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bookph1le's review
5.0
This is such a heavy, heavy book. It's astonishing and thought-provoking and beautifully written, and it is so damn hard to read, which is as it should be. The book is meant to dissect issues that require hard thinking, something that's anathema to American society. We want our solutions simple and clear. We don't want to deal with the complexities of the world, to acknowledge the harms done by our simplistic thinking, and to accept that making things better will require hard work and failure.
This book made me think about a lot of things, one of which was the particular inertia I sense in America. You can see this inertia after every school shooting, after every protest against the wrongs done to marginalized people. Some people come up with ideas, suggest changes, and always the response is, "That wouldn't have stopped this particular crime." In America, we apparently think it's better to do nothing, to not even try, than it is to stumble and fall but maybe find a better way to operate as a society. Maybe one particular gun law wouldn't have stopped one particular crime, but what if it stopped another?
Mass incarceration is such a uniquely American problem, and what baffles me is how Americans shrug at this as well. It is so blatantly obvious that trying to incarcerate away our social problems is not working. Are we a safer, freer country now that we've locked up such a significant portion of our population? Does the death penalty eliminate murder? Does locking up people who are mentally ill make them better? Capitalism, of course, complicates everything because there is huge money to be made courtesy of our prison industrial complex, so of course those who benefit will try to scare the rest of us by asking if we want to let murderers walk free. They don't need to address the statistics, don't need to face the interrogation about the myriad ways in which our justice system is broken, because they just have to raise the specter of that murderer walking free. And, yet, in America people are constantly being murdered. Somehow we're led to believe that this is the cost of American-style freedom.
I could write multiple papers about all the issues this book so adroitly addresses: the misogyny deeply embedded in our culture, the ways in which violence against people of color is deemed an acceptable price for white people's sense of security, the harms done to LGBTQ people. All of these things are intertwined, and all of these things help prop up our broken justice system. Of course, if our society wasn't also so broken, it would be hard to prop up that system. But instead of addressing systemic issues, the powerful and connected convince us that punishment is the more expedient answer. Contrary to all evidence, they work to make us believe that throwing people in jail will cure our social ills.
Why do they work so hard at this? Because it's a distraction. Because it keeps us from focusing on poverty, on income inequality, on biases of all kinds. The world will never be perfect because we are human and, therefore, imperfect, but those who benefit from our current social structure don't want change because our lives and the safety of our children is a price they're willing to pay to ensure they stay on top.
This is one of those books I wish everyone in America would read. Change is possible, but not while we continue to accept, whether tacitly or implicitly, the status quo.
This book made me think about a lot of things, one of which was the particular inertia I sense in America. You can see this inertia after every school shooting, after every protest against the wrongs done to marginalized people. Some people come up with ideas, suggest changes, and always the response is, "That wouldn't have stopped this particular crime." In America, we apparently think it's better to do nothing, to not even try, than it is to stumble and fall but maybe find a better way to operate as a society. Maybe one particular gun law wouldn't have stopped one particular crime, but what if it stopped another?
Mass incarceration is such a uniquely American problem, and what baffles me is how Americans shrug at this as well. It is so blatantly obvious that trying to incarcerate away our social problems is not working. Are we a safer, freer country now that we've locked up such a significant portion of our population? Does the death penalty eliminate murder? Does locking up people who are mentally ill make them better? Capitalism, of course, complicates everything because there is huge money to be made courtesy of our prison industrial complex, so of course those who benefit will try to scare the rest of us by asking if we want to let murderers walk free. They don't need to address the statistics, don't need to face the interrogation about the myriad ways in which our justice system is broken, because they just have to raise the specter of that murderer walking free. And, yet, in America people are constantly being murdered. Somehow we're led to believe that this is the cost of American-style freedom.
I could write multiple papers about all the issues this book so adroitly addresses: the misogyny deeply embedded in our culture, the ways in which violence against people of color is deemed an acceptable price for white people's sense of security, the harms done to LGBTQ people. All of these things are intertwined, and all of these things help prop up our broken justice system. Of course, if our society wasn't also so broken, it would be hard to prop up that system. But instead of addressing systemic issues, the powerful and connected convince us that punishment is the more expedient answer. Contrary to all evidence, they work to make us believe that throwing people in jail will cure our social ills.
Why do they work so hard at this? Because it's a distraction. Because it keeps us from focusing on poverty, on income inequality, on biases of all kinds. The world will never be perfect because we are human and, therefore, imperfect, but those who benefit from our current social structure don't want change because our lives and the safety of our children is a price they're willing to pay to ensure they stay on top.
This is one of those books I wish everyone in America would read. Change is possible, but not while we continue to accept, whether tacitly or implicitly, the status quo.
alliekayyem's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
amisk23's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
phoenixsiren93's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I have never read a book so addicting and so beautiful that I finished it with deafening silence and tears. Worth every star and every minute. I love the fact that it not only has a table of contents but also footnotes that not only build the world but educate readers on what the American (in)justice system is truly like. I will definitely be recommending this to everyone I know.
ebgat's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
moonpiereads56's review
5.0
This futuristic dystopian work of fiction is built on modern day facts. It’s a reflection of a plausible future of our current prison system if reform never comes. Very eloquently written, the plot was engrossing and made my heart hurt. It’s not the most ground breaking concept but the form, flow and content is unique and well fleshed out. The varied POVs adds to the caricature of human kind and how disgusting we all can be, how disconnected people are from pain and loss and how “entertainment” is a capitalistic war zone that destroys more and more of our humanity with every minuet of content. It makes you think and analyze your involvement in events, entertainment and others lives.
The ending being abrupt lends a hand to the fact that everything in life is uncertain, in flux and through love near anything is possible.
It’s not a happy book, it’s shows you hope but leaves you weary. I highly recommend you read it.
The ending being abrupt lends a hand to the fact that everything in life is uncertain, in flux and through love near anything is possible.
It’s not a happy book, it’s shows you hope but leaves you weary. I highly recommend you read it.
kimac2's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
This is 1000% worth a read. Many of the characters stuck with me. It really shines a light on the horrible injustices imprisoned people face. The real facts interlaid as footnotes drive it home. I hope they make a movie or TV show of this so even more people can be exposed to this book's message.
ashleylynnreads's review
4.0
This book makes you want to be better to open your mind to other views when yours don’t align with others. I was very much a death sentence to murders, rapist and child molesters person but now it’s so gray for me with these facts and this work of are it makes you think! The characters in this book were so powerful 3 narrators on the audiobook was perfect! It was sort of hard to follow in some pieces but otherwise this was so poetically done! Highly recommend even if you are not sure if you can take this dark of a book consider this one!