catalystcafe's review
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
4.5
An emotional memoir from one of the pivotal leaders of the BLM movement, peppered with his experiences coming into his own and his approach to protests. Beautifully written.
akingston5's review
I cannot recommend this book enough-- I read it entirely in one sitting and plan to revisit it again soon. I've listened to "Pod Save the People" for awhile and am always grateful for Deray's honesty of where America (and the world) sits today, but also his deep commitment to hope to keep moving forward. This book does not back away from the issues plaguing the country, but certainly he pushes to a perspective of hope while honoring circumstances. Again, I cannot recommend this enough!
notallbooks_mp's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
3.5
iggyebab's review
3.0
I have a hard time rating someone’s “true” story. I don’t agree with everything I read in this book but it certainly made me think
bookaddictlt's review
5.0
Read. This. Book.
That's really all I have to say. This is A book about activism. It's a book about injustice. It's a book about history. It's important. It's informative. It's raw. It's inspiring.
Buy it. Read it.
That's really all I have to say. This is A book about activism. It's a book about injustice. It's a book about history. It's important. It's informative. It's raw. It's inspiring.
Buy it. Read it.
amberfinnegan's review
4.0
On the Other Side of Freedom was an insightful read. I knew who DeRay Mckesson was, but only in a social media sense. His memoir has helped me understand more about who he is as a person and how he sees himself.
It was interesting to see where he fits himself in to the Ferguson protests and Black Lives Matter movement. As I expected, he spoke a lot about his role as an activist, but he also dipped into aspects of his personal life which was just as interesting. Honesty, I would have liked to have seen this be a longer book with more insight into his perspective of Black men and masculinity and some of the other topics he touched upon but didn’t heavily put his focus.
Overall this was was a good book.
It was interesting to see where he fits himself in to the Ferguson protests and Black Lives Matter movement. As I expected, he spoke a lot about his role as an activist, but he also dipped into aspects of his personal life which was just as interesting. Honesty, I would have liked to have seen this be a longer book with more insight into his perspective of Black men and masculinity and some of the other topics he touched upon but didn’t heavily put his focus.
Overall this was was a good book.
misssusan's review
3.0
i liked it but it felt a little...thin? like i sort of got the vibe he read ta-nehisi coates, thought he was too pessimistic, and decided to deliver a counter-argument for hope but he hasn't quite thought through his politics enough to be as compelling as coates
3 stars
3 stars
mari1532's review
5.0
This was a beautifully written book. Part memoir, part outline for activists, this book outlines how to take hope and imagination in the United States of America (and around the world) and implement that into action.
belovedsnail's review against another edition
challenging
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
It would be easy to dismiss this book as slight since McKesson is so very good at distilling complex ideas to simple language. This book is not slight. Thought provoking and full of both potential and inspiration.
bookedbymadeline's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Learned a lot about the Ferguson protests and Black history! The stories could jump all over the place at times which could be confusing and felt disjointed. Overall an important and educational book
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Police brutality
Moderate: Sexual assault, Misogyny, Murder, Homophobia, and Addiction
Minor: Grief and Death