After numerous conversations with friends about what I call the “internal work” of abolition (emotional healing and growth, character-building, interpersonal skill development, etc.) and self-care, my good friend Charlotte Pope sent me Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha’s CARE WORK. I wanted to read a text that related the struggles and resiliency strategies of others in the movement. I needed to know that I wasn’t alone in my trials, fear, and many stumblings. I needed to find balance. I needed affirmation that it was okay to take care of me, to ask for what I need to survive and thrive.
I had been introduced to the author’s work by Dr. Liat Ben-Moshe. Those articles were less personal, more movement focused in a general sense. This book takes one inside the heart and mind of an activist/organizer who has been in the movement for a long time in different capacities and geographies. I expected to learn how I could sustain myself and my comrades. I wasn’t disappointed.
What I want to know from those who have read (are reading) the book is:
1. What prompted you to read the book?
2. What were your expectations?
3. Were you familiar with the author’s work?
Always,
Stevie
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Dreaming Freedom, Practicing Abolition 
I had to read this book for a class and honestly loved it! I didn’t know a lot about disability justice (at least not to the extend Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha explains), so I had no specific expectations for the book. I’m glad I read it because I had never heard of Leah’s work in the past.