It’s been a year since Hurt was released. Here’s a small sample of reviews:
At the Portland Book Review, Sarah Alibabaie writes:
“One will not be able to help but react in accord or discord or at least question along with the arguments raised. . . . Hurt is a good publication that not only introduces but invites the reader to a debate on torture and to imagine alternatives.”
Chris Auman concludes his review for relgarwiglar.com:
“these writings are the result of well-reasoned and researched thinking and go a long way in educating the reader on the causes and underlying factors of torture in the 21st century.”
Meanwhile, Kurt Morris opines at Razorcake:
“It was good to see Williams not reverting to the familiar arguments on everything; tying in torture with police and the U.S. prison system really is quite interesting. However, the apex of Williams’s argument is that getting rid of the apparatuses that allow abuse and torture and working towards an anarchist system is what would solve this despicable practice. … I wondered who would be reading this beyond people who already agreed with the premise and conclusions. Don’t get me wrong: it’s still a very worthwhile topic to discuss, but this discussion needs to move from beyond anarchist circles and into some kind of action. How is that done? Beats me. I just review stuff.”
— So I guess you can’t please everyone.
In other news, The Macinator ran a retrospective review of Our Enemies in Blue:
“This is a book that anyone affected by law enforcement should read, and really, that’s everyone: Protesters, people in ‘urban’ neighborhoods, proponents of ‘community policing,’ officers themselves, and just ‘normal’ people.”
Tom Nomad wrote an interesting survey article of my major works:
“Toward a Counteroperational Theory: A Review of the Works of Kristian Williams.” Tom Nomad. Working USA: The Journal of Labor and Society. September 2012.