This book was so well done and has left me thinking about so much. The setting is dystopian, but is based on facts from our prison system and its parallels can't be overlooked. Capitalism on others pain and who society deems as "deserving" of that pain and punishment. Much like the fans and supporters of the sport in this book, we on the outside tend to justify any violence committed on "criminals". But when people monetize human beings and take away their humanity, are they any better than the criminals? As it is said, "Violence begets violence."
The story of the man who found his passion while in prison, the book notes, what if he had found it BEFORE. “We aren’t asking for an erasure; we aren’t trying to forget the pain of victims. For us, abolition is a positive process. It means creating new infrastructure, new ways of thinking about reducing harm, that’s what we are saying. I’m not saying there isn’t something to be afraid of, we are saying the thing we fear, is already here. It’s wrong not to try to do better.”
This story was brutal but beautiful at the same time. "She hated what she was, but loved what she could do." I really want another book, because I did not want this story to end.