yarn along - the new jim crow

My yarn and books are all over the place lately. Reading and crocheting were both major stress relievers for me during my crazy last month of the semester. But with all the hopping from job to job, place to place, I was hopping all around my projects and books too. I currently have three crochet projects going and have finally gotten my reading list down to two books.
And for the record, I am the sort of person who likes to finish one thing before moving on to the next. I have been embracing the diversity.

One of the projects has been to clothe our second hot water bottle in its own cozy, continuing on my quest to use up the miscellaneous yarn in my basket. I tried to make this one match Joe's personality a little more. He rarely uses a hot water bottle, but I figured it would be a nice gesture, since the first cover has my name written all over it.

The book I'm sharing this week is a very sobering read, but it's so important and incredible that I had to share. The New Jim Crow basically presents the argument that our present criminal justice system is inherently racist and results in the systematic oppression of men of color. It's a serious argument, and I've tried to approach it with skepticism. But every time a doubt arises in my mind, Michelle Alexander's next paragraph explains it.
I highly recommend it for everyone. It's a heavy read, but I can promise you will be stunned.
There are so many jaw-dropping statistics...
The US has the highest rate of incarceration in the world. Three out of every four black men in Washington, DC are in prison. White people are equally likely to be involved in drug activity, but black men are more likely to be arrested for it. In Chicago, young black men are statistically more likely to go to prison than to college.
And Alexander's very convincing argument is that these things reflect a broken system.

I promise I'll be back soon with something a little more lighthearted. But I think these tough issues deserve our attention too, right?

Linking up with Ginny. Happy Wednesday!