All Our Trials

All Our Trials examines grassroots activism by incarcerated women and anti-prison organizers in the 1970s and early 1980s. The book focuses on campaigns against state violence and the criminalization of self-defense. The narrative traces coalitions between imprisoned women, feminist organizations, and anti-violence advocates during this pivotal period. Through archival research and historical analysis, Thuma documents how these groups worked to address issues of racial discrimination, gender violence, and the prison system. Key figures and movements highlighted include the defense campaigns for Joan Little, Inez García, Dessie Woods, and other women who faced prosecution for defending themselves against sexual violence. The text incorporates materials from prison newsletters, court documents, and activist papers to reconstruct these interconnected struggles. The book reveals how intersectional organizing strategies emerged from necessity rather than theory, as women built networks across prison walls to fight multiple forms of oppression. This history offers insights into the development of feminist anti-violence work and prison abolition movements.

Readers appreciate the book's detailed research into feminist anti-violence activism and prison abolition movements of the 1970s. Many note its focus on marginalized groups often left out of mainstream feminist histories, particularly women of color, lesbians, and poor women. Reviewers highlight the author's use of archival materials and firsthand accounts. One reader called it "a vital contribution to understanding intersectional organizing." Multiple readers mentioned the book's examination of the No More Cages newsletter as particularly valuable. Common criticisms include dense academic language and occasional repetition. Some readers wanted more discussion of specific cases and outcomes. Ratings: Goodreads: 4.4/5 (48 ratings) Amazon: 4.7/5 (12 ratings) A reviewer on Goodreads noted: "The academic tone makes it less accessible to general readers, but the content is important for understanding how anti-violence and prison abolition movements intersect."

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🔍 The book highlights previously overlooked activist coalitions between prisoners' rights groups, anti-violence advocates, and welfare rights organizations in the 1970s. 📚 Emily Thuma extensively researched prison newsletters, feminist periodicals, and organizational records from over twenty different archives to piece together this history. ⚖️ The title "All Our Trials" references both court trials and the struggles faced by incarcerated women, playing on the dual meaning to emphasize the legal and personal battles. 🗣️ The book features the stories of women who fought against both gender violence and the criminal justice system while being incarcerated, including many LGBTQ+ and women of color activists. 🏛️ Thuma's work challenges the common narrative that the anti-violence movement primarily focused on law enforcement solutions, showing how many activists actually opposed the expansion of policing and prisons.