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  • 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 (12,786 ratings)

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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

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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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Long but worthwhile

So much information, so hard to hear, so important. Must read even 10 years later.

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Powerful and Insightful!!

Incredible book to listen to and a lot of insightful historical information to draw upon when the author makes her points and statements.

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Dated but very interesting

This book discusses mass incarceration and how felons are treated like second class citizens. It explains how the drug war targeted black communities over white middle class areas.

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Enlightening and infuriating

This book explains in detail, and with many strong examples how the war on drugs, mass incarceration, and the American legal justice system in general are racially charged and extremely biased against people of color specifically. The author also addresses many of the common arguments against these claims. I've always known that the United States still faces large hurdles in trying to overcome racial inequity, but I had no idea how completely our legal system supports it. I can't recommend this book enough. Read it or listen to it, just educate yourself.

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Deep & extremely informative!

Everyone should own a copy of this wonderful book as a reference guide to those conversations we've all had about the state of racism in America and all of its effects on our people and the damage its caused to our potential and growth as a community.

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A troubling reality but a very informative read

An book that explores the reality of the The Black-White Dichotomy and the racial disparity for incarceration. While I see other argues it is “repetitive” I can argue that it shows that the racial issue presented are constantly being revived in a vicious cycle, as it is literally stated in the book.

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excellent

This book was excellent advisory every African-American man to read this book. we need to end the drug war

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Incredible

The New Jim Crow is an incredible book that changes my life and corrected so many lies I was taught as a boy and as a black man. This book should be used by every Black family to teach the power and resilience that has been passed on by our ancestors. We owe it to them to educate each other with truth. My view of the world will never be the same and that’s a positive. I will continue to share this gem throughout my network and
Keep encouraging my brothers and sisters to learn the truth for themselves as opposed to believing fake news and lies.

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Still relevant in 2023

This is an eloquent and enlightening explanation of continuing discrimination against poor black communities, as well as white ones. it connects mass discriminatory laws, constitutional rulings, and policies with the unjust and lifelong controls that keep people of color - and all the poor - from achieving greater wealth and status in our country. I
In addition, the author sheds eye-opening light on some of the programs and leaders which have hurt the black community rather than helped it. A great read.

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Mixed Emotions

This piece is very well written. However, I feel that Black men need to take more responsibility for their actions.

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