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Quick answer: If you read Chokehold, read Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow, Bryan Stevenson's Just Mercy, Robyn Maynard's Policing Black Lives and Ta-Nehisi Coates's Between the World and Me. All are urgent books on race, policing and justice in America.
Paul Butler's 2017 book, subtitled Policing Black Men, argues that the criminal justice system is designed to control Black men, and offers proposals for change, drawing on his experience as a prosecutor and law professor. It is sharp, direct and provocative. The books below offer related accounts of policing, mass incarceration and race.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The New Jim Crow | Michelle Alexander | Adult | mass incarceration |
| Just Mercy | Bryan Stevenson | Adult | justice and courts |
| Policing Black Lives | Robyn Maynard | Adult | Canadian history |
| Between the World and Me | Ta-Nehisi Coates | Adult | letter to a son |
| Caste | Isabel Wilkerson | Adult | system of hierarchy |
| Biased | Jennifer L. Eberhardt | Adult | science of bias |
| The Color of Law | Richard Rothstein | Adult | housing history |
| How to Be an Antiracist | Ibram X. Kendi | Adult | action and ideas |
| Stamped from the Beginning | Ibram X. Kendi | Adult | history of racist ideas |
| So You Want to Talk About Race | Ijeoma Oluo | Adult | practical guide |
| Locking Up Our Own | James Forman Jr. | Adult | Black leaders and policing |
| The Warmth of Other Suns | Isabel Wilkerson | Adult | Great Migration |
| Slavery by Another Name | Douglas A. Blackmon | Adult | forced labour after emancipation |
| The Fire Next Time | James Baldwin | Adult | classic essays |
| The Skin We're In | Desmond Cole | Adult | Canadian year of racism |
1. The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
Alexander argues that mass incarceration works as a system of racial control. Influential and sobering.
Best for: mass incarceration.
2. Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
A young lawyer fights wrongful convictions in Alabama. Moving and widely read.
Best for: justice and courts.
3. Policing Black Lives by Robyn Maynard
A history of anti-Black racism in Canada from slavery to the present. Detailed.
Best for: Canadian history.
4. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Coates writes to his son about being Black in America. Poetic and urgent.
Best for: letter to a son.
5. Caste by Isabel Wilkerson
Wilkerson compares the American racial system with caste systems elsewhere. Widely read.
Best for: system of hierarchy.
6. Biased by Jennifer L. Eberhardt
A psychologist examines unconscious bias and policing. Clear and humane.
Best for: science of bias.
7. The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein
Rothstein shows how government policy created segregation. Clear and well researched.
Best for: housing history.
8. How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
Kendi blends memoir and ideas to argue for antiracism. Clear and challenging.
Best for: action and ideas.
9. Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi
A National Book Award-winning history of racist ideas in America. Detailed.
Best for: history of racist ideas.
10. So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
Oluo explains privilege, police violence and more in plain language. Accessible.
Best for: practical guide.
11. Locking Up Our Own by James Forman Jr.
Forman explores how Black communities supported tough crime policies. Nuanced and Pulitzer-winning.
Best for: Black leaders and policing.
12. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
Wilkerson tells the story of Black Americans who left the South. Moving and sweeping.
Best for: Great Migration.
13. Slavery by Another Name by Douglas A. Blackmon
Blackmon reveals how forced labour continued after the Civil War. Powerful.
Best for: forced labour after emancipation.
14. The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
Baldwin's essays on race in America. Short, brilliant and enduring.
Best for: classic essays.
15. The Skin We're In by Desmond Cole
A year in the life of anti-Black racism in Canada. Direct and personal.
Best for: Canadian year of racism.
How to Choose
For related policy and history choose The New Jim Crow, Locking Up Our Own or Slavery by Another Name. For personal narrative pick Between the World and Me, Just Mercy or The Skin We're In. For psychology read Biased. For accessible guides try So You Want to Talk About Race. For classic essays read The Fire Next Time. Chokehold is argumentative, so these picks suit readers who want evidence and ideas. Butler is a former federal prosecutor who has also been prosecuted himself, an experience he draws on throughout the book. His proposals are provocative, and his arguments are good topics for discussion groups. Butler's book is meant to provoke discussion, and it works well for book clubs and classes. If you want data, Biased and The New Jim Crow give detail. If you want personal stories, Just Mercy and The Skin We're In are strong. Audiobooks are available and read by the author.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Chokehold about?
How the criminal justice system targets Black men and what should change.
Who wrote it?
Paul Butler.
When was it published?
2017.
Who is Paul Butler?
A law professor and former federal prosecutor.
Is it based on research?
Yes, Butler draws on research and experience.
Is it a hard read?
The writing is clear and direct.
Is it controversial?
Some proposals are radical, which prompts debate.
What should I read next?
Try The New Jim Crow or Just Mercy.
What are Butler's proposals?
He argues for major changes to policing, prosecution and prisons, including reducing incarceration and ending certain policies.
Is Chokehold suitable for students?
Yes, though it is a serious and challenging book.