Scan barcode
bonkstrats's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
saulprompt's review
4.0
There were a few essays in this book that made some indispensable arguments for the directions and spirit in which abolition ought to move forward. "Shifting Carceral Landscapes","Prison Treated Me Way Better Than You", and "All Our Community's Voices" were my favorite pieces. As another commenter has pointed out, this book has something for everyone depending on their place in abolition. As a whole, it's definitely not a book for beginners. Several of the articles refer to works that should be read before this book, "The New Jim Crow" and "Are Prisons Obsolete?", to obtain a better grasp on what the subject of abolition and the U.S. legal system.
djinnofthedamned's review
4.0
I started reading this book after starting Beyond Survival. I'm always interested in how anthologies about abolitionist theory and strategy come into formation. I've read quite a few that are strong in some places while leaving me yearning for more in other aspects. I can't help but place Abolishing Carceral Society in this beltway of anthologies that have strengths and elicit discursive yearnings at the same time.
Overall I thought the essays were pretty strong, plus or minus a few I didn't care for.
What I yearned for was:
- stronger poetic voices, maybe more poetry from incarcerated people or formerly incarcerated people
- an analysis of disability and abolition. Disability was sign posted but not necessarily the departure point for an entire essay, which I found disappointing.
- the essay on abolition ecology might have been stronger had it been written by someone like Marius Manson or an animal liberation activist currently serving prison time for "eco-terror" charges.
- I was kinda surprised there was no overtly essay with a queer/trans thrust.
-I really didn't see the value in two white organizers writing about white supremacy and carceral logic. I think their essay would have been better served by writing about how whiteness is an insidious logic in abolition organizing itself, one that "critical whiteness groups" can't necessarily remedy. If not that, then it didn't need to be included in the first place.
I suppose the omissions of varying perspectives could depart from the assumption that the reader might be familiar with books that cover these subjects; such as the Terrorization of Dissent and Decarcerating Disability, or Captive Genders. Yet I can't help but wonder what happens if you're not familiar with those things and this book is your entry point into abolition politics.
I don't know. I enjoyed it. But by the same token it now sits in a pile of anthologies about prison abolition that have not only a similar textual architecture but similar overlapping omissions. I think future abolition anthology editors would be wise to read the anthologies that come before their publication to inform the selection process of essays.
Nonetheless, it's an important read because it plays a role in shaping discourses and political education.
Overall I thought the essays were pretty strong, plus or minus a few I didn't care for.
What I yearned for was:
- stronger poetic voices, maybe more poetry from incarcerated people or formerly incarcerated people
- an analysis of disability and abolition. Disability was sign posted but not necessarily the departure point for an entire essay, which I found disappointing.
- the essay on abolition ecology might have been stronger had it been written by someone like Marius Manson or an animal liberation activist currently serving prison time for "eco-terror" charges.
- I was kinda surprised there was no overtly essay with a queer/trans thrust.
-I really didn't see the value in two white organizers writing about white supremacy and carceral logic. I think their essay would have been better served by writing about how whiteness is an insidious logic in abolition organizing itself, one that "critical whiteness groups" can't necessarily remedy. If not that, then it didn't need to be included in the first place.
I suppose the omissions of varying perspectives could depart from the assumption that the reader might be familiar with books that cover these subjects; such as the Terrorization of Dissent and Decarcerating Disability, or Captive Genders. Yet I can't help but wonder what happens if you're not familiar with those things and this book is your entry point into abolition politics.
I don't know. I enjoyed it. But by the same token it now sits in a pile of anthologies about prison abolition that have not only a similar textual architecture but similar overlapping omissions. I think future abolition anthology editors would be wise to read the anthologies that come before their publication to inform the selection process of essays.
Nonetheless, it's an important read because it plays a role in shaping discourses and political education.
indielitttttt's review
5.0
Abolishing Carceral Society edited by the Abolition Collective
This was really really good. It’s a compilation of art, essays, and poems from academics, activists, and incarcerated & formerly incarcerated folks. Unlike a lot of other anthologies, all of these pieces are explicitly abolitionist. Because an abolitionist politic is the common thread, the pieces are able to cover a wide variety of topics such as anarchism, deschooling, and the literacy imdustrial concept (which was new to me!) I think this is a great addition to any abolitionist bookshelf!
5/5⭐️
This was really really good. It’s a compilation of art, essays, and poems from academics, activists, and incarcerated & formerly incarcerated folks. Unlike a lot of other anthologies, all of these pieces are explicitly abolitionist. Because an abolitionist politic is the common thread, the pieces are able to cover a wide variety of topics such as anarchism, deschooling, and the literacy imdustrial concept (which was new to me!) I think this is a great addition to any abolitionist bookshelf!
5/5⭐️