Abolitionist Intimacies

It's not often that I come across a book I wish I didn't have to articulate my feelings about and in this particular instance I really wish I didn't have to be the first to review it here because I feel that my review cannot possibly do any justice to this book. I've read 160 books this year and there hasn't been one I felt the urge to go out and get a physical copy of until this one, this is how strongly I feel about it. Alas, I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley and Fernwood Publishing so review it I will!

On a technical level this book isn't a 101 on abolitionist thought nor a plea for people to adopt abolitionist mindset and practices, so I wouldn't recommend it to someone who is just discovering the idea of abolitionism. I would, however, highly recommend this book to people who struggle to put words on concepts they intuit regarding forced proximity/contact (intimacy) and the inherent violence of it (if you're the same brand of neurodivergent I am you might find it especially cathartic to have someone validate what you feel on the topic in words that just make sense) and people who have given some thought to concepts of forced intimacy and are looking to for another angle on them.
El makes a bounty of valuable points regarding the carcerality of Canadian society, we like to see ourselves as the good ones but she really doesn't let us get away with it, there's no room for the Canadian brand of exceptionalism here (don't get me wrong though the lense proposed is NOT limited to Canada in its applicability or even specific to Canada). While the approach is thorough the language and rhythm with chapters flowing into one another in a very organic way make the book uniquely approachable and easy to read.

The most powerful poetry I've ever read, which itself is actually just part of this incredible collection of essays, written by an advocate and activist for prison abolition, reflecting on helping prisoners and their support networks, on the work of being an abolitionist, on interactions with prisoners, with those who face deportation, on racism and misogyny, faced herself as a Black woman, but also how the criminal justice system in Canada, how prisons, perpetuate racism against Black and Indigenous people, and misogyny against women prisoners. Such hope and resilience in the face of such heart break, such clear-eyed detailing of the extant research that proves exactly how much is wrong and needs to change, such compassion, the reaffirmation of the power of true care. I cannot express how grateful I am for this book's existence, and for my library making it available to my community. 
⚠️abuse, SA, miscarriage, racism, misogyny