• The New Jim Crow

  • Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, 10th Anniversary Edition
  • By: Michelle Alexander
  • Narrated by: Karen Chilton
  • Length: 16 hrs and 57 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (12,722 ratings)

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The New Jim Crow  By  cover art

The New Jim Crow

By: Michelle Alexander
Narrated by: Karen Chilton
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Publisher's summary

Seldom does a book have the impact of Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow. Since it was first published in 2010, it has been cited in judicial decisions and has been adopted in campus-wide and community-wide reads; it helped inspire the creation of the Marshall Project and the new $100 million Art for Justice Fund; it has been the winner of numerous prizes, including the prestigious NAACP Image Award; and it has spent nearly 250 weeks on the New York Times best seller list.

Most important of all, it has spawned a whole generation of criminal justice reform activists and organizations motivated by Michelle Alexander’s unforgettable argument that “we have not ended racial caste in America; we have merely redesigned it”. As the Birmingham News proclaimed, it is “undoubtedly the most important book published in this century about the U.S.”

Now, 10 years after it was first published, The New Press is proud to issue a 10th-anniversary edition with a new preface by Michelle Alexander that discusses the impact the book has had and the state of the criminal justice reform movement today.

©2010, 2012, 2020 Michelle Alexander (P)2012, 2020 Recorded Books

Featured Article: The Best Black Audiobook Narrators to Listen to Right Now


A skilled performer has the ability to take the written word to new heights, infusing an author’s work with empathy, warmth, and excitement. And representation matters just as much for audio as it does for any visual medium: listeners should feel and hear themselves in art driven by powerful performers and authentic deliveries. We’ve gathered a few of the best Black audiobook narrators in the business and their can't-miss performances.

Editor's Pick

Shedding light on a mass injustice
"I’m known as a bit of a true crime junkie around the office, and I can talk your ear off about how ethically executed content is the future of the genre. But there are bigger fish to fry than just salacious stories about serial killers and cults—like how the US criminal justice system has come to replace segregation as a large-scale tool of racial oppression. Civil rights lawyer Michelle Alexander’s extensively researched, groundbreaking work on mass incarceration is a must-listen for anyone interested in the hot topic of criminal justice reform, and the myriad racial and ethical issues surrounding it."
Kat J., Audible Editor

What listeners say about The New Jim Crow

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A must read!!

This book is crucial for understanding the world we live in and lays an important foundation for the activism that is needed.

It should be required reading for everyone in the US.

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Very informative!

A breakdown of the social injustice that takes place everyday while the masses stand idle.

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The Truth is Hard to Ignore

Would you listen to The New Jim Crow again? Why?

Regardless of you political views or race, this is an important perspective of the history of incarceration in our country.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The New Jim Crow?

The data.

What three words best describe Karen Chilton’s performance?

Yes, and SHE achieves this by walking you thru the historical context of the issue and how it is a systemic issue.

Any additional comments?

It is unfortunate that the audible chapters do not match up with the book chapters making it hard to utilize this version as a tool with the hard copy.

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A must read!

This book is just 100% truth. Anyone serious in a real conversation about race in America must read this!

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Wow! what a powerful book and deep dive to Truth


Wow! what a powerful book and deep dive to Truth! I absolutely was engaged and moved by this published promise.

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Eye Opening

Very informative from perspectives that I had not seen before. A little too repetitive at times but important insights that we need to work together to change.

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Awesome

A real eye and soul opening book. A lot of what goes on we are oblivious to. The financial and law enforcement incentives to allow disparate treatment of people of color is frightening and daunting

Should be a staple for everyone , every school, every politician , and everyone in law enforcement

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Every empatjetic American needs to read!

few books have been this powerful snd capamle of educating an changing minds and hearts

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Beautifully written and beautifully read

As Michelle Alexander states in the very beginning, “This book is not for everyone”. But... it should be! It may bring tears. It may bring anger, and it will certainly evoke shame, but I dare you to read it’s truth anyway. Everyone must know this truth!

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life altering book

life altering. loved it. and now i'll read it again, and recommend it to everyone i know...

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