Mutual Aid

October 1, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020 are the backdrop for this relevant thesis. Law professor Spade cogently defines mutual aid as a participatory culture of problem-solving that meets immediate local needs but also interrogates oppressive systems that failed or exacerbated issues. Spade criticizes capitalist systems that have separated and individualized people, therefore viewing mutual aid work as a radical act of solidarity. Using anecdotal and qualitative evidence, the book's first half explores grassroots efforts in which, in tandem with social movements, people innovated strategies and shared resources during crisis situations. Particularly important is the distinction between mutual aid and charity or non-profit work, which risk replicating unjust systems or assumptions about the people they serve. The second half discusses leadership and cultivating sustainable group culture, making this book a good choice for activists, community leaders, or anyone who wishes to be a change agent. Urgently calling for radical creativity and transformative change, Spade invites readers to think critically about their roles in groups and liberation.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)