We Do This 'Til We Free Us

By Mariame Kaba,

Book cover of We Do This 'Til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice

Book description

New York Times Bestseller

"Organizing is both science and art. It is thinking through a vision, a strategy, and then figuring out who your targets are, always being concerned about power, always being concerned about how you're going to actually build power in order to be able to push your…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked We Do This 'Til We Free Us as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This was an instant New York Times Bestseller, something that took even people within the abolitionist movement aback. While reformist practices and progressive prosecutors were already mainstream when the book came out, abolition was not a concept that was as easy to swallow.

I think that’s where Kaba shines: Through transcribed interviews and her essays, she makes abolition understandable and seemingly attainable. Her rationality is hard to argue with, and she presents the concepts in a way that anyone can access. 

From Paula's list on easing you out of your comfort zone.

The Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 introduced many people to the idea of abolishing police and prisons. Mariame Kaba might be the most thoughtful abolitionist organizer. This book of essays is both daring and humble, forward-thinking, and rooted in the everyday lives of young Black and Brown people.

Using simple language to convey profound ideas, Kaba asks if the massive expenditures of money and violence in our criminal justice system actually bring satisfaction and healing to those who are victims of crime. She insists that abolition is about not just ending a failed institution for public safety but also…

From Danny's list on winning socialism in our lifetime.

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Tap Dancing on Everest by Mimi Zieman,

Tap Dancing on Everest, part coming-of-age memoir, part true-survival adventure story, is about a young medical student, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor raised in N.Y.C., who battles self-doubt to serve as the doctor—and only woman—on a remote Everest climb in Tibet.

The team attempts a new route up…

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