The Chosen Ones - (Gender and Justice) by Nikki Jones (Paperback)

The Chosen Ones is a powerful and thought-provoking book that delves into the lives of Black men living in San Francisco's historically Black neighborhood, the Fillmore.

The author, Nikki Jones, shares their compelling story of atonement and redemption as they work to make amends for past crimes by reaching out to other Black men, young and old.

Despite their genuine efforts, they struggle to find a new place in their old neighborhood, and the double-edged sword of community shapes their work of redemption. The book offers a nuanced account of crime fighting and identifies challenges that are not well covered in the broader sociological and criminological literatures.

The Chosen Ones should be read by gender scholars, urban sociologists, criminologists, and ethnographers.

It is an important contribution at the intersection of race, crime, and justice, and would be well suited for scholars and students of Criminology, Sociology, African American Studies, and Gender Studies. The Chosen Ones is a must-read for anyone interested in researching and addressing the violence experienced by those most vulnerable, often young people of color in inner-city neighborhoods, and understanding the material conditions that facilitate and challenge it.

With its riveting stories and unparalleled analysis, The Chosen Ones exposes the gendered and racialized politics of redemption at the heart of criminal justice (and injustice!) better than any book written to date.

It is a true triumph, easily among the decade's most important books on the American way of justice.