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Title details for Rikers by Graham Rayman - Available

Rikers

An Oral History

by Graham Rayman
Reuven Blau
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE • A shocking, groundbreaking oral history of the infamous Rikers jail complex and an unflinching portrait of injustice and resilience told by the people whose lives have been forever altered by it
 
“This mesmerizing and gut-wrenching book shows the brutal realities that tens of thousands of people have been forced to navigate, and survive, in America’s most notorious jail.”—Piper Kerman, New York Times bestselling author of Orange is the New Black

A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
What happens when you pack almost a dozen jails, bulging at the seams with society’s cast-offs, onto a spit of landfill purposefully hidden from public view? Prize-winning journalists Graham Rayman and Reuven Blau have spent two years interviewing more than 130 people comprising a broad cross section of lives touched by New York City's Rikers Island prison complex—from incarcerated people and their relatives, to officers, lawyers, and commissioners, with stories spanning the 1970s to the present day. The portrait that emerges calls into question the very nature of justice in America.
 
Offering a 360-degree view inside the country’s largest detention complex, the deeply personal accounts—featured here for the first time—take readers on a harrowing journey into every corner of Rikers, a failed society unto itself that reflects society’s failings as a whole.
 
Dr. Homer Venters was shocked by the screams on his first day working at Rikers: “They’re in solitary, just yelling . . . the yelling literally never stops.” After a few months, though, Dr. Venters notes, one's ears adjust to the sounds. Nestor Eversley recalls how detainees made weapons from bones. Barry Campbell recalls hiding a razor blade in his mouth—“just in case”.
 
These are visceral stories of despair, brutality, resilience, humor, and hope, told by the people who were marooned on the island over the course of decades. As calls to shutter jails and reduce the number of incarcerated people grow louder across the country, with the movement to close the island complex itself at the forefront, Rikers is a resounding lesson about the human consequences of the incarceration industry.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    January 17, 2023

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780593416198
      • File size: 449817 KB
      • Duration: 15:37:07

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Library Journal

      Starred review from March 1, 2023

      Journalists Rayman and Blau provide a history of the infamous New York prison Rikers Island. They share the stories of formerly incarcerated individuals, their family members, corrections officers, and lawyers. The authors explore race, sexuality, medical care, socioeconomic status, living conditions, and more. They highlight events throughout the history of the prison, including riots, escape attempts, and the COVID pandemic. A stunning cast of narrators, such as Nathan Agin, Jonathan Beville, and Nancy Bober, give heart and humanity to the many who have served time there, including celebrities such as Fat Joe, Ja Rule, and Tupac Shakur. The level of corruption, deceit, and endemic disrepair in the prison is contrasted with the humanity of those who have been sentenced to serve time there. The book highlights the resilience and strength that it takes to survive prison, especially when faced with bureaucracy and an inequitable criminal-justice system. Listeners will likely be moved by the participants' stories about the challenging conditions they have encountered. The work's final chapter ties up loose ends by sharing how the individuals in the book are faring today. VERDICT A phenomenal listen about one of the most notorious prisons in the U.S. It packs an emotional punch while providing hope for the future.--Elyssa Everling

      Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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