Spring ’25 Reading Group: “Radical Acts of Justice,” Begins Feb. 28

Please join Steve Lessner, associate professor of English, in his spring 2025 reading group. We will discuss Radical Acts of Justice: How Ordinary People Are Dismantling Mass Incarceration, by Jocelyn Simonson. This book addresses social justice issues related to prison reform by focusing on ways everyday citizens can make strong differences in fighting against mass incarceration and injustices within the prison system. This book examines discrimination in “policing, criminal law and prisons” read about and discussed in prior reading groups. The discussion group will meet monthly via Zoom, four times during the spring semester, on select Fridays from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. The reading schedule with dates is provided below, with the first Zoom meeting scheduled for Friday, February 28, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. A free online version of the book can be accessed through the NOVA library; the book can also be purchased on Amazon. Please email Steve Lessner at SLessner@nvcc.edu for the February Zoom meeting link.  

• February Meeting: Friday, February 28, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., will focus on Introduction (10 pages) and Chapters 1–2 (pages 1–51)
• March Meeting: Friday, March 28, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., will focus on Chapters 3–4 (pages 52–126)
• April Meeting: Friday, April 25, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., will focus on Chapter 5 (pages 127–152)
• May Meeting: Friday, May 23, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., will focus on Chapter 6 and Afterword (pages 153–188)    

Submitted by:
Steve Lessner, AN-English, SLessner@nvcc.edu