The Second

The Second

2021 • 272 pages

Ratings3

Average rating5

15

“It's impossible to be unarmed when your Blackness is the weapon they fear.”
- The Hate U Give (film)

I learned so much from The Second. It's short but dense (it reads a touch academic) but please do not let that put you off reading it. It is devastating, and at times I had to set it aside for minutes or days. Anderson reframes the history of the Second Amendment, and posits that this amendment was intended only to keep Black slaves and free Black people subjugated. She then proceeds over the next 160 pages to delve into that history, and oh goodness was this fascinating and horrifying. I absolutely recommend this to everyone.

May 14, 2023