Review - Abolition. Feminism. Now.

Title: Abolition. Feminism. Now.

Author: Angela Y. Davis, Gina Dent, Erica R. Meiners, Beth E. Richie

Rating: 5 stars / 5 stars

Favorite Quote: “As freedom is a constant struggle, abolition feminism has always been a politics – the refusal to consign humans and other beings to disposability – inseparable from practice.” Angela Y. Davis, et. al. Abolition. Feminism. Now., E-book, ed. Haymarket Books, 2021.

Review: Thank you to the publisher, Haymarket Books, and the Edelweiss platform, for the free e-ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Full disclosure. In my professional life (aka outside of my reading life), I am a public defender. And I’m a public defender who went to law school with the sole goal of becoming a public defender. I would not be a lawyer if I couldn’t be a public defender. Because indigent, client-centered, holistic defense is the only type of lawyering that makes some of the less-than-pleasant aspects of the legal field worth it to me. So that’s the lens through which I read this book.

I’ve been reading this book for a while. I read it in small portions because I wanted to give myself the full space necessary to digest the various lessons and ideas found in its pages. And, as anticipated, I am blown away.

Abolition. Feminism. Now. is a study in the overlapping abolitionist and feminist movements, ultimately concluding that they feed one another and must not only co-exist but must necessarily entwine for either to be successful. The book then goes on to examine historical and contemporary groups that forward the coexisting goals of abolition and feminism, and sprinkled throughout its pages are images - paintings, photographs, advertisements - that symbolize and embody the feminist/abolitionist movements discussed throughout.

Particularly well documented and explored is the way in which the criminalization of violence against and abuse towards women is itself a problem as it perpetuates cycles of incarceration and violence that often themselves harm women and other marginalized groups. The authors successfully argue, “[W]hile it is critical to hold those who use violence accountable, advocating for greater involvement by the criminal legal system is counterproductive at best, and can actually further endanger some survivors.” (Davis, et. al).

The book also successfully analyzes the structures of groups and organizations that embody the goals of abolition feminism (such as centering BIPOC voices sponsoring BIPOC attendance at conferences) as well as those that are less than successful (*cough* *cough* white feminism).

Honestly, I feel like I can’t adequately review this book because it is so full of ideas and history that, despite my slow and intentional reading of the book, I still haven’t fully processed. This is definitely a book I will read again and again, and will likely purchase a physical to annotate and maybe even keep in my office. Thank you to the authors for the work that was put into this book and for bringing it to the public. I plan to recommend to everyone that I can.

About that Quote: As I mentioned above, I’m a public defender. And this quote perfectly embodies the ideal version of our profession. The carceral system is built on the premise of stripping incarcerated folks of their individual identities and humanities. The work advocated for by this book is a challenge to that practice and a vision of a world where folks will no longer be crushed by the weight of State violence and carcerality.

Have you read Abolition. Feminism. Now.? Share your thoughts below!