A review by melanie_page
An American Radical: A Political Prisoner in My Own Country by Susan Rosenberg

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/