A review by nathanrester
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, by Michelle Alexander
4.0
There's a weird paradox in reading The New Jim Crow in 2021. On one hand, there's not a lot in this book that will be extremely shocking to anyone who has been keeping up with the news over the last few years. On the other, this book was a critical catalyst in bringing mainstream attention to the disturbing intersection between racial inequality and the mass incarceration issue in the United States.
Alexander convincingly tethers the racial segregation policies of Jim Crow to the War on Drugs and its disparate impact on the African-American community. Even if you're already in the know (read: pissed off) about this, then you still owe it to yourself to read the original argument in its complete form. And if you're unaware or on the fence, Alexander makes a compelling, angering case that doubles as an indictment of a system long past its expiration date.
Alexander convincingly tethers the racial segregation policies of Jim Crow to the War on Drugs and its disparate impact on the African-American community. Even if you're already in the know (read: pissed off) about this, then you still owe it to yourself to read the original argument in its complete form. And if you're unaware or on the fence, Alexander makes a compelling, angering case that doubles as an indictment of a system long past its expiration date.