When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and asha bandele is a memoir of Khan-Cullors' life and how her personal experiences with people she loves in the prison system, including her biological father and brother, led her to co-create the Black Lives Matter movement. The balance between personal anecdotes and critiques of the prison system is incredibly well-done. Memoirs are one of my favorite genres to read, and I had this particular one on my shelf for almost two years and decided to finally pick it up and read it.
I learned a lot about the prison system through this book, which was something I wasn't expecting. Khan-Cullors' brother is disabled, and seeing how the prison he was in in California did not help him or medicate him properly was jarring to read. I knew that a prison sentence is compared to, and essentially is, modern slavery. The prison system in the United States is closely tied to the disenfranchisement of Black Americans, and while I knew this prior to reading, the extent of it was something I didn't know.
Khan-Cullors is also queer, and I thought the intersection of Blackness and queerness in this book was incredibly evident. The fear that Khan-Cullors has, wondering if they'll be arrested or what could happen to them or their family because of the color of their skin or their sexuality, is extremely heavy. I'm lucky that I've never had to experience that, but reading it written in such an eloquent and vivid style makes you genuinely feel brokenhearted at how much this country has failed Black people.
One of the minor critiques I have of this book is that some details regarding prison systems in general are repeated a lot and tend to get pretty repetitive. However, I understand this is probably done for emphasis and ensuring the reader takes that information, as well as the author's story, away from the book to understand why Black Lives Matter. This memoir, published in 2020, is still incredibly timely, and I think you should add it to your TBR for Black History Month if you're looking for something a bit different. I would also urge you to read this book at any time of the year because Black books should be read all year round, not just during Black History Month.
Have you read When They Call You A Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir? Let me know your thoughts below!
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