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bearjake's review
3.0
I agree with many of the criticisms other reviewers have raised against Payback. The book is highly repetitive, poorly edited, and myopically centered around the experiences of white men. I would only recommend this book to people who are deeply interested in the topic, and even then, I would recommend that they skim. Reading the first and last chapters would probably be sufficient to understand Rosenbaum's most interesting arguments.
This book could easily have been cut to half the length, maybe less. Rosenbaum sometimes uses ten examples when two or three would do--I do not think that I am exaggerating. Rosenbaum repeats the same arguments numerous times, often more than once within the same chapter, and yet often fails to make his position clearer, or to address obvious counters to his position. A "good parts" version would be rewarding, but following Rosenbaum through every turn of his argument is exhausting and unnecessary.
Other reviewers have explained why this book is misogynistic; I was also bothered by Rosenbaum's total failure to discuss race and class. Since Rosenbaum ultimately advocates policies which, if effected, would increase the severity of legal punishments, it's a serious problem for his position that these policies would disproportionately harm poor people of color in the justice system. He never even refers to the racism and classism which is endemic to the American justice system, nor addresses the implications of his arguments for the war on drugs. He advocates the death penalty without engaging the most powerful arguments for its abolition. I found his argument persuasive to the extent that I believe there would be some value in creating a more vindictive legal system, but he totally failed to convince me that these gains would be worth the damage.
Rosenbaum sometimes leaves out salient information which would his argument. He claimed that each of the states involved in the DC Sniper murders chose to prosecute the sniper separately *specifically because* they wanted him to be convicted in the name of their own citizens. In reality, they prosecuted him multiple times to increase the chances that he would receive the death penalty, a fact which undermines the point Rosenbaum was making in that section. His discussion of Bernie Goetz also leaves out information which makes Goetz's actions seem less reasonable. Take everything Rosenbaum says with a grain of salt, and do your own research on any information which you consider particularly important.
Ultimately, I am glad that I read this book. I've made annotations throughout, and I look forward to going back through my notes and revisiting the sections which I found especially interesting and useful. Although he does not make his case in the clearest way, Rosenbaum makes a valuable and emotionally compelling case for revenge.
This book could easily have been cut to half the length, maybe less. Rosenbaum sometimes uses ten examples when two or three would do--I do not think that I am exaggerating. Rosenbaum repeats the same arguments numerous times, often more than once within the same chapter, and yet often fails to make his position clearer, or to address obvious counters to his position. A "good parts" version would be rewarding, but following Rosenbaum through every turn of his argument is exhausting and unnecessary.
Other reviewers have explained why this book is misogynistic; I was also bothered by Rosenbaum's total failure to discuss race and class. Since Rosenbaum ultimately advocates policies which, if effected, would increase the severity of legal punishments, it's a serious problem for his position that these policies would disproportionately harm poor people of color in the justice system. He never even refers to the racism and classism which is endemic to the American justice system, nor addresses the implications of his arguments for the war on drugs. He advocates the death penalty without engaging the most powerful arguments for its abolition. I found his argument persuasive to the extent that I believe there would be some value in creating a more vindictive legal system, but he totally failed to convince me that these gains would be worth the damage.
Rosenbaum sometimes leaves out salient information which would his argument. He claimed that each of the states involved in the DC Sniper murders chose to prosecute the sniper separately *specifically because* they wanted him to be convicted in the name of their own citizens. In reality, they prosecuted him multiple times to increase the chances that he would receive the death penalty, a fact which undermines the point Rosenbaum was making in that section. His discussion of Bernie Goetz also leaves out information which makes Goetz's actions seem less reasonable. Take everything Rosenbaum says with a grain of salt, and do your own research on any information which you consider particularly important.
Ultimately, I am glad that I read this book. I've made annotations throughout, and I look forward to going back through my notes and revisiting the sections which I found especially interesting and useful. Although he does not make his case in the clearest way, Rosenbaum makes a valuable and emotionally compelling case for revenge.
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