All Our Trials

I'd like to thank Netgalley and the University of Illinois Press for giving me an ARC of All Our Trials.

For starters, there are some trigger warnings in this book, including, but not limited to: sexual assault, and brutality (domestic and police). All Our Trials is essentially a history of modern feminist anti-violence and anticarceral movements within the United States. This book covers a lot of ground, but it is incredibly important material. Emily Thuma details the incredible importance of intersectional feminism and through this book shows the triumphs that women can accomplish when we choose to stand together fighting for and with those whom colonial systems have tried to strip voices from. I would encourage anyone to read this book.

Emily Thuma's All Our Trials details the history of activism for and by women in prison. It's a very inclusive study, focusing intensely on marginalized women, including women of color and queer women. It's very thorough, detailed, and covers a lot of information without feeling info-dumping or feeling extremely dry. This book importantly takes on how women have fought for their own rights while in prison or for other women in prison, and it doesn't shy away from the conflicts between women who should have been on the same side. Thuma's writing never feels detached and packs a lot of emotional punch.

All Our Trials is a history of how the women’s anti-violence, anti-racism, feminism, and prison abolition came together in recognition of how these struggles are interdependent. Examples abound of women who have been sentenced to prison for defending themselves from rape and domestic violence. The story of two African American women, Joan Little and Cece McDonald bracket the book, Joan Little killed a prison guard who was raping her. McDonald shot into the ceiling to scare off her abusive ex. Both women were convicted and both have won release through activism demanding justice. On one hand, the power of organizing is demonstrated by their release. On the other hand, half a century separate their cases…and the same biases prevail.

I remember when I was in college, a local woman whose abusive husband kept her shackled to a ropeline to keep her from leaving their farm was convicted when she killed him. It was such an unspeakable injustice and All Our Trials is rife with injustices and the women and organizations in the struggle to right those wrongs.

Because prison and the criminal justice system is the purveyor of so much injustice, feminist anti-rape and domestic violence organizers are reluctant to look to the criminal justice system for help. Incarcerating more people in a system of violence is not the answer to violence. This has been a nexus of coalition-building and opportunity as well as division as many white feminists did not see the connection.


All Our Trials successfully connects contemporary anti-violence and anti-carceral organizing to the struggles of the Seventies. There is a through-line that connects generations of organizing. That is both empowering and discouraging as our nation has embraced locking people up as a solution for every social problem, including mental illness and student disruption. The carceral state remains a force of oppression. Rape and domestic violence also seem unimpeded, with an abuser in the White House. Nonetheless, no one has given up and the work continues – work that will be well-informed by this book.

I received an e-galley of All Our Trials from the publisher through NetGalley.

All Our Trials at University of Illinois Press
Emily L. Thuma faculty page

This is a needed book on gender, looking at feminism and women's involvement in radical politics during a relatively recent period of history, and using a variety of archival material, both print and visual. It's a welcome contribution to the history of marginalised sections of society, and will be a useful book for anyone interested in women's roles in politics and the criminal justice system.

This amazing book traces history of activism among women of color in various areas. Well-researched, intriguing, and unforgettable. I highly recommend this book!