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It's a new Ben 10: Alien Force adventure featuring the return of Albedo! Plus, Samurai Jack faces a deadly challenge, and the Kids Next Door get spanked! ... Read more

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Jarvious Cotton's great-great-grandfather could not vote as a slave. His great-grandfather was beaten to death by the Klu Klux Klan for attempting to vote. His grandfather was prevented from voting by Klan intimidation; his father was barred by poll taxes and literacy tests. Today, Cotton cannot vote because he, like many black men in the United States, has been labeled a felon and is currently on parole.
--FROM THE NEW JIM CROW

As the United States celebrates the nation's "triumph over race" with the election of Barack Obama, the majority of young black men in major American cities are locked behind bars or have been labeled felons for life. Although Jim Crow laws have been wiped off the books, an astounding percentage of the African American community remains trapped in a subordinate status--much like their grandparents before them.

In this incisive critique, former litigator-turned-legal-scholar Michelle Alexander provocatively argues that we have not ended racial caste in America: we have simply redesigned it. Alexander shows that, by targeting black men and decimating communities of color, the U.S. criminal justice system functions as a contemporary system of racial control, even as it formally adheres to the principle of color blindness. The New Jim Crow challenges the civil rights community--and all of us--to place mass incarceration at the forefront of a new movement for racial justice in America. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (34)

An Extremely Important but Flawed Book
In her introduction, Michelle Alexander indicates that her book is not for everyone.This is unfortunate, because the information in it needs to be digested by the whole country.As other reviewers have indicated, that information and the issue it raises is among the most important, and most neglected, political concerns of our time.The problem with the book is that by limiting her critique of the criminal justice system to its implications for black America, Ms. Alexander is likely to alienate (or be ignored by) her natural allies, and overlook some of the worst effects of that system.

First, to Ms. alexander's critique: (for a nice syopsis of it, start on page 180 of her book).Approximately 25% of black adult males are either incarcerated or have felony convictions or both.In major American cities, as many as 80% of young African American men have criminal records.Approximately 2,000,000 men are incarcerated in our prisons, most for drug-related offenses.The length of incarceration has increased dramatically in the last 30 years and the collateral consequences of conviction (including the loss of not only the right to vote, but trivial matters like the loss of drivers' and cosmetology licenses) has become a regular feature of felony convictions.As a result, a large percentage of the young black male population is effectively unemployable and thus effectively assigned to an "untouchablle caste."But because the consignment of felons to second-class citizens can be attributed to "their own misconduct," there is little sympathy for them, even in their own community, and the larger society is absolved of responsibility for their condition.The system is effectively insulated from change, because no politician -- including any black politician -- wants to be accused of being "soft on crime."

Now to the flaws in her critique.While Ms. Alexander's book is principally addressed to the civil rights community, that narrow focus probably does her cause no favors.She often sounds like an "angry black woman," and as a result, it is easy to miss the ambivalence which is such an important part of the issues she raises.For example, much of the time she writes as if the current incarcerational system is a malign plot designed by the white establishment to keep blacks in their place.She knows better, and in her more objective moments acknowledges that they system is in most ways a freak accident which has roughly the same effect as if it had been deliberately designed to decimate the black community.Read the section on thye ways in which the present system is not the same as Jim Crow (e.g. pp. 195ff) and which not only makes the system worse in some respects, but makes it far more intractible.And Ms. Alexander is unintentionally guilty of some of the very same sort of thinking which has made the system so inflexible.For example, she notes the distinction between the treatment of "white crimes," such as DUI, and "black crimes," such as crack sale, and notes the more lenient treatment of the latter.Well, legislatures have noticed those disparities too, and what have they done?Felonized repeat DUI's, not ameliorated drug sentences.This "notice how much worse you treat my peoples' crimes than your peoples' crimes" attitude predictably only results in harsher treatment for "your" peoples' crimes, hardly what Alexander wants to do.

Finally, the big problem.It is not as if most of the black defendants incarcerated or felonized did not commit the crimes of which they were accused.And it is not as if (most of the time) they were forced to possess drugs or sell them.Sure, they were treated differently from most whites who did something similar.But as long as the behavior in question is clearly criminal, this argument is not going to garner much sympathy.So what is to be done?Decriminalize sale and possession of (hard) drugs?There will be little support for that, even in the black community.Selective enforcement of drug laws in white areas?Fat chance of that.Amnesty for, or expungement of, felony convictions after a relatively short period of time?Tell that to your Congressman and see how much support you get.Shorter sentences?Try to run on that platform and get 25% of the vote. President Obama, once an articulate critique of our incarceration/felonization policy, has done virtually nothing about this issue except reduce sentences for crack cocaine -- naturally enough, he wants to be relected.Alexander knows most or all of this.Her solution -- grassroots activism in pursuit of the new civil rights -- has the air of hopelessness about it.But at present, it is worth asking, what does not?

AND the USA is "post" racial??? NOT!!!
This was so disturbing, that I cannot do anything to help a young man who has been in jail for 2 months due to traffic violations--NO drugs, DUIs, etc.Now, I see.At this point, I am too upset to write a review!

Eye Opener
I pride myself on being informed about social issues, especially involving race. I teach college courses on race and culture. So I did not expect to learn much new from Michelle Alexander's book. However, I have to say I was quite surprised. Her thoughtful, persuasive and beautifully (and compassionately) written book proved to be an eye opener for me. We all know about sentencing disparities re cocaine vs. crack. However, Alexander's multi-layered, well documented book goes way beyond this issue, showing conclusively that beginning with the so-called "war on drugs," every aspect of the criminal justice system has been organized to construct a truly new kind of Jim Crow society. If you think this is simply a new conspiracy theory, I challenge you to read this excellent book, which I recommend to anyone who cares about social justice.

Deserves Wide Readership and acclaim, but...
For an enfranchised academic, this is a strong-minded and passionate book. Ms. Alexanders' points in "the New Jim Crow" are going to set the terms of the debate on the side of social justice for quite awhile, and sheis resolute in not taking any easy way out in her analysis.
The social criticism is tough and scrupulous, and should be understood by anyone with a conscience. However, Ms. Alexander writes at times with one hand writing against herself. On page 171, she resorts to the kind of egregious religious individualist nonsense peddled on our campuses and pulpits. She writes of the alleged "free will" and need for "personal responsibility" of black youth, saying humans are "not animals"and have a "higher self" that can reach "transcendence." Why are otherwise smart authors capable of such dumb persiflage? Why has sociology become so ignored by American professors,where otherwise sympathetic social critics make such dunderheaded basic mistakes?
Of course we are animals, completely within nature. Social reality happens in the aggregate, where social forces produce general effects. As she herself says, black exceptionalism is a malevolent myth, where the accomplishments of a lucky few are supposed to cancel the far greater tragedy of entrenched and enforced social conditions that cause such widespread, but of course not universal, misery. This should be Sociology 101, but for some reason, no American professor seems to have the slightest understanding of that subject.
This basic mistake from Ms. Alexander must be related to her devotion to the Martin Luther King mythos. MLK was a conservative preacher who talked of "revolution" in a time when even fascist Republicans like Nixon bent that way. MLK left behind an SCLC that became another conservative religious marketing scheme, now faded from view. MLK was not a social reformer with a track record of accomplishments, but a religious preacher/sppechmaker who was influenced by times that are forever gone,and would have had absolutely no effect upon the tragedy that Ms. Alexander so vividly documents, that of "mass incarceration."
The

What Fear Has Wrought
When a majority fears a minority, the potential for cruel injustice is unlimited, and this injustice is what Alexander details so clearly and succinctly in her book. What she uniquely adds to the discussion of the unjust imprisonment of black boys and men for minor crimes is her description of the "virtual incarceration" that awaits these individuals on their release from prison. They are denied to right to vote, to work, to own a home, and suffer from depression, rage, hopelessness, and shame. A strong call to action to change our justice system. ... Read more

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Kimberly Alyn teams up with fourteen other contributors (like former Secretary of State General Alexander Haig Jr. and Jim Rohn) to share some illuminating insights on success principles. You'll find out if Alexander Haig Jr. thinks people are born hardwired to be good leaders or if it can be a learned skill. Kimberly Alyn shares her amazing story of living in childhood poverty and dysfunction. Today, she's a best-selling author and professional speaker. Jim Rohn shares his views on how character applies to personal development and success. ... Read more

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Dakar was a brilliant young commander in the Army of King Darius of Persia until his defeat at the River Granicus by Alexander The Great in 334 B.C. During the battle, Dakar lost an arm and with it a large gold ring in the shape of a lions head with diamonds set in its eyes. The ring was later claimed by Alexander as a prize of the battle. Alexander wore the ring proudly unaware of its evil curse and the eventual self distruction it would bring to its new owner. Dakar survived his wounds and set out to reclaim his ring, vowing not to rest until it was returned to him and he was avenged for his defeat at the river. He kept his word following the ring from battlefield to battlefield for 2000 years. In 1994 an American found a strange gold ring in a shop in an ancient city on the Rhine River in Germany. This ring changed his life forever. ... Read more

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Presented for the first time in North America: two amazing tales by some of Europe's top creators, starring the world's most popular super heroes! ... Read more

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Chapters: Alexander Fleming, David Bruce, Jim Dobbin, John Peebles Arbuthnott. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 29. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Sir Alexander Fleming (6 August 1881 11 March 1955) was a Scottish biologist and pharmacologist. Fleming published many articles on bacteriology, immunology and chemotherapy. His best-known achievements are the discovery of the enzyme lysozyme in 1923 and the antibiotic substance penicillin from the fungus Penicillium notatum in 1928, for which he shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1945 with Howard Walter Florey and Ernst Boris Chain. In 1999, Time Magazine named Fleming one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century for his discovery of penicillin, and stated; "It was a discovery that would change the course of history. The active ingredient in that mold, which Fleming named penicillin, turned out to be an infection-fighting agent of enormous potency. When it was finally recognized for what it wasthe most efficacious life-saving drug in the worldpenicillin would alter forever the treatment of bacterial infections. By the middle of the century, Fleming's discovery had spawned a huge pharmaceutical industry, churning out synthetic penicillins that would conquer some of mankind's most ancient scourges, including syphilis, gangrene and tuberculosis". St. Mary's Hospital, Paddington, London.Fleming was born on 6 August 1881 at Lochfield, a farm near Darvel in East Ayrshire, Scotland. He was the third of the four children of Hugh Fleming (18161888) from his second marriage to Grace Stirling Morton (18481928), the daughter of a neighbouring farmer. Hugh Fleming had four surviving children from his first marriage. He was 59 at the time of his second marriage, and died when Alexander (known as Alec) was seven. Fleming ...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=1937 ... Read more

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Perhaps more than any other war in the twentieth century, the Spanish Civil War was seen as a 'writers' war' - names such as Hemingway and Orwell spring to mind. But the women who went to Spain and wrote about it have often been forgotten. This anthology is part of efforts to redress the balance. It includes writing by women from Britain, the United States, Australia and New Zealand - and from unsung nurses and relief workers as well as internationally celebrated writers. Bringing together extracts from memoirs, letters, diaries and poems, this collection provides a moving overview of the Spanish Civil War from the perspective of women participants. Contributors include Emma Goldman, Lillian Hellman, Jessica Mitford and Sylvia Townsend Warner. ... Read more