gates. Their whole posture goes through a total metamorphosis. Inflict pain, satisfy the power complex, and get a check.
How can the sick administer to the sick.”