The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
Standalone nonfiction work and the principal entry point to Alexander's writing.
Author guide
Michelle Alexander Books in Order
Michelle Alexander is an American civil rights lawyer, advocate, legal scholar, and writer. She directed the ACLU of Northern California's Racial Justice Project, clerked for Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun, and has taught law and served as a visiting professor at Union Theological Seminary. She is the author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, a landmark work on mass incarceration, race, and the criminal justice system, and has written as an opinion columnist for The New York Times.
nonfictioncriminal justicesocial justicerace and racism
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- The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
nonfiction · 2010
A tenth-anniversary edition of the iconic bestseller--"one of the most influential books of the past 20 years," according to the Chronicle of Higher Education--with a new preface by the author Seldom does a book have the impact of…
Frequently asked questions about Michelle Alexander
Who is Michelle Alexander, and what is she known for?
Michelle Alexander is an American civil-rights lawyer, advocate, legal scholar, and writer. She is best known for her influential work on racial inequality and mass incarceration in the U.S. criminal-justice system.
Sources: utsnyc.edu (opens in a new tab)heinzawards.org (opens in a new tab)
Where did Michelle Alexander grow up?
Alexander was born in Chicago in 1967, spent part of her childhood in Stelle, Illinois, and later moved with her family to the San Francisco Bay Area.
What did Michelle Alexander do before becoming widely known as an author?
She clerked for Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun and Chief Judge Abner Mikva, directed Stanford Law School’s Civil Rights Clinic, and later led the ACLU of Northern California’s Racial Justice Project.
Sources: heinzawards.org (opens in a new tab)news.vanderbilt.edu (opens in a new tab)
What influenced Michelle Alexander’s approach to civil-rights work?
Her voter-registration work in Mississippi and volunteer visits to a youth correctional center deepened her commitment to social justice. At Stanford, professor Gerald López’s Lawyering for Social Change program significantly shaped her understanding of legal advocacy.
What awards has Michelle Alexander received?
Alexander received the 21st Heinz Award in Public Policy in 2016 for raising national awareness of mass incarceration and criminal-justice reform. Her book also won the 2011 NAACP Image Award for best nonfiction.
Sources: heinzawards.org (opens in a new tab)newjimcrow.com (opens in a new tab)