"For much of America's history, racism, captivity, and profit were intertwined. Slavery, the root of antiblack racism in America, was a for-profit venture. When slavery ended, powerful interests immediately figured out how to continue profiting from from the captive bodies of African Americans and other poor people." This quote perfectly captures the premise of this book. The author, a journalist goes undercover as a guard in a privatized prison and writes about his observations and experiences. The author gives a history of the prison system and illuminates how it has transformed into a billion dollar for-profit industry.

I already had some knowledge about the prison industrial complex but this book went further into detail and just blew my mind with knowledge. I thought I would be able to breeze through but I found myself having to take breaks because it was so full of emotion and uncovered so much background into racism and the war against poor people. It made me so angry at some parts, that I had to step back so as not to get lost completely in my emotions.

The author's writing style was great and it naturally flowed from the past to the present day. It was ripe with historical background, statistics and sociological research. The author's point of view was clear and concise. Through the author's telling of his experiences and interactions with inmates, I can better understand the psychology behind officers and inmates. It is very relevant to the state of the nation today. This is definitely a book that everyone needs to read because it's a topic that everyone should educate themselves about.

Thanks to Penguin Random House for the ARC and chance to provide and honest review.