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nickoftheparty's review against another edition
5.0
Essential reading for our times; the title has it all. Nothing new if you've been following along, but everything put so succinctly and directly.
ryliereadss's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
4.0
It was really informative and useful to learn about the pre-existing conditions that caused the protests in 2020, such as for profit healthcare, unemployment, and the senseless murder by police of unarmed black people. There were great tips on how to be an active ally rather than a passive one. He also talked about why it's important to call the protests a rebellion rather than a riot. One quote that stuck out to me was "Healing is an industry. Survival is a luxury." He used very accessible language and I think a lot more people should listen to this. Highly recommend.
jasbeingjas's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
3.75
Having read this book a few years after it was originally published, I found a few of the first chapters were difficult to get through because it felt like things I already knew or understood. I also think the format of the book, which took on an interview style didn’t work for me personally. I would have preferred that each chapter just be written like an essay. But overall, I think this is a great book for someone looking to understand why we need abolition and why we need it now.
domeniqueh's review against another edition
5.0
Ok, so this my First Marc Lamont Hill book, although i follow is articles, his media presence, his interviews, and such. This timely conversation turned book is clearly a necessary read. His words are direct, specific, definitive, and honoring of all identities. Thankful for his book suggestions sprinkled throughout the chapters and how he honors Black Feminism as a literal key and foundation to doing abolitionist work. This books makes me want to question it all, drop everything, and become an abolitionist. Oh what a ride and journey. I’m all in and invested to do and be more.
britlovestoread's review against another edition
5.0
Marc Lamont Hill's ability to get such incredibly powerful messages across in such few words is absolutely remarkable.
This is one of the shortest books I have read lately, but by far one of the most powerful. I mean, damn. This. Is. Good.
I didn't put this book down from the second I picked it up. His discussions on Corona capitalism, the politics of disposability, interest convergence, the importance of Black feminism, violence, and abolitionist vision - all precise, well-worded, and completely worth your time reading.
This is one of the shortest books I have read lately, but by far one of the most powerful. I mean, damn. This. Is. Good.
I didn't put this book down from the second I picked it up. His discussions on Corona capitalism, the politics of disposability, interest convergence, the importance of Black feminism, violence, and abolitionist vision - all precise, well-worded, and completely worth your time reading.
as_a_tre3's review against another edition
5.0
There should be a discourse on COVID-19 and this book wraps themes around it that could be set as entry point of analysis in various disciplines (education, healthcare, economy, social justice, etc.) and interdisciplinary fields too.
ecruikshank's review against another edition
5.0
Clear-eyed, concise diagnosis of many interrelated pathologies of modern American life: racism, poverty, policing, incarceration, inadequate access to healthcare, housing insecurity, domestic violence, ableism, rampant capitalism. Hill started with a close-up lens on the racial and class inequities revealed and exacerbated by the pandemic and then gradually zoomed out to explore additional forms of injustice and explain the links between them. The book is thoughtful and complex while still being accessible. It is obviously timely, but it didn’t feel like it was rushed out prematurely to catch the moment.
I didn’t love the Q&A format of the book, which felt contrived. And one point I thought might have been valuable to discuss: While Hill explored the function of violence in protest and explained eloquently that “it is wholly unreasonable to demand unconditional nonviolence from all oppressed people,” I hoped he might address the redefinition of “violence” to include property damage. By labeling a protest “violent” as soon as a window is broken, critics disingenuously draw a false equivalence between the actual deadly oppression sparking an uprising and the responsive actions taken by marginalized communities, characterizing the events as essentially “violence versus violence” in an attempt to discredit the movement. And by including harm to property in our definition of violence, they perpetuate systems that privilege property over human lives. Obviously Hill should address only the topics he chooses, but it felt like he was ceding ground unnecessarily by letting detractors continue to frame the narrative as being about “violent protest.” (Very eager to hear other views on this, and I don’t mean to detract from Hill’s ultimate point about the use of violence.) These are quibbles, of course—this book is excellent.
Pairings: A few that came immediately to mind are Stakes Is High by Mychal Denzel Smith; “Contempt As a Virus” from Zadie Smith’s collection Intimations; Sister Outsider; How We Get Free; and Are Prisons Obsolete?
I didn’t love the Q&A format of the book, which felt contrived. And one point I thought might have been valuable to discuss: While Hill explored the function of violence in protest and explained eloquently that “it is wholly unreasonable to demand unconditional nonviolence from all oppressed people,” I hoped he might address the redefinition of “violence” to include property damage. By labeling a protest “violent” as soon as a window is broken, critics disingenuously draw a false equivalence between the actual deadly oppression sparking an uprising and the responsive actions taken by marginalized communities, characterizing the events as essentially “violence versus violence” in an attempt to discredit the movement. And by including harm to property in our definition of violence, they perpetuate systems that privilege property over human lives. Obviously Hill should address only the topics he chooses, but it felt like he was ceding ground unnecessarily by letting detractors continue to frame the narrative as being about “violent protest.” (Very eager to hear other views on this, and I don’t mean to detract from Hill’s ultimate point about the use of violence.) These are quibbles, of course—this book is excellent.
Pairings: A few that came immediately to mind are Stakes Is High by Mychal Denzel Smith; “Contempt As a Virus” from Zadie Smith’s collection Intimations; Sister Outsider; How We Get Free; and Are Prisons Obsolete?