The book my students were obsessed with
I have been teaching carceral history since I was a grad student, and I have never had students respond to a book like this. The author Nikki Taylor and I share an extraordinary editor at Cambridge University Press– Cecelia Cancellaro– who has worked on some of my favorite books. When Cecelia told me about this book, assigning Brooding Over Bloody Revenge was a no-brainer.
My students at UConn Hartford are discerning readers. For the most part, they aren’t history majors. They want compelling stories. They want histories that reflect their own backgrounds. They want something really, really juicy. They will tell me if I got it wrong.
You can appreciate how hard it is to choose books for them, let alone the *first* book they will read to set the tone for the class. Let me tell you: this book has it ALL: Black women risking everything. Historical methods so artful they will blow anyone’s mind. Shocking violence and profound empathy. From day one of the class, this book challenged us to take on one of the biggest questions of carceral history: why do people choose to commit crimes? This book was irresistible.
When my students submitted their reflections on the class, they demanded that I assign this book again. I think about this book all the time, especially when I think about my favorite chapter of the book, which recounts the drama of a poisoning amid the deep history of slavery in New England.
What books have left you obsessed? Email me at carceral history@gmail.com to share your recommendations!
Order Brooding Over Bloody Revenge