PositiveThe Washington PostJoseph’s consistent focus on racial inequities hidden in plain sight makes this book searingly relevant ... Joseph ably traces the through-lines that connect these three eras. This is especially pronounced in his account of the Jan. 6 insurrection ... Like a therapist, Joseph is trying to reveal our past to help us explain our present national situation. He is trying to remake the story that we have internalized about ourselves — how we have behaved, how we have atoned, what we can learn and what steps we should take next. If we instead rely on true, nuanced stories that will allow us to confront harm with deeper understanding, we will take more thoughtful action and produce more just outcomes ... Joseph tries to narrate our history as we live it, the better to understand the choices we make even as we make them.
Kristin Henning
RaveThe Washington PostA professor on Georgetown’s law faculty, she offers the rare and trenchant perspective that deep study of legal theory and deep respect for real-world practice can bring ... Henning’s deep expertise provides the foundations for the book’s most compelling strengths. First, it is comprehensive. Using high-profile cases, interdisciplinary research and her own experience, Henning provides a complete account of how the criminal legal system circumscribes every part of Black children’s lives ... Second, it is meticulously researched. It is an exhaustively supported compendium of evidence about Black children’s experiences on their way to, inside and on their way out of the criminal legal system. Third, it is clear, written in language accessible to lawyers and laypeople alike. Most important, the book ends with a call to action, articulating realistic reforms that are within reach, right now ... With its comprehensive and careful mapping of all the ways Black children are socialized to expect subjugation, The Rage of Innocence sets up the same dichotomy: It offers both a tribute to the humanity of Black children and a searing portrait of what we lose every time we shuttle another Black child into the pipeline.
