Casualties of America's War on the Vulnerable - from Ferguson to Flint and Beyond

Nobody is powerful and stunning in its breadth and depth of analysis. There are many things to be written about the violence that Black and poor bodies face throughout this nation, but only this book could have been written by Marc Lamont Hill. Hill keenly pulls on sociology, legal studies, and myriad other traditions to highlight the common thread of State violence and its influence on the most vulnerable. This book is a must read for those just coming to the topic as well as those well versed in the ongoing tragedies faced by the "nobodies" of this country. Looking forward to reading it again and sharing it.

Just WoW....not only Mr Hill deals with the current event but he makes a point tracing the history of some of the current laws and how they came about. This book opened my eyes a bit more and I am thankful for it. Please get this book, you will not be disappointed.

Condones criminal attacks and violence on people for political differances. Instead of having a conversation about what makes someone #Walkaway ===> the real blue wave. Just another CNN commentator using divisiveness and race baiting. Yet they wonder why cartoon networks ratings are higher.

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. "I see no reason why on the street today a citizen should be carrying loaded weapons." That was then CA governor Ronald Reagan in 1967 voicing his opinion.

In chapter five, Caged, Marc Hill looks at the prison industrial complex in America and the misapplication of justice. Which has often meant Just-Us. Marc gives us an interesting, albeit brief history on how the ethic of punishment changed over time and has morphed into the horrible facilities that currently exist in America today.

Overall it isn't a bad book, but next time out it would be helpful for Marc Hill to give us some solutions to these various issues that confront the Nobody. A way forward from his perspective would have been helpful as a last chapter perhaps.

As one who remains sufficiently humbled by the power of words, I often wonder if others can approach a work such as this one; with one perspective and have his/her mind changed based on the information presented. I hold out hope that this is a possibility for all fair minded people because ultimately a changed mind will lead to changing actions leading to an improved society where Nobody could eventually come somebody and one day representative of anybody.

He points out how people try to explain away killings of Black people by police by saying "he should have stayed in the car" or "he shouldn't have ran" etc; but there's never a statement that perhaps the Black person would still be alive if just the cop hadn't pulled the trigger (i.e. A focus on the killer & not the victim). Moreover, too much discretion is given to prosecutors in a system where 94% of criminal defendants plea out. Additionally, he argues riots are a momentary disruption to a perception that the State is systematically killing Black people. My major criticism of the book, however, is that he sums up by saying that one of the major problems is that the advent of individualism has fostered "bad ideas." While true on a surface level, this brings forth the age old debate of whether racism is more a collection of bad ideas, and then what political conclusions flow from that. In my mind, seeing racism as part & parcel of the capitalist system leads one to conclude that its defeat will be found thru organization - and that organization (& the solidarity which flows from that) is the best way to defeat bad ideas. If one thinks that racism is purely (or primarily) the product of bad ideas, one's primary task will be passive education efforts, such as tolerance workshops. I, for one, vote for the former rather than the latter strategy to defeat racism.

In Professor Hill's words, this book aims to tell the "stories of those marked as Nobody in America." As upsetting, disturbing, and even heartbreaking as these stories are, they make for necessary reading. Professor Hill provides deep, well-sourced context for understanding the crises facing Black communities in our present. From police brutality to the Flint water crisis, heteropatriarchy to urban poverty, this book considers the structural issues that constitute America's failure to treat all of its citizens equally. The stories are narrated briskly and unsentimentally but with a clear-eyed vision for justice. In this, Professor Hill's book is really a call for all of us to stop being complacent and to take up that call -- not only in our institutions through our reforms but also, most especially even, out on the streets through our protests.

This is not an uplifting book but SO IMPORTANT. I am buying several copies to send to my friends and family who do not have an awareness of the REALITY of these FACTS. We MUST FIGHT to change this inequality esspecially now
that we have Sessions as the New AG in USA. These will be very hard years for the poor. We must support John Lewis and others who are not in denial about the political climate in the country under the Trump administration. GREAT Work Mr. Hill. You are a TRUE Leader!

This book is awesome. I was recently camping with some friends and I must have eaten the wrong berries, because I was suddenly gripped by the most horrific stomach pains. I literally hopped into the woods and upon dropping trou, unleashed a volcano of gravy-like poop. After I was done splashing the local flora with my abominable intestinal juices, I reached out for some leaves and found that they were all too dry and brittle to do the job. Fortunately, I had my copy of Marc Lamont Hill's book in my backpack. Each page provided just the perfect amount of absorption as I wiped my tender balloon knot. And because I'm certain it's printed on earth-friendly recyclable paper, I had no problems leaving the pages right where they lay. The best part is that the stomach problems persisted over the next 4 days and I was able to run down just about every page of Hill's book before the trip was over. Highly recommended!

This was given as a gift. I was very disappointed. I was hoping to finally find a book which avoided the political craziness found in the newspapers. This is not a fair and balanced book. I returned the book to the person that gave the book hopefully he can get his money back.

I couldn't get enough. Every paragraph was filled with dense and interesting facts, tying stories often untold with those that make the news. The author was able to illuminate highly complex issues in an easy to understand fashion. A must read.

I loved this. Everything was written out concisely and everything was explained. I had no problem reading it and finding Marc Lamont Hill to be trustworthy. This was a great read. I started with Michelle Alexander's "The New Jim Crow" and "Nobody: Casualties of America's War on the Vulnerable from Ferguson to Flint and Beyond." was just as eye opening. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in social justice or the plight of the vulnerable in our nation.

Well researched and the documentation provided is excellent. Marc Lamont Hill has provided the context needed to understand recent police killings in black communities. This book is well written and extremely compelling. It is a must read for anyone who seeks to understand police violence in black communities. After reading it you will see why these attacks on civil liberties represent a threat to all. - Pedro A. Noguera, PhD Distinguished Professor of Education, UCLA.

Very well researched compilation of the truth. Each chapter seems to provide a solid historical lesson that has shaped todays mind set that of the oppressed and of the oppressors. A necessary read for todays generation. This book tells us what television simply cannot concerning truth (regardless of public opinion), todays judicial process as well. "Plea plea plea plea, please read this......" A real eye opener!

This book is full of truths that may be uncomfortable for people not used to hearing them.
It is difficult and heavy.
But it is an excellent summary of where we are, how we got here, and how all forms of systemic inequality are linked.
If you turn a blind eye to its content, you contribute to the problems it outlines.
If it makes you angry -- good. It should.

A required reading for everyone. I though I knew everything about the consequences of slavery and segregation. This book taught me a lot. The author is honest and well-versed in the field. His writing style captures the attention of the reader. I hope he will continues writing and informing the public about issues affecting the Black community.

Nobody is a excellent and eye-opening examination of how the war on the vulnerable has led to so many of the devastating news stories we read. While framed in the context of the war on class that white neo-liberals are so quick to refer to, Hill demonstrates how these policies are hardest felt, even targeted at, the black communities of American cities.

Excellent read. Well research, thorough and thoughtful. Hill makes his case plainly that these people, or individuals rendered "Nobody" were ultimately failed by us, by the system. A great companion to the 13th by Ava Duvernay. Highly recommended reading for anyone wishing to engage on issues of social and economic justice.

Ignore the trolls' negative ratings. They don't even pretend to have read the book.

From someone who did: this is an eye-opening book on race relations, poignant and scholarly. Definitely recommended.

Very good writing and intellectual propositions in this book. Offers different examples and contextual discourse on the state of the vulnerable disposable class of america. Uses anecdotal evidence to set up ideas presented in this work and it flows very well. If you are on the fence about getting this book I say make this purchase. Support this.

Just from reading the Foreword, Preface, and 1st Chapter I am assured that this book will live on to be one of the greatest books in history.

It deals with the everlasting question of, "what happens to Black folks after slavery." After we are no longer considered a neccesity in this country but rather a burden because of much needed government assistance (due to the absence of reparations).

Hill seems to be 100% on point with his critique of this dehumanizing system and his assessment as well as analysis of it.

Today I finished reading Dr. Marc Lamont Hill's phenomenal book, NOBODY, and I can't urge you enough to put it on your reading list! (And then read it once it's on your list).

Hill carefully explores State violence on America's most vulnerable: black and brown, poor and working class, women, transgendered, addicted and mentally ill people. He guides each chapter with contemporary stories of individuals who have have been brutally wronged by the system, from Michael Brown to Trayvon Martin to Freddie Gray to Sandra Bland. But Hill avoids simplistic rehashing of these events in search of larger truths; each case serves as a launch pad to investigate the historical, social, and economic conditions that precipitated each sad episode, since it is impossible to fully understand them in isolation. Though Hill's research into the complex world of housing policies, drug laws, crime prevention policies, militarization of police, gun culture, system of plea bargains, and economic policies runs deep, his writing remains intimately and eminently accessible.

I'll be reading this again when I get the opportunity.