The Brick Slayer by Harold SchechterMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
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Thursday, December 31, 2020
Wednesday, December 30, 2020
Monday, December 28, 2020
Thursday, December 24, 2020
Tuesday, December 15, 2020
Monday, December 14, 2020
Thursday, December 3, 2020
Tuesday, December 1, 2020
Thursday, November 19, 2020
Saturday, November 7, 2020
Friday, November 6, 2020
Wednesday, October 28, 2020
Monday, October 26, 2020
Review: The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World
Thursday, October 22, 2020
Tuesday, October 20, 2020
Thursday, October 15, 2020
Wednesday, October 14, 2020
Wednesday, October 7, 2020
Review: The Criminalization of Black Children: Race, Gender, and Delinquency in Chicago’s Juvenile Justice System, 1899–1945
Tuesday, October 6, 2020
Sunday, September 27, 2020
Friday, September 25, 2020
Thursday, September 17, 2020
Friday, September 11, 2020
Review: Liberty's Prisoners: Carceral Culture in Early America
Liberty's Prisoners: Carceral Culture in Early America by Jen ManionMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Walnut Street Prison in Philadelphia was the first designated prison in the United States. Jen Manion’s Liberty’s Prisoners looks at the history of the prison and more importantly its part in creating a carceral system in America and the effects on the disparity in class and gender of local society.
Following British reforms, punishment in Philadelphia was practiced publicly utilizing both public shame and labor authorized by the 1786 Act to Amend the Penal Laws of the State. This act served “to offset the expense of caring for convicts in prison; to discourage criminals through shame and embarrassment from resuming a life of crime, and to deter others from resorting to crime.” (pp. 18-19, Kindle) As slave labor had defined a set of “social roles and expectations” (p. 32, Kindle) that advocated and justified systemic racism through violence and inequality, so too did the penal system in Philadelphia. These roles and expectations were never truly altered as African Americans gained legal freedom; it was merely the circumstance of their bondage that changed. From slavery to carceral bondage, African Americans were subjected to new ways of forced labor and punishment.
Manion clearly shows the disparity among races, classes, and gender in Philadelphia and how the treatment of the imprisoned has contributed to unequal civil liberties in American society that is still hanging over us today. Much of the book is dedicated to the comparison of the treatment of African American women to their male and white counterparts; however Manion analyzes quantifiable data to look at all those imprisoned in Philadelphia from the 1790s through the 1820s to find patterns of abuse and disparity that contributed to a system of continued inequality in early American society. The overarching thesis shows a perpetual cyclical system that for many African Americans, poor, and gendered continues to entrench them in new forms of bondage and inequality.
I think what resonated most with me, was the treatment of women. We see how once women became a victim of hard times; it would be almost impossible to be pulled out of the system. No matter what one did to try to better their circumstance, they would find themselves in a situation that pulled them into the penal system and they never really break that cycle. We still see this today among many in lower economic populations and among the homeless. This book shows how those cycles and social constructs were created and perpetuated over time.
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Thursday, September 3, 2020
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Monday, August 3, 2020
Saturday, July 18, 2020
Friday, July 10, 2020
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Friday, June 12, 2020
Saturday, June 6, 2020
Thursday, May 28, 2020
Review: The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz
The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik LarsonMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Another masterful work by Erik Larson. This book follows Churchill's time as Prime Minister from 1940 through 1941. This is a more personal story of Churchill, his wife, children, and the people that surrounded him on a daily basis. We see life in England during World War II through the eyes of these people and all that they endured trying to run the nation, hold off a war coming into their homes, all during constant bombing runs by the Germans. We see Churchill's life and those around them unfettered and unfiltered.
I thoroughly enjoy Laron's writing. He spins historical events in a novelistic way that pulls the reader in. I was engrossed throughout. Larson weaves these very personal anecdotes into the facts of history to make these stories relatable leading the reader to feel like they are there and witnessing the events first hand. Brilliant.
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Thursday, May 21, 2020
Thursday, May 7, 2020
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
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