lizmart88's review against another edition
4.0
Wow. This is an incredible book by anti-prison and criminal justice reform activist Walidah Imarisha.
The book tells the stories of the author, her adopted brother who is serving decades in prison for a crime committed as a juvenile, and of infamous Irish mobster Mac.
Its not a traditional biography by any means. She strives to convey each person (including herself) holistically, examining their choices and motivation, the systems they live within, and the people they love.
In particular, the story of Mac presents a gripping and chilling look at a man who is for all intents and purposes, a serial killer. And yet, she reaches his humanity beyond that persona, connecting the system of poverty to prison while also acknowledging his crimes as his choices. His story was particularly moving, reading about growing up in hells kitchen in New York.
At every point, she pushes the reader to examine the prison industrial complex. Her most poignant moment is when she asks, the question is not what happens when people do bad things. It's, what happens next?
The book tells the stories of the author, her adopted brother who is serving decades in prison for a crime committed as a juvenile, and of infamous Irish mobster Mac.
Its not a traditional biography by any means. She strives to convey each person (including herself) holistically, examining their choices and motivation, the systems they live within, and the people they love.
In particular, the story of Mac presents a gripping and chilling look at a man who is for all intents and purposes, a serial killer. And yet, she reaches his humanity beyond that persona, connecting the system of poverty to prison while also acknowledging his crimes as his choices. His story was particularly moving, reading about growing up in hells kitchen in New York.
At every point, she pushes the reader to examine the prison industrial complex. Her most poignant moment is when she asks, the question is not what happens when people do bad things. It's, what happens next?
choirqueer's review against another edition
5.0
Walidah Imarisha is an incredible storyteller and her interweaving of these stories is magnificent. Each manages to be deeply personal while offering a world of insight as to how the stories of these three individuals came to be so interconnected and how their stories tell a larger story of the system of institutionalized violence and power abuse plays out in the USA. At the same time, the author uses these stories to compel readers to deeply consider alternatives to incarceration and how those might be implemented in communities, a call to action I believe we cannot afford to ignore. Highly recommended.
content warning: graphic descriptions of violence including prison abuse, sexual assault, and one chapter in particular with gruesome descriptions of murder and body disposal (which I basically just skimmed)
content warning: graphic descriptions of violence including prison abuse, sexual assault, and one chapter in particular with gruesome descriptions of murder and body disposal (which I basically just skimmed)
thisisbgm's review against another edition
5.0
One of the most moving — and most important — books I've ever read. Masterfully weaves together the personal and the political. It confronts uncomfortable truths and asks tough questions. It's filled with hope and grace. At times, it felt like I was reading a sacred text.
I think it will be especially useful for folks who are just starting to learn about prison reform and prison abolition. It's accessible while also providing lots of breadcrumbs for further reading and research.
I think it will be especially useful for folks who are just starting to learn about prison reform and prison abolition. It's accessible while also providing lots of breadcrumbs for further reading and research.
schufman's review against another edition
5.0
This book was incredible. It was hard to read not because it was poorly written or dense, but because this book demanded I think and rethink. A lot. About who I am, the country and the skin that I live in, and the bare injustice of the prison system.
This book really asked me to recognize how much I don't know about the history and the actualities of our prison system, and how the many ways we do violence to each other and to ourselves are connected. Bodily autonomy and consent. Justice and revenge. Power and community. Incarceration and slavery. The challenge of living your beliefs when they hurt.
This book really asked me to recognize how much I don't know about the history and the actualities of our prison system, and how the many ways we do violence to each other and to ourselves are connected. Bodily autonomy and consent. Justice and revenge. Power and community. Incarceration and slavery. The challenge of living your beliefs when they hurt.
jenny_n's review against another edition
5.0
Update: I read this book a year ago, and I find that it continues to stick with me. It is worthy of wholehearted recommendation, and so I am revising my rating from 4 to 5. Read some of the other reviews. I agree with them.
A beautifully written book about crime and justice. If I could give half stars, this one would get 4.5.
A beautifully written book about crime and justice. If I could give half stars, this one would get 4.5.
eldang's review
4.0
An unavoidably difficult, frustrating book, given the subject matter. I appreciated Imarisha's honesty, including about the number of the things she doesn't have satisfying answers to because no-one does.
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