No More Prisons: Urban Life, Homeschooling, Hip-Hop Leadership, the Cool Rich Kids Movement, a Hitchhiker's Guide to Paperback – November 1, 2008

I bought this in paperback years ago when it initially came out, but lost it. So, I was absolutely thrilled to find an electronic copy available on Amazon, especially considering it's not a "mainstream" publication. It was also a very cheap buy which was obviously a ++. The social, cultural, and political topics covered in the book, (though written some time ago), are just as relevant, (perhaps even more so), in today's world. William Upski Wimsatt's story- telling style, plus his persona as portrayed by his writing style, make this a very fun, engaging, and thought- provoking read. GET IT!!!

This book is definitely entertaining and informative. The essay format allows Wimsatt to discuss all these different ideas and give the reader plenty to work with, and that is what they will have to do if any of these ideas hook them. Look into the books and resources Wimsatt provides and continue where he leaves off. Also, keep in mind that this book was written over ten years ago. Reading No More Prisons made me want to read Please Don't Bomb The Suburbs to see where his ideas took him and how these movements have changed.In his intro, Wimsatt said he wanted to write a book for people who don't normally read and I think he did.

The information in this book was very informative. There were links to the different websites and names of persons that made my homeschooling my daughter a lot easier than I had imagined.

Older book still full of good ideas!

After reading about 1/4 of this book, I just couldn't put it down and finished the rest in one sitting. It's that amazing. Don't be fooled by the title, this book has very little about actual prisons. In fact only the first 12 pages or so are about actual prisons, the rest of the book uses the metaphor of a prison to show how society largely traps us.The section on homeschooling is amazing. Prior to reading this book I had always just thought of school as the only path for a kid. I didn't even know that it was possible to go to college without going to either a public or private high school (although, now that I think about it it does seem that the kids who win the national spelling bee each year are usually homeschooled). And there are numerous other topics covered in this book.This book is a hip hop book, but I feel this really needs clarification. Hip hop is one of the most misunderstood concepts in recent time. Hip hop is not about making money, it is about universal brotherhood (and is in many ways similiar to zen buddhism). There is a fundamental difference between hip hop and rap. Rap is what most people think of when they think of hip hop, which is a shame because people like Puff Daddy have nothing in common with hip hop (people like Afrika Bambaata).Oh well, enough with my rant about hip hop. If you live in an urban center this should be required reading. If you believe that there is nothing you can really do to make a difference for the better, read this book and see if you still feel the same way.Highly recommended.

...about his wealth. He was "upper middle-class" in Bomb the Suburbs, but now he admits to being filthy rich as he stands to inherit a large family fortune. I knew he had to be rich cuz your average blue-collar, working class white person does not share his guilty conscience about slavery or black plight. Rich whites really shouldn't attempt to be the spokespeople for the majority of whites any more than they should try to speak for all blacks. It's a totally different mindset. Reading the self-appointed spokesperson for the white race proclaim "my entire race owes black people 96% of all our life energy and money and we'd be lucky still if they forgave us and didn't kill us Colin Ferguson style" was enough to make milk pour out my nose.Aside from that though this book is excellent and I didn't notice too much white (rich?) guilt as I noticed in the first book. On every page of this book Upski seems to be laying down some detailed strategy on how to fight back against this wicked system. I was very impressed with his second effort and I wish him well and hope people take him, and his causes seriously. He appears to be a born leader who deserves people's backing. Go Upski!

Once again, Upski has done something real. He has matured and gained intellectually from his first work (Bomb the Suburbs). In Bomb the Suburbs, he was full of energy and great ideas, but as a first time writer was unpolished and a few times overzealous. In this work, he corrects those problems and addresses real methods for change in our society. From making useful charity donations to upstart organizations to creating community centers to homeschooling kids the right way, Upski again delivers people what very few people have done so far -- tools for making a difference.If you like this read his first book, Bomb the Suburbs, to gain additional perspective.

Calling himself a “cool rich kid,” William Wimsatt encourages others like him to follow his lead in using their resources to organize for social change. His main interests are the anti-prison movement; neighborhood life vs. suburban sprawl; self-education and homeschooling; hip-hop and urban leadership; and organizing cool rich kids to fund grass roots groups.Wimsatt “walks his talk.” His theory is that the prison industry thrives on fear – unwarranted fear. So he hitchhiked around the U.S. and spent time (day and night) on the streets of the “most feared neighborhoods” of U.S. cities without harm. His point isn’t that those neighborhoods are safe. (Here is an example of his straight-talk style.) “Especially if you live there and are related to the drug trade, or if you act either phony, or nervous or condescending, or talk s***, or if you’re walking around with an expensive video camera. Then again, if you do any of those things, you probably need to get your ass whupped – part of your education in this ass-whupping world.”In his excellent critique of public schooling, one of his comments is: “I didn’t want to hear about amazing people. I wanted to meet them, apprentice with them, be their partner.” May he inspire many others to pursue their mentors and their passions.