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graceforester's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
rachelhelps's review against another edition
3.0
I skipped over the preface, so I'm not positive, but I think the text of this book came before the graphic retelling. I completely agree that we in the USA incarcerate too many people for too long, especially nonviolent drug offenses, but the report definitely felt one-sided.
I liked it when the images helped me to visualize something the text was saying, but some of the images felt superfluous, or like the rhetoric was being overstated (like a political cartoon). That said, I learned some things from this book--like the fact that crack cocaine offenses have heavier punishments than the powder cocaine offenses, for no good reason. Also, putting more people in jail doesn't decrease the crime rate.
I liked it when the images helped me to visualize something the text was saying, but some of the images felt superfluous, or like the rhetoric was being overstated (like a political cartoon). That said, I learned some things from this book--like the fact that crack cocaine offenses have heavier punishments than the powder cocaine offenses, for no good reason. Also, putting more people in jail doesn't decrease the crime rate.
mlkai's review against another edition
4.0
really interesting. actually the preface was my favorite part for commentary reasons. honestly i didn’t really pay attention to the graphics, but without it would’ve been too dry and fact heavy. i agree with a lot of it though, and i’m glad my crim professor chose a book like this.
rose_peterson's review against another edition
4.0
Much of what I've read about mass incarceration in the US is dry and overly academic, dense with statistics to decipher. This format is much more condensed and accessible. I did feel, though, that sometimes the artistic style interfered with my comprehension; my eye didn't quite know where to go next. I also wish citations or a resource list had been included. I can see this being a boon for teachers, nonetheless.
in2reading's review against another edition
4.0
The graphic format powerfully conveys the history of how the U.S. came to have the highest incarceration rate (by far) in the world. It also holds out hope for more U.S. investment into education, drug treatment, job creation, as well as fair and humane crime sentencing, so that the need for prisons will lessen.
laralibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
Go read this book. It will take you 45 minutes or less but your brain will be wrestling with the topics for far long. Very important info presented in a very accessible way.
renatasnacks's review against another edition
4.0
This is a FANTASTIC resource. It clearly and compellingly (that's a word right?) lays out the case for how our criminal justice system is fuckeddd. I haven't read the non-adapted version of [b:Race to Incarcerate|302013|Race to Incarcerate|Marc Mauer|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344716602s/302013.jpg|293077] but I have read [b:The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness|6792458|The New Jim Crow Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness|Michelle Alexander|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328751532s/6792458.jpg|6996712] so a lot of this information was not necessarily new to me, but I liked the layout and structure of this, and the rough black & white illustrations & graphs really drive home the information.
I know this is an adapted version of the adult NF book, and so I'm guessing if you want footnotes for any of this, you have to check that out? I mean I think putting a bunch of footnotes in the GN itself would probably be cluttery, but there's like, nothing.
But I do like that the end gives concrete ways to reach out to prison inmates, and overall, this is great. Would recommend to socially-conscious teens but maybe also to adults who don't feel like reading New Jim Crow or the full-length version of Race to Incarcerate.
I know this is an adapted version of the adult NF book, and so I'm guessing if you want footnotes for any of this, you have to check that out? I mean I think putting a bunch of footnotes in the GN itself would probably be cluttery, but there's like, nothing.
But I do like that the end gives concrete ways to reach out to prison inmates, and overall, this is great. Would recommend to socially-conscious teens but maybe also to adults who don't feel like reading New Jim Crow or the full-length version of Race to Incarcerate.
mxsunny's review against another edition
5.0
Quick and accessible primer on the roots of mass incarceration in the United States. It's a graphic retelling of Marc Mauer's book by the same name.