Customer Reviews

No More Prisons

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

The book takes a look at many themes and topics -- urban life, self-schooling, hip-hop activism and leadership, the cool rich kids movement and grassroots philanthropy, a hitchhiker's approach to community organizing. Any one could have been expanded in to a book of its own. As a followup to Bomb the Suburbs, No More Prisons is less focused and much delayed (Some of the writing inside dates back to '95, if not sooner.) but still an inspirational and instructive read. And despite the book's wide range of topics, the fact that Upski so firmly espouses the philanthropic tip is a beautiful and encouraging thing. Makes me think I'm not doing enough... for enough people... in enough places. Another reviewer has it totally right: No More Prisons is the kind of book that you keep buying and handing off to friends, family, and other people you want to turn on. There are few books that I buy multiple copies of at the same time. This is one of them.

After reading about 1/4 of this book, I just couldn't put it down and finished the rest in one sitting. It's that amazing. Don't be fooled by the title, this book has very little about actual prisons. In fact only the first 12 pages or so are about actual prisons, the rest of the book uses the metaphor of a prison to show how society largely traps us.

The section on homeschooling is amazing. Prior to reading this book I had always just thought of school as the only path for a kid. I didn't even know that it was possible to go to college without going to either a public or private high school (although, now that I think about it it does seem that the kids who win the national spelling bee each year are usually homeschooled). And there are numerous other topics covered in this book.

This book is a hip hop book, but I feel this really needs clarification. Hip hop is one of the most misunderstood concepts in recent time. Hip hop is not about making money, it is about universal brotherhood (and is in many ways similiar to zen buddhism). There is a fundamental difference between hip hop and rap. Rap is what most people think of when they think of hip hop, which is a shame because people like Puff Daddy have nothing in common with hip hop (people like Afrika Bambaata).

Oh well, enough with my rant about hip hop. If you live in an urban center this should be required reading. If you believe that there is nothing you can really do to make a difference for the better, read this book and see if you still feel the same way.

Highly recommended.

Half-way through this book, I realized I had to call the publisher and buy 100 copies and go sell them on the streetcorner. Much more coherently organized and presented, and more eloquently written, than Bomb the Suburbs. Upski is the Obi Wan Kanobi of the underground/punk/hip-hop writing scene. Not just a lot of information and good stories, but inspiration and numbers and websites and addresses and names of books that you need to do all the stuff you'll want to do after you read this. Don't resist the force... run to your local independent bookstore and pick up a copy now.

If you really care about the issues presented in this book, you'd better educate yourself with more in-depth books exploring them. I enjoyed the book and am very glad that it exists. My only misgiving is that it isn't nearly complete in it's arguments. Don't go fighting with someone that knows much more about the topics than you do after you read it. Especially regarding Home schooling, his arguments just don't stand up against my teacher parents, and several friends. That being said, the book is truly inspirational and completely worthy of a read, if only to help spawn your own ideas and get yourself excited about things.

This book is not "for hippie-rich-white people" as other reviewers might have you believe, although it does speak mainly on how the rich can use their resources to help improve society. It has a different focus than Bomb The Suburbs, which is also a great book, as it is has less focus on "what's wrong" and more on "what can be done". Very interesting, and highly recommended.

I'm sure there's a whole flock of teenagers making this book their Bible. Wimsatt has that "edge" people my age love, with chapters talking about self-schooling, challenging others, and making goals for yourself. Some of his writing is actually pretty inspriring stuff. I'm particularly fond of his 19-step self-schooling process, which works as good ground-rules for anybody, out of college or not. However, most of the chapters are sloppily written and seem to lack authority at times (although this could just be the author's style). Overall, a good place to start if you care about inner-city issues.

The previously posted reviews cover the book pretty well, so I'll keep this short. It's totally inspirational - my mind kept flooding with ideas with each section. I want to give a copy to every kid I know. It should be in every public library, but it won't be anytime soon. Of course, most libraries will add a book to their collection if you request it - or better yet, buy an extra copy and donate it to a library or organization.

...about his wealth. He was "upper middle-class" in Bomb the Suburbs, but now he admits to being filthy rich as he stands to inherit a large family fortune. I knew he had to be rich cuz your average blue-collar, working class white person does not share his guilty conscience about slavery or black plight. Rich whites really shouldn't attempt to be the spokespeople for the majority of whites any more than they should try to speak for all blacks. It's a totally different mindset. Reading the self-appointed spokesperson for the white race proclaim "my entire race owes black people 96% of all our life energy and money and we'd be lucky still if they forgave us and didn't kill us Colin Ferguson style" was enough to make milk pour out my nose.

Aside from that though this book is excellent and I didn't notice too much white (rich?) guilt as I noticed in the first book. On every page of this book Upski seems to be laying down some detailed strategy on how to fight back against this wicked system. I was very impressed with his second effort and I wish him well and hope people take him, and his causes seriously. He appears to be a born leader who deserves people's backing. Go Upski!

Wimsatt does it again. No More Prisons, is an exquisitely crafted romp through America's new subcultures of resistance. I read if for the prison part but inevitably got pulled into the rest. Very well done.

i'm not going to say it's a "must read," but anyone with a social conscience (and i realize this probably excludes 90% of America) should have this on his or her reading list. basically a collection of essays on various subjects, the author confronts these subjects (for the most part) in a positive, thought-provoking, unique and meaningful way. and i say "for the most part" and "should read" primarily because i do think he tends to get a bit caught up in himself, so that at times he wears his own ego (and insecurities) on his sleeve (although it is perhaps a well-deserved ego for the work he has done); and while at some times his writing is both humorous and brilliant, at others it can also be a bit shallow and predictable. how's that for fair and balanced?!