Today I'm sharing the best book I read in December.
Well, I only read four books this month — I'm working my way through The Stand on audio and Sophie's Choice on Kindle, both of which are taking a while. But I did have a 5-star read this month!
The New Jim Crow was absolutely phenomenal, if you can use such a term to describe a book so devastating. With masterful organization and clear prose, Alexander lays out the case that the War on Drugs has created a "racial undercaste" that aligns with the cultural stereotype of the "criminalblackman," disenfranchising an entire swath of the American people in much the same way that the Jim Crow era did. With statistics, quotations, and step-by-step logical arguments, she confronts head-on one misconception after another about our current state of mass incarceration: that it's due to rising crime rates; that the War on Drugs was a response to the crack epidemic; that the racial disparities are due to different rates of law breaking; and on and on. The reality she lays out is acutely painful, but it's a necessary read for any American — we should not be content with this status quo.
What is the best book you read this month? Let me know in comments, or write your own post and link up below!
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