Book Review #78: "Policing the Black Man"

Hey Everyone,

     I am going to review the book "Policing the Black Man: Arrest, Prosecution, and Imprisonment," edited by Angela J. Davis. This book is hot off the press as it was just published today July 11, 2017 by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. For those of you who would like to purchase a copy of this book CLICK HERE. This book is a collection of eleven essays about the injustice when it comes to the criminal justice system and African Americans. 

     Overall I rated this book four stars out of five. This was a very persuasive, informative book on the unfairness in how African Americans are treated in this country. This book was extremely well written and well researched. It brought all the facts to the forefront. And the astonishing facts you will read about in this book are difficult to ignore. My favorite essays were "Boys to Men: The Role of Policing in the Socialization of Black Boys" by Kristin Henning. This essay was particularly important because it discussed children, our upcoming generations of children and how they are affected growing up in a country where our criminal justice system unfairly treats African Americans. My other favorite essay was "The Prosecution of Black Men" by Angela J. Davis because it was the essay that I learned the most. Like others I was focusing on the police and did not realize how huge of an impact prosecutors have in the unjust treatment of African Americans. The only criticism I have of this book is it was a bit repetitive. But being repetitive for this country to change we probably need to hear this over and over again. I think this book should be read in schools, basically everyone should read this book. But it should first be a mandatory read for police officers and everyone involved in our criminal justice system.

     I would like to thank Netgalley, Angela J. Davis (including all the authors who were a part of this book) and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Until the next page,

Jill