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A review by orireading
The End of Policing by Alex S. Vitale
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Police brutality, and Violence