{"id":2789,"date":"2020-12-17T21:41:23","date_gmt":"2020-12-17T21:41:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiofree.org\/?p=140601"},"modified":"2020-12-17T21:41:23","modified_gmt":"2020-12-17T21:41:23","slug":"the-innocence-projects-11-best-reads-of-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2020\/12\/17\/the-innocence-projects-11-best-reads-of-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"The Innocence Project\u2019s 11 Best Reads of 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cReading is freedom,\u201d says Ron Jacobsen<\/span><\/a>. Mr. Jacobsen was recently released on bond after 30 years, but during his decades of wrongful incarceration he said reading provided an escape from the four walls of his prison cell.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI started working in the library and this opened a whole new world to me \u2014 one of education through reading,\u201d he said. Reading became his obsession. He began reading a novel a day, while also reading about the law to try to fight against his wrongful conviction. If he hadn\u2019t become such an avid reader and found \u201cActual Innocence\u201d by Innocence Project Co-founders Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld, Mr. Jacobsen said, \u201cI would probably still be inside those prison walls.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Now home with his sister Gladys, Mr. Jacobsen is still awaiting justice as the district attorney in his case intends to retry him. While he continues this fight, he is enjoying spending time with his sister and the freedom to read whatever he wants, whenever he wants. And he encourages others to pick up a good book, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for somewhere to start \u2014 or a last minute gift \u2014 these are our recommended reads for the year and some staff favorites.<\/span><\/p>\n

New Releases<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Several books written by wrongly convicted people and people working the justice reform space were published this year, including one co-authored by Yusef Salaam, a member of the Exonerated Five and the Innocence Project\u2019s board of directors. These are some of our top picks from this year\u2019s new releases.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. \u201cPunching the Air\u201d by Ibi Zoboi and activist Yusef Salaam
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(Image: Courtesy of Harper Collins)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

This powerful young adult novel, written in verse, tells the story of a wrongly convicted boy. Ms. Zoboi told NPR<\/span><\/a>, \u201cI write books for children, and I wanted the world to remember that Yusef was a child when this happened to him and I was a child as well.\u201d So she knew the main character in \u201cPunching the Air\u201d \u201chad to be inspired by Yusef and this story had to instill a sense of hope in the reader.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Innocence Project supporters will receive a free shipping discount when they purchase \u201cPunching the Air\u201d with this link<\/em><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

2. \u201cWhen Truth Is All You Have: A Memoir of Faith, Justice, and Freedom for the Wrongly Convicted\u201d by Jim McCloskey and Philip Lerman<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

In this riveting book, Jim McCloskey, tells the story of how he founded Centurion \u2014 formerly Centurion Ministries \u2014 an organization committed to investigating incarcerated people\u2019s claims of innocence. Available to purchase here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

3. \u201cJustice for Sale: A Wrongful Conviction, a Broken System, and One Lawyer\u2019s Fight for the Truth\u201d by Jarrett Adams<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

Jarrett Adams was convicted of a crime he didn\u2019t commit at age 17. He spent eight years wrongly incarcerated and began learning about the legal system. After his exoneration, he attended law school and is now a defense attorney, fighting for justice. In this memoir, expected to be released in April 2021, he shares his inspiring journey. Available to pre-order here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Send a message of holiday cheer to our recently freed clients<\/a><\/h5>\n
4. \u201cCaste\u201d by Isabel Wilkerson<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

In this non-fiction work, Isabel Wilkerson, a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and author, examines systemic inequality in the United States. Called an \u201cinstant American classic\u201d by the New York Times, the book takes a hard look at the use of violence and oppression throughout history and how that has impacted America as it stands today. Available to purchase here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

5. \u201cBlack Futures\u201d by Jenna Wortham and Kimberly Drew
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\u201cHands down, \u2018Black Futures\u2019 is the coffee table book of the year,\u201d says Alicia Maule, Innocence Project\u2019s director of digital engagement. The book, a 500-page multimedia anthology is a work of art that brought together hundreds of Black creators, activists, chefs and more to answer the question: \u2018What does it mean to be Black and alive right now?\u2019 \u201cThis is a book you\u2019ll be proud to hold and showcase,\u201d says Mx. Maule. Available to purchase here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Must Reads<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

If you\u2019re interested in justice reform and wrongful conviction, these are just a few more must-reads our staff recommends.<\/span><\/p>\n

6. \u201cDevil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America\u201d by Gilbert King<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

This Pulitzer Prize winner is a \u201cmust-read\u201d recommendation from our new executive director, Christina Swarn. \u201cDevil in the Grove\u201d tells the story of Thurgood Marshall\u2019s defense of four innocent Black teenagers who were tried, convicted, and sentenced to death for the rape of a white woman in Florida in 1949. Available to purchase here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

7. \u201cThe Condemnation of Blackness: Race, Crime, and the Making of Modern Urban America\u201d by Khalil Gibran Muhammad<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

Recommended by our Sarah Chu, our senior advisor on forensic science policy, \u201cThe Condemnation of Blackness,\u201d sheds light on how crime statistics and research have been used to create the myth of Black criminality. \u201cThis book is important for understanding how deeply the architecture of our criminal legal system is tied to painting Black people as inferior or criminal and shows us how well meaning people were complicit in advancing those false ideas,\u201d Ms. Chu says. Available to purchase here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

8. \u201cUntil We Reckon: Violence, Mass Incarceration, and a Road to Repair\u201d by Danielle Sered<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

Innocence Project Executive Director Christina Swarns recommends \u201cUntil We Reckon,\u201d which she calls an \u201cimportant and fascinating read.\u201d The book considers how draconian sentences often fail to address the needs of survivors of violent crime, and takes a look at approaches to ending mass incarceration that will also increase public safety. Available to purchase here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

9. \u201cSolitary\u201d by Albert Woodfox<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

Publishing this memoir has been at the top of Albert Woodfox\u2019s list of dreams for many years. But Innocence Project Chief Program Strategy Officer Carine Williams, who represented Mr. Woodfox for eight years, said he was adamant that he would not write while incarcerated.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe believed the grief and grime of lockdown would corrupt his storytelling. He said, \u2018I don\u2019t know how but it\u2019ll get into my words,\u2019\u201d she recalled. Mr. Woodfox was finally freed in 2016, and three years later, he published his memoir. \u201cAll I can now say is: It was worth the wait. If Louisiana tried to bury Albert \u2014 and they did \u2014 this book is a gorgeous bouquet of blooms from the man no one knew was a seed,\u201d Ms. Williams said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSolitary\u201d is available to purchase here<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

10. \u201cAlizah\u2019s Story: I Stutter\u201d by Shoshanah K. Hobson<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

Written by Shoshanah Hobson, the Innocence Project\u2019s very own<\/span> Events and Special Projects Manager, \u201cAlizah\u2019s Story\u201d is an inspiring children\u2019s book about a third grader who starts to stutter and learns that what makes her different also makes her powerful. Available to purchase here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

11. \u201cNever Silent\u201d by Valencia Daniels<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

Poetry lovers must check out \u201cNever Silent,\u201d written by Innocence Project case management database administrator Valencia Craig. This stunning e-book of poetry touches on themes of race and inequality and is available to purchase here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

This post was originally published on Radio Free<\/a>. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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