What do you think?
Rate this book
N*gga Theory: Race, Language, Unequal Justice, and the Law
Racialized mass incarceration is not just cell blocks brimming with black bodies. It’s a pervasive and deep-seated way of talking and thinking about morality, law, and politics in matters of blame and punishment; it’s a punitive impulse and retributive urge that runs so strong and deep in most Americans that taming it will take a revolution in consciousness.
Through radical critiques of conventional morality, conventional legal theory, and conventional politics in criminal justice matters, this book fuels this revolution. Drawing on the phenomenon moral philosophers call moral luck, Armour’s book humanizes these most otherized, monsterized criminals by challenging the wide-spread belief that there is a deep and wide moral gulf between “them” and law-abiding, noncriminal, nonviolent “us.” Legally, N*gga Theory roots out where bias lives in the black letter law and adjudication of just deserts; that is, it shows how murderers and other morally condemnable criminals are not merely “found” in criminal trials like discoverable facts of nature, but rather they are socially constructed, often by racially biased prosecutors, judges, and jurors. And politically, Armour both examines and exemplifies the way a transgressive word or symbol, like the troublesome and disreputable N-word itself, can, when wielded with care and precision by critical black writers and artists, signal a sharp rejection of respectability politics, promote political solidarity with the most reviled black criminals, and spark a revolution in consciousness about racialized mass incarceration.
Through radical critiques of conventional morality, conventional legal theory, and conventional politics in criminal justice matters, this book fuels this revolution. Drawing on the phenomenon moral philosophers call moral luck, Armour’s book humanizes these most otherized, monsterized criminals by challenging the wide-spread belief that there is a deep and wide moral gulf between “them” and law-abiding, noncriminal, nonviolent “us.” Legally, N*gga Theory roots out where bias lives in the black letter law and adjudication of just deserts; that is, it shows how murderers and other morally condemnable criminals are not merely “found” in criminal trials like discoverable facts of nature, but rather they are socially constructed, often by racially biased prosecutors, judges, and jurors. And politically, Armour both examines and exemplifies the way a transgressive word or symbol, like the troublesome and disreputable N-word itself, can, when wielded with care and precision by critical black writers and artists, signal a sharp rejection of respectability politics, promote political solidarity with the most reviled black criminals, and spark a revolution in consciousness about racialized mass incarceration.
384 pages, Paperback
Published August 8, 2020
27 people are currently reading
906 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 14, 2020
I am not eloquent with my words and sometimes I'm not as articulate as I seem to be in my head. However, I do love to read and write reviews for books that I pick up. Wonderful people have been contacting me as of late, curious as to how they can get their books in my hands. I've been deeply honored by these requests. However, when I got the request to review this book, I was highly interested. The subject of mass incarceration, race, the law, and unequal justice piqued my interest. These subjects are what black people have been fighting for since the beginning of time. I wanted to learn something, especially from a law professor, whose life’s work it has been to fight for equal justice under the law.
However, I’ve been given a book that I'm not sure how to review. Mainly because I don't have the knowledge or the legal jargon and theories of law in my background. Law professor Jody Armour has written a book that is tackling an enormous problem we have in our society. Mass incarceration, race, law, justice, and is trying to inform the world of the problem we have when, black people have to live side by side other people who see them as criminals from just their skin color or simply ignore them because they are invisible and don't matter. Society is just now starting to attempt having discussions about race but honestly I don't think this world is ready. White people, historically, have had 20+ generations of wealth and a head start. Slave patrols who originally took orders from slave masters as bounty hunters, transformed into doing the work of the KKK, are now our modern day police. Black people have suffered enumerable setbacks because we have been deemed less than a human and hunted every day of our lives because of the color of our skin. Our lives are snuffed out by a wave, a lie, a blink, a gasp, a look, an assumption, a thought by a white person. This book begs the question, can white people actually treat black people like civil human beings and provide equal justice? Jody Armour theorizes that there is some hope, but as James Baldwin would say, “I can't believe what you say because I see what you do.”
There are hard to digest parts in this book because if you are like me, you don’t have a background in law. The legal jargon, terms, definitions, examples, rationales, legal speak, can get a bit cumbersome for the average lay person. Jody Armour clearly believes and he states, “we need to fix the law. We need to bring light to the dark ghetto. We need to fight injustice. We need a full and active empathy.” (p. 257) I agree wholeheartedly in what he is theorizing. However, I’m skeptical, not in his theory, but in the practicality of applying this theory.
Mass incarceration has been the “New Jim Crow,” as Michelle Alexander explains in her book. This justice system was designed by white men to extricate black men and women out of society and throw them back into a form of slavery. Armour brings to question many things about your personal beliefs in what justice looks like for you. This book also will invoke great discussion around the subject of whether jurors can be impartial and unbiased. Armour does not believe that jurors can be impartial and unbiased and therefore all black wrongdoers should be exempted “from capital punishment on the ground that, because empirically demonstrable biases such as attribution bias and ingroup empathy bias, ordinary people on juries are just as prone to make noisy and unreliable inferences about the subjective culpability and just deserts of black wrongdoers.” (p. 293) This system was not designed to provide us (black people) equal protection under the law. I firmly believe that the retributive urge toward black people will continue to be shown, that white Americans will not “curb their punitive, retributive reflexes long enough to recognize the macro-level social factors that breed crime and poverty before passing judgment.” (p. 63) What white society has done in the form of systemic racism that touches every part of Black life has been that they have put Black people in a dehumanizing social condition, did nothing about those conditions, and then commanded Black people who suffered from these conditions, tell them to Behave - or else! Once that Black person commits a crime, they are then shuffled in front of white people (supposedly a jury of their peers), who already have impartial bias, for which they see Black wrongdoers as the “worst of the worst”, and are judged more harshly than white people for the same crimes. Unfortunately, white people will sacrifice their own to mass incarcerate us. Which is why there is no outcry when white people are put away. There is no one protesting about their sentences or demanding fair and equal treatment because they aren’t receiving the same retributive urge as a Black person.
Armour is unapologetic in his usage for the N-word. He wants to and is using this word as a call for solidarity among all Black criminals and black non-criminals. Although, I don’t agree with his overarching premise of why he feels the need to use this word, I do agree with some of the reasoning behind it. In many ways, we as Black people are all one. When white people see them (as in “bad black people”) they see me. However, as Armour has mentioned regarding Chris Rock’s famous routine, “I love Black people, but I can’t stand n*ggas,” for me, there is some truth there. Armour though believes that we shouldn’t be divided in that way, and that he prefers people call him a n*gga. Armour has caused me to re-think my mindset in different ways of looking at how we perceive wrongdoers. Am I a choice theorist? Do I believe in personal responsibility and respectability politics? Do I agree with people having bad or good luck in regards to their upbringing? There are so many different topics that Armour brings to question that will have you discussing and contemplating for a long time.
Race has been a forever topic of discussion. Dismantling the systemic racism that permeates every aspect of Black people’s life is another topic altogether. This book helps to have that conversation about race, primarily centered around the criminal justice system and how Black people are perceived as wrongdoers just based on the color of their skin. Armour seeks to dismantle misconceptions and racism, and enlighten and encourage and provide this theory on how we can all get there; and I hope to God people listen.
Thank you to Professor Jody Armour and Coriolis Company for providing me with your book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
However, I’ve been given a book that I'm not sure how to review. Mainly because I don't have the knowledge or the legal jargon and theories of law in my background. Law professor Jody Armour has written a book that is tackling an enormous problem we have in our society. Mass incarceration, race, law, justice, and is trying to inform the world of the problem we have when, black people have to live side by side other people who see them as criminals from just their skin color or simply ignore them because they are invisible and don't matter. Society is just now starting to attempt having discussions about race but honestly I don't think this world is ready. White people, historically, have had 20+ generations of wealth and a head start. Slave patrols who originally took orders from slave masters as bounty hunters, transformed into doing the work of the KKK, are now our modern day police. Black people have suffered enumerable setbacks because we have been deemed less than a human and hunted every day of our lives because of the color of our skin. Our lives are snuffed out by a wave, a lie, a blink, a gasp, a look, an assumption, a thought by a white person. This book begs the question, can white people actually treat black people like civil human beings and provide equal justice? Jody Armour theorizes that there is some hope, but as James Baldwin would say, “I can't believe what you say because I see what you do.”
There are hard to digest parts in this book because if you are like me, you don’t have a background in law. The legal jargon, terms, definitions, examples, rationales, legal speak, can get a bit cumbersome for the average lay person. Jody Armour clearly believes and he states, “we need to fix the law. We need to bring light to the dark ghetto. We need to fight injustice. We need a full and active empathy.” (p. 257) I agree wholeheartedly in what he is theorizing. However, I’m skeptical, not in his theory, but in the practicality of applying this theory.
Mass incarceration has been the “New Jim Crow,” as Michelle Alexander explains in her book. This justice system was designed by white men to extricate black men and women out of society and throw them back into a form of slavery. Armour brings to question many things about your personal beliefs in what justice looks like for you. This book also will invoke great discussion around the subject of whether jurors can be impartial and unbiased. Armour does not believe that jurors can be impartial and unbiased and therefore all black wrongdoers should be exempted “from capital punishment on the ground that, because empirically demonstrable biases such as attribution bias and ingroup empathy bias, ordinary people on juries are just as prone to make noisy and unreliable inferences about the subjective culpability and just deserts of black wrongdoers.” (p. 293) This system was not designed to provide us (black people) equal protection under the law. I firmly believe that the retributive urge toward black people will continue to be shown, that white Americans will not “curb their punitive, retributive reflexes long enough to recognize the macro-level social factors that breed crime and poverty before passing judgment.” (p. 63) What white society has done in the form of systemic racism that touches every part of Black life has been that they have put Black people in a dehumanizing social condition, did nothing about those conditions, and then commanded Black people who suffered from these conditions, tell them to Behave - or else! Once that Black person commits a crime, they are then shuffled in front of white people (supposedly a jury of their peers), who already have impartial bias, for which they see Black wrongdoers as the “worst of the worst”, and are judged more harshly than white people for the same crimes. Unfortunately, white people will sacrifice their own to mass incarcerate us. Which is why there is no outcry when white people are put away. There is no one protesting about their sentences or demanding fair and equal treatment because they aren’t receiving the same retributive urge as a Black person.
Armour is unapologetic in his usage for the N-word. He wants to and is using this word as a call for solidarity among all Black criminals and black non-criminals. Although, I don’t agree with his overarching premise of why he feels the need to use this word, I do agree with some of the reasoning behind it. In many ways, we as Black people are all one. When white people see them (as in “bad black people”) they see me. However, as Armour has mentioned regarding Chris Rock’s famous routine, “I love Black people, but I can’t stand n*ggas,” for me, there is some truth there. Armour though believes that we shouldn’t be divided in that way, and that he prefers people call him a n*gga. Armour has caused me to re-think my mindset in different ways of looking at how we perceive wrongdoers. Am I a choice theorist? Do I believe in personal responsibility and respectability politics? Do I agree with people having bad or good luck in regards to their upbringing? There are so many different topics that Armour brings to question that will have you discussing and contemplating for a long time.
Race has been a forever topic of discussion. Dismantling the systemic racism that permeates every aspect of Black people’s life is another topic altogether. This book helps to have that conversation about race, primarily centered around the criminal justice system and how Black people are perceived as wrongdoers just based on the color of their skin. Armour seeks to dismantle misconceptions and racism, and enlighten and encourage and provide this theory on how we can all get there; and I hope to God people listen.
Thank you to Professor Jody Armour and Coriolis Company for providing me with your book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
July 26, 2020
“Why must our children be perfect to live?”
This question, early on in this book, really bothered me. Not because I don’t hear it from my Black friends, but because the feeling behind it made me want to cry angry, hopeless tears because this is the very true reality for Black parents all over this supposedly great nation.
This is by no means an easy, happy read...but it is a necessary one. And yes, parts do read like a college professor’s lecture because that’s exactly what Jody Armour is: a law professor at USC. But within that multitude of information lies the root of America’s problem with Black men and women. A system that inherently favors white people, poor or rich, and the “good” Black people over all other Black people. And by “good”, I mean this: those seeking to be meek, quiet, subservient, hardworking, and utterly perfect in the eyes of America. But even then, our society makes it all too easy to judge solely based on prejudices and he color of one’s skin.
Armour breaks down the means by which America has divided Black people into specific classes beyond those which are deemed inferior to others. He breaks down the luck or pluck theories by which POC may fall into one life or another. Most importantly, he breaks down exactly how we got where we are and who helped us along that path.
From the revolutionary minds and lyrics of Ice Cube to the penal codes of yesterday and today, this was a compelling read that, at times, was so much information I had to stop, absorb, think about what I’d learned, and then come back for more.
This question, early on in this book, really bothered me. Not because I don’t hear it from my Black friends, but because the feeling behind it made me want to cry angry, hopeless tears because this is the very true reality for Black parents all over this supposedly great nation.
This is by no means an easy, happy read...but it is a necessary one. And yes, parts do read like a college professor’s lecture because that’s exactly what Jody Armour is: a law professor at USC. But within that multitude of information lies the root of America’s problem with Black men and women. A system that inherently favors white people, poor or rich, and the “good” Black people over all other Black people. And by “good”, I mean this: those seeking to be meek, quiet, subservient, hardworking, and utterly perfect in the eyes of America. But even then, our society makes it all too easy to judge solely based on prejudices and he color of one’s skin.
Armour breaks down the means by which America has divided Black people into specific classes beyond those which are deemed inferior to others. He breaks down the luck or pluck theories by which POC may fall into one life or another. Most importantly, he breaks down exactly how we got where we are and who helped us along that path.
From the revolutionary minds and lyrics of Ice Cube to the penal codes of yesterday and today, this was a compelling read that, at times, was so much information I had to stop, absorb, think about what I’d learned, and then come back for more.
April 5, 2021
Jody Armour is the Roy P. Crocker Professor of Law at the University of Southern California. He studies issues of race and legal decision-making as well as torts and tort reform movements. He also studies and teaches on the intersections of language, the law and ethics. His latest book directly confronts law enforcement and our legal system’s failures and culpabilities in the mass incarceration of people of color.
In N*gga Theory, which is how he refers to his work in Critical Race Theory and the title of his new book, Armour systematically identifies and dismantles how our legal system is supposed to work, based on the founding principles upon which our system of jurisprudence is based, and illustrates how those principles are unequally distributed to, and enacted upon, people of color. His arguments, supported by previous legal precedents and the work and results of other researchers, are challenging, compelling, and, in many cases, impossible to ignore.
The text is dense, but the logic of Armour’s reasoning is easy to follow. Sprinkled throughout, he relates his own experiences with the legal system. These include how his own father was unjustly arrested and incarcerated while a child (His father was able to research and rebut the charges against him from within his cell, although it took years to do so.); Armour’s own experiences with law enforcement (and his fears for his sons); and his experiences as a person of color in the academic community, including how he has been told recently by his law students how his “escalating afro” is “ironic” for a law professor because it makes him “look like a criminal.”
Armour also examines social constructions that impact the identities of people of color within the US: language, appearance and the classifications of “good negroes” and “niggas” (and how within the black community there are struggles to be seen as the former, and avoid or subvert the latter).
While Armour does not shy away from the negative results of centuries of societal and judicial inequities, the most surprising thing to readers may be the positive outcome for which he is arguing. He is arguing for a shift in our legal system from one focused on “retribution, retaliation and revenge” to one that would result in “restoration, rehabilitation and redemption.”
Another element that Armour highlights is the supposedly amoral concept of luck, the distribution and impact of resources beyond an individual’s control upon their lives, and the moralizing that is visited upon people as their lives unfold. Simply put: bad luck, generally, happens to “bad” people, good luck being granted to “good.” Armour’s argument, in its entirety, is far more complex.
Luck certainly must be with Armour. For there is no way, after years of research, teaching, writing and living through the experiences related in the book, anyone could have planned for or ensured that his work would be brought to readers at a more critical time. As our culture struggles with the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Elijah McClain, to name only a few, and people continue to protest for change and question their own culpability in systemic racism, the publication of Armour’s book now could not be more fortuitous. Armour has done the work and given us his findings. His work deserves to be read, shared, and discussed. What we choose to do with it is up to us.
Reviewed by Daryl M., Librarian, West Valley Regional Branch Library
In N*gga Theory, which is how he refers to his work in Critical Race Theory and the title of his new book, Armour systematically identifies and dismantles how our legal system is supposed to work, based on the founding principles upon which our system of jurisprudence is based, and illustrates how those principles are unequally distributed to, and enacted upon, people of color. His arguments, supported by previous legal precedents and the work and results of other researchers, are challenging, compelling, and, in many cases, impossible to ignore.
The text is dense, but the logic of Armour’s reasoning is easy to follow. Sprinkled throughout, he relates his own experiences with the legal system. These include how his own father was unjustly arrested and incarcerated while a child (His father was able to research and rebut the charges against him from within his cell, although it took years to do so.); Armour’s own experiences with law enforcement (and his fears for his sons); and his experiences as a person of color in the academic community, including how he has been told recently by his law students how his “escalating afro” is “ironic” for a law professor because it makes him “look like a criminal.”
Armour also examines social constructions that impact the identities of people of color within the US: language, appearance and the classifications of “good negroes” and “niggas” (and how within the black community there are struggles to be seen as the former, and avoid or subvert the latter).
While Armour does not shy away from the negative results of centuries of societal and judicial inequities, the most surprising thing to readers may be the positive outcome for which he is arguing. He is arguing for a shift in our legal system from one focused on “retribution, retaliation and revenge” to one that would result in “restoration, rehabilitation and redemption.”
Another element that Armour highlights is the supposedly amoral concept of luck, the distribution and impact of resources beyond an individual’s control upon their lives, and the moralizing that is visited upon people as their lives unfold. Simply put: bad luck, generally, happens to “bad” people, good luck being granted to “good.” Armour’s argument, in its entirety, is far more complex.
Luck certainly must be with Armour. For there is no way, after years of research, teaching, writing and living through the experiences related in the book, anyone could have planned for or ensured that his work would be brought to readers at a more critical time. As our culture struggles with the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Elijah McClain, to name only a few, and people continue to protest for change and question their own culpability in systemic racism, the publication of Armour’s book now could not be more fortuitous. Armour has done the work and given us his findings. His work deserves to be read, shared, and discussed. What we choose to do with it is up to us.
Reviewed by Daryl M., Librarian, West Valley Regional Branch Library
January 25, 2021
Although it took some re reading of certain passages to completely grasp his ideas, I think the author brings about some important angles to consider in regards to language and justice. I personally appreciate the section about gangsta rap and it's usage of "nigga" and its derivatives to amplify the viewpoint of everyday Black people at the time. The importance of the author's point of view is significant when pondering the subjects of race, justice and inequality within the "justice" system.
January 23, 2021
I was first introduced to Jody Armour on the Netflix show 100 Humans when he appeared as one of their experts, and I thought, "This guy knows his stuff!". Then, I found out he just released a book, and I waited months for it to come out on audiobook, and I wasn't disappointed. As a half-black man who saw the all of the horrors of 2020 that ignited BLM protests, I've dedicated myself to learning more about what the problems are, and N*gga Theory did a phenomenal job explaining the systemic issues with our legal system. As a law professor, Armour brings a ton of wisdom to this subject, and it really helped expand on ideas from The New Jim Crow while also giving new perspectives.
Armour dives into the psychology behind bias and explains how it's difficult for any Black person to get a fair trial, which I absolutely loved. But even more than that, as a moral philosophy nerd, I really enjoyed his chapter on moral luck and how we neglect to take that into consideration when someone commits a crime or makes poor life decisions. Finally, to end the book, Armour discusses the issues with the death penalty in a way that really makes you think, and although I'm anti-death penalty, he gave me some new aspects to think about.
I will say that as a layperson who is unfamiliar with the law, there were a few parts that I had to re-read, but Armour is an excellent teacher and explains different legal concepts. I'm definitely going to read the book again at some point as well to better understand some of those parts of the book. But despite some areas being difficult for me to grasp, if you're interested in learning more about the struggles of Black Americans through the lens of societal and legal issues, I definitely recommend this book.
Armour dives into the psychology behind bias and explains how it's difficult for any Black person to get a fair trial, which I absolutely loved. But even more than that, as a moral philosophy nerd, I really enjoyed his chapter on moral luck and how we neglect to take that into consideration when someone commits a crime or makes poor life decisions. Finally, to end the book, Armour discusses the issues with the death penalty in a way that really makes you think, and although I'm anti-death penalty, he gave me some new aspects to think about.
I will say that as a layperson who is unfamiliar with the law, there were a few parts that I had to re-read, but Armour is an excellent teacher and explains different legal concepts. I'm definitely going to read the book again at some point as well to better understand some of those parts of the book. But despite some areas being difficult for me to grasp, if you're interested in learning more about the struggles of Black Americans through the lens of societal and legal issues, I definitely recommend this book.
September 14, 2020
As painful as this word can be in certain circumstances it’s important that we understand the meaning behind it. The N**** Theory is a novel based on studies and personal experiences of the Author Jody Armour. In this novel, he explains that the n-word is not a reclamation of the Black Community, but more so a way of expression. I loved this novel because of the way Jody Armour related the lifestyle and morals of the black community with this word and what it means. I have a small pocket of empathy for those who are ignorant including myself because I don’t know everything. This book has educated me on a lot of references and symbolism in my own community that I had no knowledge of. For instance, Jody Armour asserts the ideal perception of a “Good Negro”. These people are of color but live by the same moral code as people who are not of color that confirm their lifestyle to not be stereotypical. I liked this reference because he explains the hardship of being a “Good Negro” only to be rejected anyway. He also talked about the way African Americans are rejected by society because they lack acceptable European features. There is so much knowledge packed in this novel, I feel like if people genuinely want to understand the frustration, anger, and hurt that African Americans carry, they would start by educating themselves. Jody Armour has done the research and put the information out there for others to receive, but you have to want to learn. Here is a good start.
September 15, 2020
As a white person who seeks to be an ally, I've been looking to understand more about how racism functions in our society and how to empathize with and stand beside Black people. Law Professor Jody Amour shares a lot of detailed information in this book.
In the introduction Melina Abdulla says, "Why must our children be perfect to live? Why do they have to pull up their pants, or get good grades, or be respectful, and have ambitions, to live? Why can't they be children who hop fences, cuss when they're out of their parents' earshot, smoke a little weed, hate math, have dangerous-joyful lives, make mistakes, and recover from them?"
This heartbreaking statement leads to Jody Amour's N**** Theory. He goes into great depth explaining his choice of the work n****. There is not an inherent differences from n*ggas and respectable negros. One is not more worthy or human than the other, although treated as such by society. Black people are systematically dehumanized. Criminals are not discovered by this system, they are created by this system.
This is such a complicated problem to fix since it is rooted so deeply in our society. I hope that through intelligent scholarship such as this book by Jody Amour that there can be systematic changes and that Black people will not have to be made into criminals by a racist social system.
In the introduction Melina Abdulla says, "Why must our children be perfect to live? Why do they have to pull up their pants, or get good grades, or be respectful, and have ambitions, to live? Why can't they be children who hop fences, cuss when they're out of their parents' earshot, smoke a little weed, hate math, have dangerous-joyful lives, make mistakes, and recover from them?"
This heartbreaking statement leads to Jody Amour's N**** Theory. He goes into great depth explaining his choice of the work n****. There is not an inherent differences from n*ggas and respectable negros. One is not more worthy or human than the other, although treated as such by society. Black people are systematically dehumanized. Criminals are not discovered by this system, they are created by this system.
This is such a complicated problem to fix since it is rooted so deeply in our society. I hope that through intelligent scholarship such as this book by Jody Amour that there can be systematic changes and that Black people will not have to be made into criminals by a racist social system.
March 9, 2021
Professor Armour uses legal discourse alongside rap lyrics to challenge black incarceration (even some of the implied values in The New Jim Crow, which differentiates between violent offenders and non-violent offenders) and proclaim no "moral distinction between criminals and non-criminals of all races."
"The vilification of a "crime prone" underclass features centrally in what I call "Good Negro Theory": the values, beliefs, and assumptions that underlie efforts to morally and politically distinguish between law-abiding "good Negros" and law-breaking "n*ggas." In its place I offer "N*gga Theory"...N*gga Theory is a repudiation of Good Negro Theory and the politics of respectability on which it rests." He quotes from a Chris Rock standup routine in which Rock emphasizes there are good black people... and there are black people who should be scorned and vilified. Instead, Armour argues there are no dichotomies between criminalized blacks and non-criminalized blacks based on a moral argument.
This book was a 101 in legal discourse and I found myself wading into the philosophical questions behind law, symbols and word meaning, punishment based on impact vs. punishment based on how criminally culpable a defendant is (and how often black Americans receive a much harsher punishment due to this distinction), among all kinds of Latin legal terms like mens rea.
"The vilification of a "crime prone" underclass features centrally in what I call "Good Negro Theory": the values, beliefs, and assumptions that underlie efforts to morally and politically distinguish between law-abiding "good Negros" and law-breaking "n*ggas." In its place I offer "N*gga Theory"...N*gga Theory is a repudiation of Good Negro Theory and the politics of respectability on which it rests." He quotes from a Chris Rock standup routine in which Rock emphasizes there are good black people... and there are black people who should be scorned and vilified. Instead, Armour argues there are no dichotomies between criminalized blacks and non-criminalized blacks based on a moral argument.
This book was a 101 in legal discourse and I found myself wading into the philosophical questions behind law, symbols and word meaning, punishment based on impact vs. punishment based on how criminally culpable a defendant is (and how often black Americans receive a much harsher punishment due to this distinction), among all kinds of Latin legal terms like mens rea.
November 12, 2020
Questions: "Why must our children be perfect to live? Why do they have to pull up their pants, or get good grades, or be respectful, and have ambitions, to live? Why can't they be children who hop fences, cuss when they're out of their parents' earshot, smoke a little weed, hate math, have dangerous-joyful lives, make mistakes, and recover from them?" These questions and so many more are heartbreaking statements as they relate to African Americans or black people. We/they must go the extra mile and be 10x better, but that is still not good enough. It seems that we/they are only good enough if a white person deems you as “one of the good ones”.
Why is this so ingrained in our society? Jody Armour’s book is definitely must-read. Armour delves into stereotypes and the expectations of white society on black society. Explorations of race and culture are prominent along with a look at systemic racism and how mass incarceration is a part of the whole. This is a great read offering insight information into our current culture. I highly recommend this book. It is extremely informative and may help to provide a better understanding of culture and bias. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.
Why is this so ingrained in our society? Jody Armour’s book is definitely must-read. Armour delves into stereotypes and the expectations of white society on black society. Explorations of race and culture are prominent along with a look at systemic racism and how mass incarceration is a part of the whole. This is a great read offering insight information into our current culture. I highly recommend this book. It is extremely informative and may help to provide a better understanding of culture and bias. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.
August 17, 2020
Nigga Theory is Professor Armour's brand of critical race theory. This book explores how language can establish and maintain social identities, how words can be used to embrace or push away, recognize or deny others, how conscious and unconscious biases play a role in the justice system resulting in unfair prison sentences skewed toward black people. Words have meaning and can be twisted to suit our individual beliefs and desires. There's so much to explore, dissect and discuss in this book, it will make you examine ideals and ask some tough questions. Retribution vs retaliation, right vs wrong, white vs black, it's all here and so much more.
Some parts do read like you need to be at least a 2L law student with concepts going over my head but Jody Armour is a professor of law. Thank goodness for the internet.
Some parts do read like you need to be at least a 2L law student with concepts going over my head but Jody Armour is a professor of law. Thank goodness for the internet.
September 9, 2020
Jody Armour’s book N*gga Theory is a must-read! If you enjoyed The New Jim Crow, this book is for you! Armour, a prominent law professor and Harvard graduate, discusses white-supremacist-patriarchal-heteronormative-capitalism by explaining the stereotypes and expectations placed on black society by whites. Armour debunks stereotypes about pop-culture negatively impacting black society. Current politics are discussed and the difference between a progressive prosecutor and a transformative one. Culture, race, systemic racism, and mass-incarceration are thoroughly explored throughout this transformative book. I highly recommend reading this!
October 3, 2020
If you think you do not have bias in the way you think about people who have been or who are incarcerated and it you believe you do not categorise even within that group, this book may make you think again. Clearly well research and challenging in its premise, this book is timely in addressing aspects of our society and how it works. Not always fast-paced, it is worth sticking with as it reaches clear and interesting conclusions.
December 18, 2020
“Why must our children be perfect to live?” This question posed early on in the book has haunted me ever since. The author make excellent arguments on the disparity in incarceration and systemic racism. I concede that I still don't understand Critical Race Theory at the macro level, but this book does an excellent job exfoliating societal problems when it comes to dealing with race in USA
September 9, 2020
I LOVED this book! This is a must-read book to really understand what the Black Lives Matter movement is all about! The book has a lot of legal jargon, but I was able to get the overall gist of the message and I highly recommend that everyone reads this book! 5 stars for me.
September 21, 2020
Armour puts forth some poignant and new ideas regarding our criminal justice system and how current demands regarding penalizing police brutality need to change in order to change the whole system
Want to read
December 8, 2020I'm looking forward to finishing this great book
August 13, 2022
Absolutely necessary thesis statement, but I felt like it could have been condensed to just its introduction and conclusion
January 10, 2021
This is so much more academic and technical that what I'm used.
Just want to say an eye-opener for fans of Michelle Alexander's New Jim Crow.
Just want to say an eye-opener for fans of Michelle Alexander's New Jim Crow.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews