Media Coverage — Nell Bernstein

What They’re Saying About Burning Down the House

Nell Bernstein’s latest book, Burning Down the House (published June 3, 2014), is a searing look at the shameful state of juvenile justice in the United States. “Raze the buildings, free the children, and begin anew,” Nell writes, staking the claim that our juvenile prisons are beyond redemption. The book has been covered widely this week across numerous platforms – here’s a round-up of reviews, interviews, and Q&As below:

The San Francisco Chronicle writes that the book “offers promising alternatives to jail and issues an urgent and unequivocal moral indictment: We’ve purchased peace of mind at the cost of the health, and in some cases the lives, of children - a bargain perhaps as criminal as the worst of youthful offenses.”

Over on NPR’s Fresh Air, Nell chatted with Dave Davies about the types of offenses that juveniles typically commit, sexual abuse in juvenile facilities, and potential alternatives to juvenile incarceration.

Actor Wil Wheaton reacted strongly to the Fresh Air interview, calling the American juvenile justice system “heartbreaking” and “infuriating.”

Burning Down the House appeared in Glamour’s June 6th “What to Read” recommendations. Entertainment writer Megan Angelo called the book “riveting” and “devastating.”

MSNBC featured an interview with Nell Bernstein following a story regarding a group of twelve-year-olds who are being charged as adults for stabbing one of their friends.

AlterNet featured a Q&A with Nell in which she discussed some of the salient points of her book, such as the cruel conditions of juvenile prisons, the disproportionate number of impoverished children in the juvenile justice system, and the potential for future change.

And finally, in a review for The Week, Andrew Cohen writes, “Read this book. If you are a parent, especially, it may change your life. The kids in this book could be my kid. They could be your kid.” In a tweet about his article, Cohen likened Bernstein to the Rachel Carson of the juvenile justice movement.

Burning Down The House continues to gather praise including The Daily Beast's Best Big Ideas of 2014 and Publishers Weekly's Best Books of 2014. In 2015, Burning Down The House garnered an honorable mention in the 2015 Scribes Book Awards as well as the American Bar Association's Silver Gavel Award for Media and the Arts.

Also:

"Intervention, Not Incarceration: PW Talks with Nell Bernstein," Publishers Weekly 25 April 2014

"Burning Down The House," Kirkus Review May 2014

"Burning Down The House," Good Reads

"Activist-Writer Nell Bernstein," Tavis Smiley Show 27 May 2014

"Episode 327," Matthew Filipowicz Show 27 May 2014

"Culture Shock: The Problem of Juvenile Justice," Los Angeles Review of Books 2 June 2014

"Author Nell Bernstein Talks About ‘Burning Down the House’ and Abolishing Juvenile Prisons," Juvenile Justice Information Exchange 2 June 2014

"Burning Down The House," San Francisco Chronicle 6 June 2014

"Author Nell Bernstein Exposes Failed Juvenile Prison System," The Peter B. Collins Shows 11 June 2014

"America Incarcerates Kids for WHAT?!" David Pakman Show 13 June 2014

"Close All Juvenile Prisons," Talk Nation Radio 24 June 2014