Book Talk: Smashing Statues by Dr. Erin L. Thompson
John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Thursday, December 7, 5 - 6:30pm EST: Book Talk: Smashing Statues by Dr. Erin L. Thompson
“An urgent and fractious national debate over public monuments has erupted in America. Some people risk imprisonment to tear down long-ignored hunks of marble; others form armed patrols to defend them. Why do we care so much about statues? And who gets to decide which ones should stay up and which should come down?
“In Smashing Statues, Thompson traces the turbulent history of American monuments and its abundant ironies, starting with the enslaved man who helped make the statue of Freedom atop the US Capitol, and explore the surprising motivations behind such contemporary flashpoints as the toppling of a statue of Columbus at the Minnesota State Capitol. Combining gripping narratives with legal, political, and historical analysis, the book aims to give readers the context they need to consider the fundamental question: Whose voices must be heard and whose pain must remain private?”
Register here.
Additional reading:
Smashing Statues: The Rise and Fall of America's Public Monuments by Erin L. Thompson on bookshop.org
Books & Books, February 17, 2022: Smashing Statues: An Evening with Erin L. Thompson and Ariel Sabar
The New York Times, October 27, 2023: The Most Controversial Statue in America Surrenders to the Furnace
