Angela Davis hits many of the crucial points when thinking about the prison industrial complex and the abolition of it. She provided history and context that helped me understand just how far-reaching the prison system is. The last chapter on abolitionist alternatives did an amazing job of setting examples of how to abolish the prison industrial complex and reshaped my thinking of the relationship between people who commit crimes and the accountability for those crimes committed. The resources at the end of the book are also great jumping-off points for further reading in prison abolition and restorative justice, which this book inspired me to look into. Overall, this book consolidated important topics and contexts and helped me approach how I see the prison industrial complex affecting my life and community, and how I can begin to take action now that I better understand what the system does and affects more in-depth.

The Tattooed Soldier by Héctor Tobar

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dark emotional medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Overall, highly recommend although strong warning of violence. I really liked the multiple perspective approach to telling the events and how it built up that much suspense when getting to the climax points. I don't know how I feel about the ending. It seemed a bit anti-climactic for me, but maybe I just need to think about it more. The overall quote I would use to describe this book is the one mentioned multiple times throughout the novel, "the true revolutionary is guided by a great feeling of love."

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

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dark slow-paced

Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

first things first: f*ck snow! Lucy Gray and Sejanus deserved so much better and Snow deserved so much worse. I'm comforted by the fact that any good memories Snow had were tainted with Katniss's games. I know people hate that it tells Snow's story, BUT notice that Suzanne wrote this in THIRD person instead of the FIRST person of the trilogy. We're meant to get context through Snow but not sympathize or relate to him. This book really hit on the inherently good vs inherently evil debate of humanity and Suzanne did a beautiful job. Still mad at how good Snow ended up tho but it makes me root for Katniss more in the trilogy

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

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adventurous dark sad slow-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

anyways...I'm sobbing. honestly, this one is the slowest paced and my least favorite of the trilogy, but the points it touches are astounding. my perception of Gale and the rebel's methods, and even Katniss's were so full of NUANCE and I'm glad I re-read this with more critical thinking that I didn't have at 13.

Who Do You Serve, Who Do You Protect?: Police Violence and Resistance in the United States by Maya Schenwar

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informative fast-paced

5.0

I highly recommend this anthology as people seek to educate themselves on police violence against BIPOC and the ways to abolish the prison-industrial complex as a whole. To me, it was really eye-opening because these articles were written before 2016 but feel like they could've been written yesterday. Whether it was because of my own short attention span when I was younger or my inability to properly engage with these subjects, I question why it took me until now to see the extent of something that's been going on for so long. A quote that sticks out to me as I think of this is from the last chapter by Ejeris Dixon.

“There are times when we believe we inherently have the skills to address harm, simply because we have a strong political analysis or a strong desire to address harm. There’s a substantial distinction between having skills and learning skills, between being experts and practicing.”

With this in mind, I will continue to try to educate myself and those around me while also learning how to engage and support the movement for Black lives and prison abolition from the positions I find myself in.

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taniadoes's reviews 58 reviews

taniadoes's reviews
58 reviews