Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

The End of Policing by Alex S. Vitale

23 reviews

careinthelibrary's review against another edition

challenging hopeful informative sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Death, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Hate crime, Classism, Deportation, Drug use, and Mass/school shootings

mollyate's review against another edition

challenging informative slow-paced

3.5

I would say this book provided a broad overview of the argument of abolishing the police. very much gave sociology vibes and can serve as good intro into abolitionist thought and movements.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Police brutality, Racism, and Violence

emilynied's review

informative reflective slow-paced

3.75

This book was very informative about the role of policing in the United States. I read this for class and had to reflect on what I thought and the biggest thing I got out of it was my thoughts on the power of police regarding drugs - I liked that it challenged my previous opinions on the law and society with thoughtful historical examples and anecdotes. Unlike some other nonfiction books I've read similar, it felt well paced and the length wasn't too long that I got bored. I also thought that it criticized both liberal and conservative thinking regarding the topic, which was refreshing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality

hubes's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Police brutality

alyssa_s10's review

informative medium-paced

4.25

This book was not really about police abolition, it was mostly about police reform. It has a number of good ideas, like the decriminalization of drugs and sex work. 
There are a couple of quotes I like from the book such as "Police are the thin blue line between the have and the have not." as well as "The only law deserving of our respect is an unprejudiced law. One that protects everyone everywhere."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Racism, and Gun violence

Moderate: Drug use, Violence, and Death

Minor: Sexual assault, Drug abuse, and Addiction

mandkips's review

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Gun violence, and Racism

Moderate: Death, Drug use, and Violence

Minor: Sexual assault, Drug abuse, and Addiction

helena_chris's review against another edition

informative slow-paced

2.25

While the idea of the book is amazing, it's highly unlikely that those who should read it will read it. The writing itself is very tedious and assumes the reader needs to be explained every single detail. I had really high hopes for this book and fully support the message it's trying to convey... Its just not conveyed very well. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Racism, and Gun violence

orireading's review against another edition

challenging informative slow-paced

3.75

Would recommend to leftists and aspiring leftists :) interested in learning more about histories of policing. The audiobook format is great if you’re used to non-fiction podcasts but have a hard time reading non-fiction, since Vitale dives into one topic per chapter. 

However, I had two qualms with this book: the conclusion, and a language choice. First, Vitale pedals back on his abolitionist statements in the conclusion, which weakens the text as a whole. This was a little weird, considering the premise of the book is “the end of policing.” 

Second, Vitale refers throughout the book to various marginalized groups using “these people” (instead of repeating “sex workers” or whatever) which I picked up on because it’s been edited out of my own long-form academic writing! Phrases that writers use to refer to a group can continue the marginalization of, or discrimination against, the group, despite the author’s neutral use of the phrases. 

Overall, I really did enjoy this as an audiobook and learned a LOT. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Police brutality, and Violence

kshertz's review

informative sad medium-paced

3.75

It’s a certain kind of book! I have been focusing my learning on abolition and a lot of what was in here I’ve learned but there was a lot of facts and statistics I was unaware of as well as some powerful stories I will take with me. I thought it was well thought out and well done

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence

rachbake's review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad tense medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Police brutality, Drug abuse, and Gun violence