Scan barcode
jhuynh848's review
4.0
This book does a great job connecting the dots of the current Black lives matter movement and police brutality throughout American history. I particularly liked how he writes about situating police brutality within a legal system that has never recognized the full personhood of Black people.
His insights into the policing, prisons and racism are particularly interesting because of his direct experience being impacted by the system as well as being forced to view the current events from a distance. I think it lends the book with a very keen perspective that has really stuck with me as I have been digesting more information relating to abolition and systemic violence.
His insights into the policing, prisons and racism are particularly interesting because of his direct experience being impacted by the system as well as being forced to view the current events from a distance. I think it lends the book with a very keen perspective that has really stuck with me as I have been digesting more information relating to abolition and systemic violence.
mickified's review
4.0
The essay format was unique and made it easier to digest a lot of the book’s content
shewantsthediction's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Police brutality
specialkxb's review
5.0
A powerful book to show the constant discrimination that African Americans have to continually face and why the Black Lives Matter movement is so important because the constant discrimination of African Americans is so prominent throughout American history,
moonyreadsbystarlight's review
emotional
informative
fast-paced
5.0
Mumia Abu-Jamal pointedly weaves together the past with what is his present in this this is a compellation of essays from 1998 to 2017 on police brutality. There is so much important insight throughout many of these. More than that, there is so much. He recalls so many names -- and this isn't close to a complete list by any means. While I would love a detailed history of the instances he discusses, I think that his style of essay and choice to put out from such a broad span of time (nearly two decades) works very well. While this is obviously emotional to read, the way that he writes and the length of the essays made this relatively quick to get through.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Police brutality
arrow1350's review
4.0
I saw this at a bookstore and right away wanted to pick it up. My first thought was: What a title! Of course, if you live in the US, you'd know right away that the question is rhetorical. The answer is "no." It doesn't seem to be the case in the US since its origin up until now. The reminders of this are ever present in the way African Americans are treated in this country.
I don't know much about the civil rights history, and on the most part I keep my nose out of the news cycle, so I learned a lot while reading this. However, I think this book is written more for people who are in the know than for people like me. It is a collection of opinion pieces written over the years by Abu-Jamal. Some of it might be repetitive, but I think that only reflects the reality of Black America.
The atrocities faced today by Black Americans are nothing new. The sad thing about it is that they repeat and repeat without any repercussions on the offenders, be it an individual or the system to which they belong. While seeing some of the events that are mentioned in this book unfold realtime on the news, I (and I'm sure other Americans who are not directly affected) start the feel apathetic. This is not the case for Abu-Jamal whose anger at the injustices never dies down. It reminds me of how today that kind of anger, that anger that lasts, is what is creating change in the political landscape.
I don't know much about the civil rights history, and on the most part I keep my nose out of the news cycle, so I learned a lot while reading this. However, I think this book is written more for people who are in the know than for people like me. It is a collection of opinion pieces written over the years by Abu-Jamal. Some of it might be repetitive, but I think that only reflects the reality of Black America.
The atrocities faced today by Black Americans are nothing new. The sad thing about it is that they repeat and repeat without any repercussions on the offenders, be it an individual or the system to which they belong. While seeing some of the events that are mentioned in this book unfold realtime on the news, I (and I'm sure other Americans who are not directly affected) start the feel apathetic. This is not the case for Abu-Jamal whose anger at the injustices never dies down. It reminds me of how today that kind of anger, that anger that lasts, is what is creating change in the political landscape.