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Nobody: Casualties Of America's War On The Vulnerable, From Ferguson To Flint And Beyond

A New York Times bestseller “[Nobody] examines the interlocking mechanisms that systematically disadvantage 'those marked as poor, black, brown, immigrant, queer, or trans'—those, in Hill’s words, who are Nobodies....A worthy and necessary addition to the contemporary canon of civil rights literature.” —New York Times “An impassioned analysis of headline-making cases….Timely, controversial, and bound to stir already heated discussion.” —Kirkus Reviews “A thought-provoking and important analysis of oppression, recommended for those seeking clarity on current events.” —Library Journal Unarmed citizens shot by police. Drinking water turned to poison. Mass incarcerations. We’ve heard the individual stories. Now a leading public intellectual and acclaimed journalist offers a powerful, paradigm-shifting analysis of America’s current state of emergency, finding in these events a larger and more troubling truth about race, class, and what it means to be “Nobody.”Protests in Ferguson, Missouri and across the United States following the death of Michael Brown revealed something far deeper than a passionate display of age-old racial frustrations. They unveiled a public chasm that has been growing for years, as America has consistently and intentionally denied significant segments of its population access to full freedom and prosperity. In Nobody, scholar and journalist Marc Lamont Hill presents a powerful and thought-provoking analysis of race and class by examining a growing crisis in America: the existence of a group of citizens who are made vulnerable, exploitable and disposable through the machinery of unregulated capitalism, public policy, and social practice. These are the people considered “Nobody” in contemporary America. Through on-the-ground reporting and careful research, Hill shows how this Nobody class has emerged over time and how forces in America have worked to preserve and exploit it in ways that are both humiliating and harmful. To make his case, Hill carefully reconsiders the details of tragic events like the deaths of Michael Brown, Sandra Bland, and Freddie Gray, and the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. He delves deeply into a host of alarming trends including mass incarceration, overly aggressive policing, broken court systems, shrinking job markets, and the privatization of public resources, showing time and time again the ways the current system is designed to worsen the plight of the vulnerable. Timely and eloquent, Nobody is a keen observation of the challenges and contradictions of American democracy, a must-read for anyone wanting to better understand the race and class issues that continue to leave their mark on our country today.

Hardcover: 272 pages

Publisher: Atria Books (July 26, 2016)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1501124943

ISBN-13: 978-1501124945

Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.8 x 9 inches

Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #1,238 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #1 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > Public Affairs & Policy > Social Policy #3 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Social Sciences > Specific Demographics > Minority Studies #7 in Books > History > Americas > United States > African Americans > Discrimination & Racism

I have read quite a few books over the past few years dealing with police brutality, systemic racism, and general inequalities and some of them have been fluff pieces and others were groundbreaking in the material they presented so I was not sure what I was getting into when I started reading Nobody. The topics range from the killing of unarmed black men, to the water crisis in Flint, to the most bone chilling concept of feeling like a "nobody" in a place that is supposed to be your home. This book not only digs deep into the longstanding societal and procedural issues behind recent police shootings but it also perfectly captures the emotions that many African-Americans felt each time we heard of someone dying. But there were many who said, "There is no way that a police officer would ever shoot somebody in the back six, seven or eight times." But like Thomas, when we were able to see the video, and we were able to see the gun shots, and when we saw him fall to the ground, and when we saw the police officer come and handcuff him on the ground, without even trying to resuscitate him, without even seeing if he was really alive, without calling an ambulance, without calling for help, and to see him die face down in the ground as if he were gunned down like game, I believe we all were like Thomas, and said, "I believe."Marc has been one of my most favorite journalists to watch on television, but I now have a new found respect for him after reading this book. If you are looking for a book that includes thought-provoking analysis into how we got to this point in our country then this is the book for you. Nobody is painful, exhausting, and yet quite brilliant.

Marc Lamont Hill presents a lot of statistics and data along with copious notes to posit that Black people, by and large represent the collective Nobody. He uses the recent killings of African-Americans at the hands of the police to explore the policies and practices that have created and sustain this environment that allows for deadly force by paid officers when confronting the Black citizens of America. The book reads like a recent recap of the more prominent cases of police misconduct and brutality.With the publication of this book, Marc seems to be announcing his coming out and claiming space as a public intellectual to be taken serious. The book is only 184 pages but serves as an adequate volley to staking his standing in that influential space.The first chapter deals with the Ferguson, MO and the murder of Michael Brown, with a history of Ferguson and how given that history, the events leading to the murder of Brown can only be considered an inevitable clash. Chapter two takes us to Baltimore, MD and the Freddie Gray case, with a brief look into the Sandra Bland traffic stop, that ultimately led to the loss of her life. Ms. Bland ending up in jail behind a failure to signal a lane change, still baffles the rational mind.So with each chapter, he uses a recent case to highlight the particular subject he wants to explore. For example chapter four entitled Armed, uses the Jordan Davis murder and the tragic Trayvon Martin assassination to talk about the proliferation of guns in the society and the lack of sensible gun laws. Funny, how in the lates sixties when Black groups were talking about arming themselves to combat police abuse, the conservatives and the NRA would have none of it.

Nobody: Casualties of America's War on the Vulnerable, from Ferguson to Flint and Beyond Needless Casualties of War The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Weaponry: From Flint Axes to Automatic Weapons At Risk in America: The Health and Health Care Needs of Vulnerable Populations in the United States The Poverty Industry: The Exploitation of America's Most Vulnerable Citizens (Families, Law, and Society) Medical Management of Vulnerable and Underserved Patients: Principles, Practice and Populations Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead The Happiness Dare: Pursuing Your Heart's Deepest, Holiest, and Most Vulnerable Desire Future Crimes: Everything Is Connected, Everyone Is Vulnerable and What We Can Do About It Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement Painting For Peace in Ferguson Althea Gibson: Tennis Player (Ferguson Career Biographies) Bill Gates (Ferguson Career Biographies) Chris "Jesus" Ferguson (Superstars of Poker: Texas Hold'em) Alex Ferguson: My Biography Alex Ferguson: My Autobiography Nobody Told Me: My Battle with Postpartum Depression and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder What If Nobody Forgave and Other Stories Nobody's Home: Candid Reflections of a Nursing Home Aide (Culture and Politics of Health Care Work) Nobody Knows Anything: Investing Basics Learn to Ignore the Experts, the Gurus and other Fools