On the Run: Fugitive Life in an American City
- ISBN-10
- 1250065674
- ISBN-13
- 9781250065674
- Series
- On the Run
- Category
- Social Science
- Pages
- 304
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2015-04-07
- Publisher
- Picador
- Author
- Alice Goffman
Description
A RIVETING, GROUNDBREAKING ACCOUNT OF HOW THE WAR ON CRIME HAS TORN APART INNER-CITY COMMUNITIES Forty years in, the tough on crime turn in American politics has spurred a prison boom of historic proportions that disproportionately affects Black communities. It has also torn at the lives of those on the outside. As arrest quotas and high tech surveillance criminalize entire blocks, a climate of fear and suspicion pervades daily life, not only for young men entangled in the legal system, but for their family members and working neighbors. Alice Goffman spent six years in one Philadelphia neighborhood, documenting the routine stops, searches, raids, and beatings that young men navigate as they come of age. In the course of her research, she became roommates with Mike and Chuck, two friends trying to make ends meet between low wage jobs and the drug trade. Like many in the neighborhood, Mike and Chuck were caught up in a cycle of court cases, probation sentences, and low level warrants, with no clear way out. We observe their girlfriends and mothers enduring raids and interrogations, "clean" residents struggling to go to school and work every day as the cops chase down neighbors in the streets, and others eking out a living by providing clean urine, fake documents, and off the books medical care. This fugitive world is the hidden counterpoint to mass incarceration, the grim underside of our nation's social experiment in punishing Black men and their families. While recognizing the drug trade's damage, On The Run reveals a justice system gone awry: it is an exemplary work of scholarship highlighting the failures of the War on Crime, and a compassionate chronicle of the families caught in the midst of it. "A remarkable feat of reporting . . . The level of detail in this book and Goffman's ability to understand her subjects' motivations are astonishing—and riveting."—The New York Times Book Review
Get the book
Other editions
Similar books
-
Run: Book One
By John Lewis, Andrew AydinFANNIE LOU HAMER (1917–1977) was raised in Sunflower County, Mississippi. Hamer dropped out of school at age twelve to work in the fields picking cotton. In 1961, Hamer was forcibly sterilized when she went to a Sunflower County ...
-
The Run
By BarrouxThe very same creatures are outside, lined up to use the toilet! This story within a story is sure to have kids giggling with its “potty” humor and shenanigans.
-
On the Run #2: The Fugitive Factor
By Gordon KormanAiden and Meg Falconer are now celebrities ... for all the wrong reasons.
-
On the Run
By Clara BourreauFourth-grader Anthony has always been told that his father is traveling, so when he finds out that he is in jail awaiting trial, Anthony is upset and confused--but when his father escapes and takes Anthony with him, life becomes really ...
-
On the Run
By Tristan BancksBen has always wanted to be a cop, so he's intrigued when police officers show up at the door, asking for his parents.
-
Reborn on the Run: My Journey from Addiction to Ultramarathons
By Catra Corbett"This is a story you’ll love and never forget."—Christopher McDougall, author, Born to Run and Natural Born Heroes Aside from her rock star looks, Catra Corbett is a standout in the running world on her accomplishments alone.
-
Ryan Kaine: on the Run
By Kerry DonovanA passenger plane explodes.
-
The Run
By Savannah ResslerOne day, a group of kids, Skylar, Eureka, and Kai, escape from the wicked P.A.C.K. As they escape, an unwanted member joins them as they run and fight for their lives. Can they make it out alive? Will they ever be safe?
-
My Life on the Run: The Wit, Wisdom, and Insights of a Road Racing Icon
By Bart Yasso, Kathleen ParrishWith My Life on the Run, Bart Yasso--an icon of one of the most enduringly popular recreational sports in the United States--offers a touching and humorous memoir about the rewards and challenges of running.
-
Sheep on the Run!
By Alice HemmingMeet Lee, Farmer Green, and all of his sheep! In this fun story, young readers will hone their reading skills with the help of colorful illustrations and engaging text.