Nobody

Nobody Casualties of America's War on the Vulnerable, from Ferguson to Flint and Beyond

Named a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews A New York Times Editor’s Choice Nautilus Award Winner “A worthy and necessary addition to the contemporary canon of civil rights literature.” —The New York Times From one of the leading voices on civil rights in America, a thoughtful and urgent analysis of recent headline-making police brutality cases and the systems and policies that enabled them. In this “thought-provoking and important” (Library Journal) analysis of state-sanctioned violence, Marc Lamont Hill carefully considers a string of high-profile deaths in America—Sandra Bland, Freddie Gray, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, and others—and incidents of gross negligence by government, such as the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. He digs underneath these events to uncover patterns and policies of authority that allow some citizens become disempowered, disenfranchised, poor, uneducated, exploited, vulnerable, and disposable. To help us understand the plight of vulnerable communities, he examines the effects of unfettered capitalism, mass incarceration, and political power while urging us to consider a new world in which everyone has a chance to become somebody. Heralded as an essential text for our times, Marc Lamont Hill’s galvanizing work embodies the best traditions of scholarship, journalism, and storytelling to lift unheard voices and to address the necessary question, “how did we get here?"
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Reviews

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Ryan Mateyk@the_rybrary
5 stars
Jul 4, 2024

This was a fantastic look at the various systemic issues keeping historically troubled populations down: BIPOC, poor, LGBTQ. It examines police brutality, mass incarceration, “business-ification” of the government, among other issues, that continue the oppression against these groups.

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Haylie@its_hay
5 stars
Dec 28, 2022

This. Book. "Nobody" is one of the few books I've read that's been so recent, it was almost a refresher of what I'd already witnessed play out online and on television. To hear each of account in detail - the death of Michael Brown, Sandra Bland, Freddie Gray, and more - with a road map to trace back how these scenarios aren't just one-off occurrences was eye-opening. So much so, that I truly feel this book should be required reading from now on in schools because of how honest and straightforward it is about our current state as a country and how we got here. I've learned more from Marc Lamont Hill's in-depth analysis of "broken window policies", how the criminal justice system works, how the economy has taken such a disturbing turn, and more than I have EVER learned from ANY history class in high school (and I was in A.P. classes) and during my undergraduate. Everyone needs to read this book. It's so important. I assure you that you will feel as floored as I am at the whole system of this country and want to demand change as much as I do.

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Jen@fierycracker81
5 stars
Oct 20, 2022
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Mechelle@mechelle
4 stars
Aug 17, 2022
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Mallory Foutch@malloryfoutch
4 stars
Jan 17, 2022