Strategies and Stories from the Transformative Justice Movement
Paperback, 260 pages
Published Jan. 21, 2020 by AK Press.
Like this review which I just boosted, I found some really good stuff. In addition to the articles mentioned in the linked review, I thought chapter 27 (EXCERPT FROM “MOVING BEYOND CRITIQUE”) was good because it looked at how one TJ project worked from the inside, and highlighted how messy that project was structurally. A lot of the items got hand-wavery in their discussion of what the issues could be; that one was very specific.
This book is a collection of texts from and/or about the transformative justice movement. Some of the texts are recycled material from zines or guides. Some are very practical guides, some are theoretical reflections; some real-life testimonials, some interviews. Many of the texts are really excellent: special mention to "What to do when you've been abusive", "Facing shame" and "Pod-mapping", for especially moving and growing things in me. However, the book as a whole lacks a good throughline. There is some logic to the basic four-part structure that the texts were ordered in, but it still feels like an unsorted, random collection of material. The fact that the material itself contains some absolute diamonds doesn't completely redeem the lack of editorial effort.
On a personal level though, reading this was an enlightening and healing experience.
