The New Jim Crow

Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, 10th Anniversary Edition

By: Michelle Alexander

Narrated by: Karen Chilton

Length: 16 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

Seldom does a book have the impact of Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow. Since it was first published in 2010, it has been cited in judicial decisions and has been adopted in campus-wide and community-wide reads; it helped inspire the creation of the Marshall Project and the new $100 million Art for Justice Fund; it has been the winner of numerous prizes, including the prestigious NAACP Image Award; and it has spent nearly 250 weeks on the New York Times best seller list.

Most important of all, it has spawned a whole generation of criminal justice reform activists and organizations motivated by Michelle Alexander’s unforgettable argument that “we have not ended racial caste in America; we have merely redesigned it”. As the Birmingham News proclaimed, it is “undoubtedly the most important book published in this century about the U.S.”

Now, 10 years after it was first published, The New Press is proud to issue a 10th-anniversary edition with a new preface by Michelle Alexander that discusses the impact the book has had and the state of the criminal justice reform movement today.

©2010, 2012, 2020 Michelle Alexander (P)2012, 2020 Recorded Books

Recommended with a caveat

Michelle Alexander has put together a very well written and well researched book regarding the horrors of the drug war. She goes into great detail about how minority populations (primarily blacks) have been devastated by the unsuccessful war on drugs. She makes a few mentions of how poor whites have recently become affected by the same war on drugs ala "The House I Live In". However, her conclusions regarding the escalation of the war on drugs seem to be biased. She continuously blames "conservatives" for the war on drugs. They bear some blame, no doubt. But to be more accurate, it seems that Republicans (sometimes conservative) would be a better way to describe those who have caused the escalation. Furthermore, she places little blame on Democrats and usually makes excuses for those who contributed.

In the end, it's clear Ms. Alexander sees the world through a right vs left paradigm. But the truth is that when assessing responsibility for the drug war, a populist vs authoritarian, or libertarian vs statist view would be much better in assessing political blame. After all, a true conservative should believe that a small government is best. The drug war is a result of the exponential increase in the size of government. But again, I will continue to recommend this book to friends with that caveat.

Great Book a must read for every American!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I was shocked and amazed at the content and how truly ignorant I was on the subject matter. I liked the fact that Ms. Alexander not only gave the historical context, facts and examples but also what we can to do to change it. This was a great book!

What was one of the most memorable moments of The New Jim Crow?

To know that the whole government is involved in the plot to incarcerate, control, and obliterate the rights of its citizens.

Rave reviews

A round of applause and a standing ovation is necessary here. This work will be considered a Master piece for all the ages to come. For those of you interested in criminal justice reform and social economic issues , then this book is for you. The narrative here has the promising potential to help many generations come to begin to understand the Dynamic and multifaceted challenges our nation, and people as a whole must endure in the life cycle looking towards a solution and calling for radical changes within our democracy. Thank you Michelle Alexander for your dedication, insight and sacrifice in the pursuit of writing this book that is an account and testimony to the harsh realities our country and the world must face and overcome if we are ever to be truly free in what has been said to be," the promise land"

Should be a Mandatory Read

While it was a heavy read, it is incredibly eye opening especially for white America.

devastating reality of america

right now, I feel my white privilege in a bad way. I feel so blind and ignorant, and no wonder some black people show anger I can't understand. I keep trying to imagine my world if I woke each day facing the challenges black people do; I don't get far and it isn't pretty. This must be what my multi-racial daughters have encountered their whole lives, and I've been clueless.
I'm not an organizer, mover, shaker, or anything. What can I do in my daily life to make things better for black and brown people?

Informative, mind altering, and enlightening

Would you listen to The New Jim Crow again? Why?

I've listened to the book twice already. I thoroughly enjoyed it,a learned from it. There was too much information given to soak it all up in just one listen.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

This book was much too long to listen to in one sitting, I wish I could have. It was like information overload though, and an emotional rollercoaster. The author emphasized what i already thought was wrong with the criminal justice system, she just solidified it with facts.

Any additional comments?

This book lit a fire in me, It made me want to be an activist and make any change I can in a system that desperately needs changes.

wonderful knowledgeable information . It aactually

loved everything about this book. So many things I didn't know and it was nice to finally understand the whole concept of the jim crow law

this should be mandatory reading

heartbreaking. makes you cry. get ready to have the facts presented in a way that will destroy your world in the best way. excellent read. I never send books to friends, this will be my first

A wake up call!

This is a must listen for Americans who may see that there are racial issues in our society, but can quite put your finger on where those issues are rooted. A very well written and narrated book that will open your mind and eyes to areas that we don’t like to see or talk about.

Must read

This should be required reading in high school, college, law school and even in churches throughout America that seek to be part of the solution.