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A review by alexampersand
Freedom Is A Constant Struggle by Angela Y. Davis
4.0
Parts of this I really enjoyed, parts of it I struggled a little with. In some ways it simultaneously felt both too surface-level, and too in-depth. There are a wide range of topics covered, and a lot of the time there is some assumed starting knowledge. So it felt like i was digging into the nitty-gritty of some things that I had no frame of context for, while other times I was wishing we could delve deeper into some topics and explore them a little more.
While discussing Assata Shakur, I found myself compelled to look up a little more of her story, because it was presented here in almost bullet-point form: very direct, to the point, and factual. And then the little bit of research I did on the subject gave a bit more of an ambiguous and nuanced answer answer. And while that may be the internet being its usual ambiguous-internet self, it did make me wish that this topic was given some more insight and discussion from Angela Davis instead of just the straight and to-the-point summation... and it also made me wonder how many other topics that were skimmed or glossed over also warranted some more insightful discussion to understand he nuances of topics.
That said... there were a lot of really insightful, thought-provoking, and beautiful things in this book. I loved what she had to say about international solidarity, how the battle to fight injustice will have to last longer than our personal lifetimes, and how 'commemorations' can be seen as an easy out to try and relegate oppression to the past. I also found he discussion of prison abolition really fascinating - it's something I've understood the basic rationale for, but this book felt like a really great primer in the movement.
While discussing Assata Shakur, I found myself compelled to look up a little more of her story, because it was presented here in almost bullet-point form: very direct, to the point, and factual. And then the little bit of research I did on the subject gave a bit more of an ambiguous and nuanced answer answer. And while that may be the internet being its usual ambiguous-internet self, it did make me wish that this topic was given some more insight and discussion from Angela Davis instead of just the straight and to-the-point summation... and it also made me wonder how many other topics that were skimmed or glossed over also warranted some more insightful discussion to understand he nuances of topics.
That said... there were a lot of really insightful, thought-provoking, and beautiful things in this book. I loved what she had to say about international solidarity, how the battle to fight injustice will have to last longer than our personal lifetimes, and how 'commemorations' can be seen as an easy out to try and relegate oppression to the past. I also found he discussion of prison abolition really fascinating - it's something I've understood the basic rationale for, but this book felt like a really great primer in the movement.