OS Book Club Pt II

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  • Fresh Tendrils
    Strike Hard and Fade Away
    • Jul 2002
    • 36131

    #526
    Re: OS Book Club Pt II

    Tax season is killing my reading during the week. By the time I get home, exercise, get dinner done, and all that jazz its like 10 o'clock and I fall asleep like 20 pages into something.

    I have noticed, however, that I am reading a lot faster than I was at the beginning of January. Conditioning.



    Comment

    • DieHardYankee26
      BING BONG
      • Feb 2008
      • 10178

      #527
      Re: OS Book Club Pt II

      Originally posted by Hassan Darkside

      Similar to you I went on a binge, but after reading Jill Leovy's Ghettoside. I highly recommend Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson (who's heavily featured in 13th, bald guy with no facial hair) who started his law career as an attorney for death row inmates in Alabama. It's full of frustrating commentaries on the criminal justice system (especially how it's applied to minorities and poor folks) as well as moving stories and thought provoking anecdotes.
      Just finished this...

      I'll start by saying that the Amazon description page for the book called the author the real life Atticus Finch which is such an amazing tag line I was excited to read lol. The reality of the book was obviously less exciting, if not completely sobering.

      It's hard not to read this and come away with both an incredible admiration of Stevenson and the EJI and also just a scathing hatred for the treatment of some in our justice system. Without getting too far into it, if you're interested in reading about or are already opposed to capital punishment and need/want references to show people of failed standards being met to prove guilt this is your book. It's just disgusting the way that first, people who cannot help themselves are targeted, and then afterwards the burden of proving their innocence is put on people employed by the same entity trying to put them away, no one caring about the actual people involved in the cases. Just terrible, and to think the consequences are so dire. You're reading about situations where people are CELEBRATING being released after unjust imprisonment of DECADES. It's infuriating, and saddening to see the way this **** is handled. He mentioned another book, Slavery by Another Name, which goes more in depth on convict leasing and the whole system that led to where we are today. I want to watch the PBS documentary version tonight when I get home, this whole institution and the way it came together is endlessly fascinating to me.

      Anyway, on the actual writing, most of the quotes I pulled out of it for the large portion of the book were statistics. Stuff like between 1990 and 2005, a prison was opened every 10 days or that over 50% of prison inmates have been diagnosed with a mental illness. Unbelievable. Then in the last few chapters, he really reflects and there's a few statements on the justice system and society, my favorite quotes are when people make complex ideas simple in a way that anyone can understand:

      On the failure of fair legal representation: "We're supposed to sentence people fairly after fully considering their life circumstances, but instead we exploit the inability of the poor to get the legal assistance they need - all so we can kill them with less resistance."

      On our punishment practices: "We've submitted to the harsh instinct to crush those among us who's brokenness is most visible. But simply punishing the broken - walking away from them or simply hiding them out of sight - only ensures that they remain broken and we do, too. There is no wholeness outside of our reciprocal humanity.

      My favorite, on capital punishment: "I told the congregation that Walter's case had taught me that the death penalty is not about whether people deserve to die for the crimes they commit. The real question of capital punishment in this country is, Do we deserve to kill?"

      Starting now, I think next up for me is "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou, after which I'll probably stay on women writers for a bit, go to Angela Davis, Toni Morrison, Octavia Butler, Alice Walker, I'll fit Michele Alexander and The New Jim Crow in there somewhere.
      Originally posted by G Perico
      If I ain't got it, then I gotta take it
      I can't hide who I am, baby I'm a gangster
      In the Rolls Royce, steppin' on a mink rug
      The clique just a gang of bosses that linked up

      Comment

      • Hassan Darkside
        We Here
        • Sep 2003
        • 7561

        #528
        Re: OS Book Club Pt II

        Originally posted by DieHardYankee26
        Just finished this...

        I'll start by saying that the Amazon description page for the book called the author the real life Atticus Finch which is such an amazing tag line I was excited to read lol. The reality of the book was obviously less exciting, if not completely sobering.

        It's hard not to read this and come away with both an incredible admiration of Stevenson and the EJI and also just a scathing hatred for the treatment of some in our justice system. Without getting too far into it, if you're interested in reading about or are already opposed to capital punishment and need/want references to show people of failed standards being met to prove guilt this is your book. It's just disgusting the way that first, people who cannot help themselves are targeted, and then afterwards the burden of proving their innocence is put on people employed by the same entity trying to put them away, no one caring about the actual people involved in the cases. Just terrible, and to think the consequences are so dire. You're reading about situations where people are CELEBRATING being released after unjust imprisonment of DECADES. It's infuriating, and saddening to see the way this **** is handled. He mentioned another book, Slavery by Another Name, which goes more in depth on convict leasing and the whole system that led to where we are today. I want to watch the PBS documentary version tonight when I get home, this whole institution and the way it came together is endlessly fascinating to me.

        Anyway, on the actual writing, most of the quotes I pulled out of it for the large portion of the book were statistics. Stuff like between 1990 and 2005, a prison was opened every 10 days or that over 50% of prison inmates have been diagnosed with a mental illness. Unbelievable. Then in the last few chapters, he really reflects and there's a few statements on the justice system and society, my favorite quotes are when people make complex ideas simple in a way that anyone can understand:

        On the failure of fair legal representation: "We're supposed to sentence people fairly after fully considering their life circumstances, but instead we exploit the inability of the poor to get the legal assistance they need - all so we can kill them with less resistance."

        On our punishment practices: "We've submitted to the harsh instinct to crush those among us who's brokenness is most visible. But simply punishing the broken - walking away from them or simply hiding them out of sight - only ensures that they remain broken and we do, too. There is no wholeness outside of our reciprocal humanity.

        My favorite, on capital punishment: "I told the congregation that Walter's case had taught me that the death penalty is not about whether people deserve to die for the crimes they commit. The real question of capital punishment in this country is, Do we deserve to kill?"

        Starting now, I think next up for me is "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou, after which I'll probably stay on women writers for a bit, go to Angela Davis, Toni Morrison, Octavia Butler, Alice Walker, I'll fit Michele Alexander and The New Jim Crow in there somewhere.
        The "Do we deserve to kill" quote really made me look at capital punishment differently.

        The other quotes that really got me were:
        "The opposite of poverty is not wealth. In too many places, the opposite of poverty is justice."

        "There is a strength, a power even, in understanding brokenness, because embracing our brokenness creates a need and desire for mercy, and perhaps a corresponding need to show mercy. When you experience mercy, you learn things that are hard to learn otherwise. You see things you can't otherwise see; you hear things you can't otherwise hear. You begin to recognize the humanity that resides in each of us."

        "The true measure of our character is how we treat the poor, the disfavored, the accused, the incarcerated, and the condemned."

        Are you copping ebooks or hard/softcovers? I kind of want to have a physical collection but managing books electronically is so much easier.
        [NYK|DAL|VT]
        A true MC, y'all doing them regular degular dance songs
        You losin' your teeth, moving like using Kevin Durant comb
        Royce da 5'9"


        Originally posted by DCAllAmerican
        How many brothers fell victim to the skeet.........

        Comment

        • DieHardYankee26
          BING BONG
          • Feb 2008
          • 10178

          #529
          Re: OS Book Club Pt II

          Everything I've read so far has been on Kindle. I don't know why, I just love reading on the Kindle app, it seems like a perfect use of technology. Having said that, I got a physical hardcover copy of Between the World and Me after reading it and also Destruction of Black Civilization I have a paperback copy of because it's not in the Kindle Store. I've actually been taking books off my list if I go to the Kindle store and it's not in there LOL. I do want to get physical copies of most if not all of these books though, I kinda wanna have a library. Especially since so many of these books are now important to me, I may wanna pass them on one day.

          Physical books are expensive. You ever get annoyed at the way ebooks are priced though? I saw a 200 something page book (which doesn't even matter because it's digital and just a file to download) for $24 and was just like what kinda garbage is this.
          Originally posted by G Perico
          If I ain't got it, then I gotta take it
          I can't hide who I am, baby I'm a gangster
          In the Rolls Royce, steppin' on a mink rug
          The clique just a gang of bosses that linked up

          Comment

          • Hassan Darkside
            We Here
            • Sep 2003
            • 7561

            #530
            Re: OS Book Club Pt II

            Originally posted by DieHardYankee26
            Everything I've read so far has been on Kindle. I don't know why, I just love reading on the Kindle app, it seems like a perfect use of technology. Having said that, I got a physical hardcover copy of Between the World and Me after reading it and also Destruction of Black Civilization I have a paperback copy of because it's not in the Kindle Store. I've actually been taking books off my list if I go to the Kindle store and it's not in there LOL. I do want to get physical copies of most if not all of these books though, I kinda wanna have a library. Especially since so many of these books are now important to me, I may wanna pass them on one day.

            Physical books are expensive. You ever get annoyed at the way ebooks are priced though? I saw a 200 something page book (which doesn't even matter because it's digital and just a file to download) for $24 and was just like what kinda garbage is this.
            Absolutely, those get moved to the bottom of the reading list, or I look to see if there are any alternative sources.

            I low-key want signed copies of all the books that have really resonated with me or made a positive impact on me personally.
            [NYK|DAL|VT]
            A true MC, y'all doing them regular degular dance songs
            You losin' your teeth, moving like using Kevin Durant comb
            Royce da 5'9"


            Originally posted by DCAllAmerican
            How many brothers fell victim to the skeet.........

            Comment

            • DieHardYankee26
              BING BONG
              • Feb 2008
              • 10178

              #531
              Re: OS Book Club Pt II

              Finished I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. This was a big surprise to me, I didn't know what to expect, I've never read poetry really so I hadn't seen her writing style or anything before this but it becomes clear very quickly how it translates. Her writing is just very vivid, and evokes a ton of emotion. Some of my favorite quotes (I'll spoiler because there's a few):

              Spoiler


              Another in the Malcolm X-Frederick Douglass line of learning, "Without willing it, I had gone from being ignorant of being ignorant to being aware of being aware."

              I was surprised how much I loved her writing. To hear this is the first in 7 to make up her series of autobiographies, I will definitely pick back up with the second one when I finish my list. Up next, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison.
              Last edited by DieHardYankee26; 02-26-2017, 02:30 PM.
              Originally posted by G Perico
              If I ain't got it, then I gotta take it
              I can't hide who I am, baby I'm a gangster
              In the Rolls Royce, steppin' on a mink rug
              The clique just a gang of bosses that linked up

              Comment

              • DieHardYankee26
                BING BONG
                • Feb 2008
                • 10178

                #532
                Re: OS Book Club Pt II

                Had a weird work week so it took me longer than usual, but finally finished The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. I was worried I'd be less into the fiction side of things but there's just as much to learn from fiction as nonfiction in some cases, and I think this serves that purpose. To avoid writing a long summary, it's about little black girls and their experiences. Thematically, it's about many things, racism, religion, the effect of the normalization of beauty standards on people who could never live up to them. I thought it really interesting from that point, to be put into the shoes of someone who felt they were being told by the very universe that their existence was wrong in some way, it's a scary thought made scarier by the realization that millions of people felt/feel this way at any given time. A very crippling feeling that must be, something I don't think a lot of guys feel in quite the same way girls do, at least I know I don't. As for quotes:

                Spoiler


                Morrison moves into the category of authors that I will definitely continue through their catalog after I'm done with my list (with Du Bois, Baldwin, Angelou). For now, onto to Bloodchild and Other Stories by Octavia Butler.
                Originally posted by G Perico
                If I ain't got it, then I gotta take it
                I can't hide who I am, baby I'm a gangster
                In the Rolls Royce, steppin' on a mink rug
                The clique just a gang of bosses that linked up

                Comment

                • Fresh Tendrils
                  Strike Hard and Fade Away
                  • Jul 2002
                  • 36131

                  #533
                  Re: OS Book Club Pt II

                  Nice to see somebody is getting stuff read. Trying to read with two nieces (ages 4 & 5) running around all weekend is an exercise in futility. I'm still ahead of my goal for 2017, but I'm getting antsy to dive back into some good readings.

                  At least my "check out" list is still growing.



                  Comment

                  • DieHardYankee26
                    BING BONG
                    • Feb 2008
                    • 10178

                    #534
                    Re: OS Book Club Pt II

                    Agreed on the "check out" list. It seems like every book I read points me to two or three other books or authors I want to read, the Kindle Store is a Hydra.

                    There's so many off topic one off books I want to get into as well, I want to read Neil Gaiman's book on Norse Mythology, I want to read more on presidents, it never ends!
                    Originally posted by G Perico
                    If I ain't got it, then I gotta take it
                    I can't hide who I am, baby I'm a gangster
                    In the Rolls Royce, steppin' on a mink rug
                    The clique just a gang of bosses that linked up

                    Comment

                    • DieHardYankee26
                      BING BONG
                      • Feb 2008
                      • 10178

                      #535
                      Re: OS Book Club Pt II

                      Bloodchild and Other Stories

                      Spoiler


                      The Color Purple

                      Spoiler


                      Women, Race, and Class

                      Spoiler


                      Are Prisons Obsolete?

                      Spoiler


                      Assata: An Autobiography

                      Spoiler


                      The New Jim Crow

                      Spoiler


                      The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candlelight in the Dark and Varieties of the Scientific Experience

                      Spoiler


                      The Blind Watchmaker

                      Spoiler


                      Why Evolution is True

                      Spoiler


                      Thinking Like a Lawyer

                      Spoiler


                      Nineteen Eighty-Four

                      Spoiler



                      The Road

                      Spoiler
                      Last edited by DieHardYankee26; 05-02-2017, 07:04 PM. Reason: Wanted to put everything in spoilers to format better
                      Originally posted by G Perico
                      If I ain't got it, then I gotta take it
                      I can't hide who I am, baby I'm a gangster
                      In the Rolls Royce, steppin' on a mink rug
                      The clique just a gang of bosses that linked up

                      Comment

                      • Fresh Tendrils
                        Strike Hard and Fade Away
                        • Jul 2002
                        • 36131

                        #536
                        Re: OS Book Club Pt II

                        I'm gonna bump this up to get me motivated again. I didn't finish any book in April, but my goal for "finish an average of 1 book per month" is still attainable thanks to January and February.

                        I need to go through my books again and see what mood I'm in for this Spring/Summer.



                        Comment

                        • DieHardYankee26
                          BING BONG
                          • Feb 2008
                          • 10178

                          #537
                          Re: OS Book Club Pt II

                          A Brief History of Time

                          Spoiler


                          Following all of my random urges for stuff to read, I've found a timed plan to get through the Catholic Bible (which I won't bring up here outside of the fact that wow, trying to figure out which edition was more difficult than finding a new book to read from scratch) and Christopher Hitchens' biography on Thomas Jefferson.

                          Thomas Jefferson: Author of America

                          Spoiler


                          Another random off the list, going into When Breath Becomes Air next, I've heard lots of good things about it.

                          When Breath Becomes Air

                          Spoiler


                          Reading the Irony of American History by Reinhold Niebuhr next. Also I think it was Fresh that wanted something like Lies My History Teacher Told Me, there's a Peoples History of the United States by Howard Zinn. I'm gonna get into that pretty soon.

                          Irony of American History

                          Spoiler


                          So yeah, another great one. Trying to get some stuff off my list done so I'm going into Notes of A Native Son by James Baldwin next and then I'm gonna do Frederick Douglass's last autobiography .
                          Last edited by DieHardYankee26; 05-15-2017, 07:06 AM.
                          Originally posted by G Perico
                          If I ain't got it, then I gotta take it
                          I can't hide who I am, baby I'm a gangster
                          In the Rolls Royce, steppin' on a mink rug
                          The clique just a gang of bosses that linked up

                          Comment

                          • Fresh Tendrils
                            Strike Hard and Fade Away
                            • Jul 2002
                            • 36131

                            #538
                            Re: OS Book Club Pt II

                            Do you have any recommendations on where to start with James Baldwin? I know you've read some of his work recently and I keep seeing the same 2-3 titles around on the net.

                            Finally unboxed all my books this weekend. Boxed up looked like I had more than what I have sitting on the shelf now. Not to mention how few of my books I still have from when I was kid. Something that needs to be remedied, because I still like to sit down and sprint through a good children's book occasionally.

                            To help me reattain my motivation (to which current events are fortunately/unfortunately lending their influence) I re-tweaked my goals for the rest of the year. I'm sticking with my average of one book a month, but am also going to try and read 100 pages a week. I figure 15 pages a day is rather painless so we'll see how it goes.
                            Last edited by Fresh Tendrils; 05-15-2017, 11:24 AM.



                            Comment

                            • KG
                              Welcome Back
                              • Sep 2005
                              • 17583

                              #539
                              Re: OS Book Club Pt II

                              Originally posted by Fresh Tendrils
                              Nice to see somebody is getting stuff read. Trying to read with two nieces (ages 4 & 5) running around all weekend is an exercise in futility. I'm still ahead of my goal for 2017, but I'm getting antsy to dive back into some good readings.

                              At least my "check out" list is still growing.
                              Try reading with a 3yr old and 7 month old.

                              No excuses though, I've got to get back into the pages and you guys have inspired me. Some great recommendations I've saved on Amazon based on this thread.
                              Twitter Instagram - kgx2thez

                              Comment

                              • DieHardYankee26
                                BING BONG
                                • Feb 2008
                                • 10178

                                #540
                                Re: OS Book Club Pt II

                                The Fire Next Time was great. Notes of a Native Son is a book of 10 of his essays, he says he never considered himself one but his writing is just awesome. I love it so far, I'm 3 in, he's probably my favorite author, when I finish getting through all this random stuff I'm just going to go through all of his. I'm adding Go Tell It On The Mountain to my list, it won't be too long before I get to it. His writing is so evocative, can't get enough of it.
                                Originally posted by G Perico
                                If I ain't got it, then I gotta take it
                                I can't hide who I am, baby I'm a gangster
                                In the Rolls Royce, steppin' on a mink rug
                                The clique just a gang of bosses that linked up

                                Comment

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