chrisiant's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Police brutality and Sexual harassment
Minor: Sexual assault
mkat303's review against another edition
5.0
I'm not sure why I didn't expect much from this book, but I was blown away by it. Rosenberg was arrested transporting weapons to a storage facility in Cherry Hill, NJ. She begins the book with her arrest, and backtracks a little bit, but only a little -- the bulk is about her years in prison and efforts to hang on and stay sane while facing a 58-year sentence.
Very well written, informative, and moving. I teared up a few times.
I do wish Rosenberg had included a bit more about her life going underground before prison, as I was riveted by her story of the police raid on the acupuncture clinic where she worked and her decision to go into hiding.
Very well written, informative, and moving. I teared up a few times.
I do wish Rosenberg had included a bit more about her life going underground before prison, as I was riveted by her story of the police raid on the acupuncture clinic where she worked and her decision to go into hiding.
melanie_page's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Susan Rosenberg’s memoir can be a tough read because she leaves no room to soften her experiences. A cavity search that tears her body to punish her reads akin to rape. Poor health care in the facility leads to her missing and rotting teeth. Attempts to build relationships — friendship, love — read awkwardly because they are molded by restrictions and watchful eyes. While Rosenberg convincingly writes that she was tortured, I failed to feel too much sympathy about her conviction from her crimes. An entire U-haul of assault weapons and dynamite aren’t harmless, whether Rosenberg was convinced no one would get hurt or not. And so American Radical is not yet another “I was treated so badly!” prison memoir, but instead a deep dive into how prisoners are handled out of the public eye regardless of American law. If you’re interested in political activism and the U.S. prison system, Rosenberg supplies the goods.
Check out the full review at https://grabthelapels.com/2021/07/01/an-american-radical/
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