Praise for An Abolitionist's Handbook
"If we’re serious about real change... we’re going to need a handbook. Patrisse Cullors, one of the original cofounders of the Black Lives Matter movement, teaches how to build an activism practice from a place of compassion and love." —Glamour
"Although An Abolitionist's Handbook contains instructions on how to enact Black liberation and the liberation of underserved communities; how to fight imperialism, white supremacy, and colonialism, and details on dismantling the prison industrial system and other harmful structures, it’s also imbued with stories from Cullors’s upbringing as a young Black woman in the United States, her experiences in the Black Lives Matter movement, and the lessons she’s learned along the way." —W Magazine
"In her new book, An Abolitionist’s Handbook: 12 Steps to Changing Yourself and the World, Patrisse Cullors starts with courageous conversations... These conversations typically arise out of our lived experiences. They are conversations we have because we care. They are conversations that first start with us." —Yes! Magazine
"Advocating for a new world is draining work, yet can also be liberatory if the right tools are used. Fortunately, activist and co-founder of Black Lives Matter Patrisse Cullors has crafted the framework for activists to create an abolitionist future."—Black Girl Nerds
"Her guidance on how to achieve personal and social transformation is enlightening. Readers will be inspired to take action." —Publishers Weekly
"Recommended for all readers interested in social change activism, particularly prison reform and the defund-the-police movement." —Library Journal
"Cullors offers a wide range of strategies for activists who share her view that you can’t always fix a broken system." —Kirkus
Praise for Patrisse and When They Call You a Terrorist
"Strikingly beautiful… Patrisse Cullors' story is a moral example to the nation." —Michael Eric Dyson, New York Times bestselling author of Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America
“This book is a must-read for all of us.” —Michelle Alexander, New York Times bestselling author of The New Jim Crow
"This is a story of perseverance from a woman who found her voice in a world that often tried to shut her out. When They Call You a Terrorist is more than just a reflection on the American criminal justice system. It’s a call to action for readers to change a culture that allows for violence against people of color." —TIME Magazine, named one of the Best Memoirs of 2018 So Far
“Impassioned, direct, inspiring and unsparing.” —Entertainment Weekly
“This powerful book by Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Khan-Cullors reminds us American racism is pervasive…the mission of Khan-Cullors and her fellow activists has never been more important – or more urgent.” —The Guardian
"[A] fierce, intimate memoir." —O Magazine
"A thoroughly modern, frequently poetic take on the black-freedom-struggle narrative." —Ms. Mag
"One of 2018’s most important nonfiction books." —The Root
Ariel Blake uses a bold voice to narrate this thought-provoking audiobook. Black Lives Matter cofounder Patrisse Cullors provides a handbook for becoming a 21st-century abolitionist—someone who contributes to replacing the “the modern-day white-supremacist, capitalist, racist patriarchy” that currently exists in the U.S. with a caring and dignified society. Blake steadily recites activities and directions. Chapters include guidelines for responding to injustices in everyday life, a checklist for how to communicate with others, and lists of what to read. While this work is an ambitious resource and Blake slowly and fluidly enumerates each of the 12 steps, as a handbook, it would also be useful in print so that users can more easily refer to specific parts when needed. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
2021-08-03
A co-founder of Black Lives Matter compiles a tool kit for activists hoping to abolish “oppressive systems, institutions, and practices” and to repair the harm they’ve caused.
Inspired partly by her father’s experiences in Alcoholics Anonymous, Cullors blends polemic and self-help in a 12-step program for getting rid of “prisons, jails, police, courts and surveillance” and otherwise “dismantling white supremacy.” As she sees it, abolition means more than demolishing institutions or practices and replacing them with more humane alternatives. It also involves taking personal and interpersonal steps to foster “healing and liberation,” such as having “courageous conversations” with friends, family, co-workers, and movement allies or colleagues about difficulties in relationships. Cullors begins each chapter by discussing one of her 12 steps, such as “Build Community” and “Forgive Actively Not Passively,” and ends each with practical tips on topics such as “What To Read/Watch/See/Hear” and “Guiding Questions” for reflection (listen to Beyoncé’s Lemonade to hear about “actively forgiving”). In the best sections, Cullors brings a unique perspective to BLM–related issues, such as why she favors abolishing the police instead of more narrowly focused strategies such as requiring the greater use of bodycams (the officer who killed George Floyd was wearing one, but the full horror of his death was captured not by his device but by bystanders with phones). The text is repetitious, and some of the author’s ideas will be too woolly for many readers (“Check out…CHANI, a comprehensive astrology app that can help deepen your courage practice”) or overfamiliar to consumers of self-help (frequent plugs for therapy, mindfulness, or keeping a journal). Still, Cullors offers a wide range of strategies for activists who share her view that you can’t always fix a broken system—sometimes you have to throw it out and start over.
A veteran activist’s call to dismantle America’s judicial, law enforcement, and other systems.
