N*gga Theory (SAMPLER)
Race, Language, Unequal Justice, and the Law
by Jody Armour
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Pub Date 18 Aug 2020 | Archive Date 29 Sep 2020
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Description
America’s criminal justice system is among the deadliest and most racist in the world and it disproportionally targets Black Americans, who are also disproportionately poor, hungry, houseless, jobless, sick, and poorly educated. By every metric of misery, this nation does not act like Black Lives Matter.
In order to break out of the trap of racialized mass incarceration and relentless racial oppression, we, as a society, need to rethink our basic assumptions about blame and punishment, words and symbols, social perceptions and judgements, morality, politics, and the power of the performing arts.
N*gga Theory interrogates conventional assumptions and frames a transformational new way of thinking about law, language, moral judgements, politics, and transgressive art—especially profane genres like gangsta rap—and exposes where racial bias lives in the administration of justice and everyday life.
Professor Jody Armour (Negrophobia and Reasonable Racism) calls for bold action: electing progressive prosecutors, defunding or dismantling the police, abolition of the prison industrial complex. But only after eradicating the anti-black bias buried in the hearts and minds of millions of Americans and baked into our legal system will we be able to say that Black Lives Matter in America.
Advance Praise
“An explosive analysis of language and law…Jody Armour maps out a new form of solidarity”—Dr. Steven W. Thrasher, Daniel H. Renberg Chair of Social Justice in Reporting and Assistant Professor of Journalism
“This book is revolutionary.”—Matt Ferner, Editor-in-Chief at The Appeal
“A battle cry to unite African Americans divided by class”—Lara Bazelon, Professor of Law and Director of the Criminal Juvenile Justice Clinic and The Racial Justice Clinic
“I applaud Jody’ Armour's heroism and bravery for illuminating the entrenched failures of the criminal justice system and its disproportionate impact on Black and Brown communities.”—Marilyn J. Mosby, Baltimore City State's Attorney
“After three decades of judging, I’m ready to go back to law school and take Professor Armour’s classes.”
— Justice Emily Jane Goodman, New York State Supreme Court (Ret.)
“A powerful exploration of race, class and justice, particularly criminal justice, in today’s America”—James F. McHugh, Former Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Appeals Court
“A call to uplift the human dignity of the individual”—Dan Satterberg, King County Prosecuting Attorney
“A confirmation and a revelation. N*gga Theory is a masterpiece.”—Kate Chatfield, Senior Advisor for Legislation and Policy at The Justice Collaborative
“Critical and timely work”—Miriam Aroni Krinsky, Founder and Executive Director of Fair and Just Prosecution
“N*gga Theory is a provocation, a poem, a lyric urging racial solidarity with everybody caged in the American penal state.”—Professor Aya Gruber, author of The Feminist War on Crime
“A powerful call for solidarity with the most socially marginalized members of our society: violent African American criminals”—Eric J. Miller, Professor of Law and Leo J. O’Brien Fellow at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles
“A must-read for anyone interested in understanding and dismantling mass incarceration.”—Chesa Boudin, District Attorney of San Francisco
“N*gga Theory demands moral consistency that has been lacking in popular and academic narratives of mass incarceration.”—Abraham Gutman, Opinion Writer at The Philadelphia Inquirer
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 5AmPL3RJ0DYAR |
| PRICE | US$18.00 (USD) |
Links
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
V N, Reviewer
Very good sample. The sample did make me want to read the full book. Very interesting to read the author’s POV. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this sample, in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.
Wendy B, Librarian
As someone with an educational background in criminal justice, this book is very timely! These are things that are not generally talked about in this field, but should be. I enjoyed the candor and rawness of this book. It's something everyone in country needs to read right now.
Marion J, Reviewer
Questions: "Why must our children be perfect to live? Why do they have to pull up their pants, or get good grades, or be respectful, and have ambitions, to live? Why can't they be children who hop fences, cuss when they're out of their parents' earshot, smoke a little weed, hate math, have dangerous-joyful lives, make mistakes, and recover from them?" These questions and so many more are heartbreaking statements as they relate to African Americans or black people. We/they must go the extra mile and be 10x better, but that is still not good enough. It seems that we/they are only good enough if a white person deems you as “one of the good ones”.
Why is this so ingrained in our society? Jody Armour’s book is definitely must-read. Armour delves into stereotypes and the expectations of white society on black society. Explorations of race and culture are prominent along with a look at systemic racism and how mass incarceration is a part of the whole. This is a great read offering insight information into our current culture. I highly recommend this book. It is extremely informative and may help to provide a better understanding of culture and bias. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.
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