ABOLITION LABOR listed on the Year in Books list

"If you, like me, wondered how voters this election could have rejected California’s Prop 6—a ballot measure to end forced prison labor that supporters dubbed the “End Slavery” act—Abolition Labor is for you. But more, this rich account of the origins and evolution of prison slavery, and the ongoing fight to “end the exception” to the Thirteenth Amendment, is for anyone who cares about prison conditions, labor rights, and what it means to participate in a capitalist economy facilitated by the labor of people in cages. In reading it, I was most struck by the interviews with currently and formerly incarcerated workers. Andrew Ross, Tommaso Bardelli, and Aiyuba Thomas weave vivid stories from these workers throughout the book—like Donna, whom Texas forced to pull weeds in the 104-degree heat while on her period with no bathroom access. These compelling stories helped me ground my understanding of prison slavery in the violent realities experienced by those inside. This book will tune you in to legislative and other campaigns around the country pushing to change these realities and avoid the same fate as California’s."

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