Reviews tagging 'Rape'
Better, Not Bitter: Living on Purpose in the Pursuit of Racial Justice by Yusef Salaam
1 review
jackelz's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
It was fascinating learning about the Islamic culture of naming children and the connection he has to his name:
Biblical Joseph, who is also Yusuf in the Qur'an, was the dream interpreter who was placed in charge of the pharaoh's palace. Before that, he was in prison…
I love his thoughts on crime and poverty in Black and brown communities, and the myth of Black on Black crime. We need to recognize the systems that have perpetuated poverty in these communities and insured the pervasiveness of racism.
“It’s imperative to view these things as a reaction to something that was set into motion long ago. To look at the actions that produced these reactions. The behaviors and intentions at the foundation of white supremacy created a criminal justice system that would do everything in its ample power to wrongfully imprison 5 teenage boys, that would essentially change our names and the trajectories of our lives.”
Yusef inspires readers to accept their own path, to understand their own sense of purpose.
“The wealthiest place on earth has never been Africa, where there is gold and diamonds; or the Middle East, where there’s oil. The richest place on earth is the graveyard. It’s the place where everyone’s unfulfilled hopes, dreams, and aspirations have been laid to rest. My challenge to you is this: No matter what life has taken you through, try to live full and die empty.”
And lastly, he reflects on the 400-year history of a nation's inability to be held accountable for its sins.
“There are certainly evil and ignorant people in this world who have codified a reality that is to your detriment. They have created cages in order to create animals so they’ll have an excuse to create more cages.”
Because let’s be real, mass incarceration is just modern-day slavery.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Minor: Rape
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