On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope

I saw/heard DeRay McKesson speak at the Library Technology Conference in 2019 and was so impressed with his knowledge of statistics about policing and race, and his perspective on that subject, that I bought his book there. Reading On the Other Side of Freedom is different from hearing him speak–it is much less about statistics and how to interpret them, and much more like a memoir, a letter to fellow activists, and a history of the Black Lives Matter movement and the protests in Ferguson, MO after the murder of Michael Brown. At times it is meditative, making distinctions between faith and hope and explaining the importance of each and how they relate to each other in resisting a racist society. At times it is analytic, explaining how the use of Twitter gave the Ferguson protests a power that other protests hadn't had before. At times it is a memoir of McKesson's childhood and teenage years and how experiences he had then inform his thoughts about activism today. And at times there are statistics, duly footnoted.

Although this book has a little bit of everything, it does not meander or trail off and lose its way. It has a definite shape and purpose, and a firm, clear voice. It's really a delight to read, especially if you have activist tendencies yourself.