Reading to Freedom: K4fia’s Abolitionist Book Club

Abolition theory can be both intimidating and confusing — how can we continue to function if we abolish every system we currently live under? While theorists and activists are continuously figuring out the pragmatics of abolition, online educator Kafia, commonly known by her online handle K4fia, is working to make abolitionist theory accessible, relatable, and widely available through her free Fable book club Abolitionist Dreams. 

With an undergraduate degree in Women’s and Gender studies and a Master of Environmental Studies, feminism and oppression are topics that have always been front of mind for Kafia. Although she was dabbling with what she now understands as abolitionist theory, she didn’t have a name for her politics until she stumbled upon the theory in her personal readings.

“[When] I found Black feminism, Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde became my holy grail,” she explained. “In this book, Lorde talks about how the master’s tools can’t dismantle the master’s house … I always thought that was solely through a decolonial perspective, but then I came to abolition. I realized that from reading Black feminist scholars like Audre Lorde and Angela Davis, that every single form of oppression is interconnected — they don’t exist in isolation. There’s only one solution then, and that is to abolish.”

While the act of tearing down current institutional systems to address systemic oppression can seem daunting, people often forget what lies on the other side of this act: the beautiful possibilities of recreation.

“Abolition to me is about building better worlds for those who are the most marginalized, which requires restructuring, or abolishing, the structures we currently have in place. These are built on systems of power, capitalism, heteropatriarchy, and white supremacy. As Ruth Wilson Gilmore argues, Abolition is about how we can dismantle those systems and build new institutions that are life-affirming. She says, ‘It’s about presence, not absence.’”

A quick glance at Kafia’s platforms will highlight an obvious fact: she loves to read. From her colourful, packed bookshelf in the background of her TikToks to her informative book reviews on Instagram, reading is clearly a guiding passion for Kafia. While her love of reading started young with fantasy books like the Percy Jackson series, she grew to love non-fiction reading for its opposite purpose: while fantasy books transport us to different realities, non-fiction reading grounded Kafia in the inner workings of our world and how she fits within it.  

“I think I always loved to read … and over time I realized I wasn’t really seeing myself represented. I started to read on my commutes to school and actively searched out Black books and Black feminist texts and that’s what opened doors for me … Reading became a way to find language to locate myself in this world and to locate my own positionality.”

Hoping to widely share her love of reading and abolition theory, Kafia aims to keep Abolitionist Dreams accessible. Alongside hosting it on a free platform, Kafia also takes care to select books that are affordable, can be found in local libraries, and have reading levels and topics that meet people from different walks of life. Accessibility even extends to how the book club is organized: readers have two months to get through books and there isn’t an obligation to write discussion posts or attend Kafia’s occasional Zoom discussions. Members can choose how, and if, they want to participate, even if that’s simply following along with the book recommendations. 

With just over 600 members and a plan to explore topics such as love, pleasure, and rest, Kafia hopes her accessible book club will help illustrate that everyone can, and should, engage with abolitionist theory — you don’t have to be a scholar or marginalized person to learn how abolition theory can filter into every aspect of our lives.

“Abolition is for everyone — everyone should question everything around them and think about how we can build a better world. Everyone should work towards treating each other with love, empathy, and compassion, and work towards building those abolitionist futures today. Live in it today.”

While, of course, joining the Abolitionist Dreams is highly recommended (by both me and Kafia), here are some of Kafia’s top picks for those interested in starting their exploration of abolition theory. Each small description has been generously provided by Kafia.

1. Sister Outsider — Audre Lorde 

“Lorde's essay The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master's House argues that oppressive systems cannot be reformed or restructured, they must be abolished and built with new tools.”

2.  We Do This Till We Free Us — Mariam Kaba 

“Kaba encourages us to think about abolition through imagination and experiments. She pushes us to experiment and refine our visions for the future. Kaba teaches us that ‘hope is a discipline’ and a pillar of building an abolitionist future.”

3. Are Prisons Obsolete? —  Angela Davis 

“Davis interrogates the Prison industrial complex (PIC), integrating a historical analysis of slavery, the Jim Crow era, and her own activist scholar lived experiences to provide definitive reasons for abolition.”

4. Freedom Dreams — Robin D.G Kelley 

“Kelley examines the history of social justice movements, and he argues that hope is the true catalyst for any social or political change. This book highlights the importance of the Black Radical imagination as a means of freedom and liberation.”

5. Pet — Akwaeke Emezi 

“This novel tells the story of a young girl named Jam, who lives in an abolitionist utopia where evil and monsters no longer exist. However, Jam faces a dilemma that makes her question everything... The novel explores themes of morality, justice, and identity.”

6. Belly of The Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness  —  Da’Shaun L. Harrison 

“Harrison examines the inherent links between anti-fatness as anti-Blackness, delving into themes of health, desire, gender and the carceral state.”

Fun Fact: Kafia actually owns the author’s personal copy! Being Kafia’s favourite book, she kept giving away her own copies to loved ones, so when Da’Shaun learned about this they sent her their signed personal book so she could finally keep a copy for herself. 

7. Policing Black Lives — Robyn Maynard 

“Maynard interrogates the long-standing history of anti-Blackness in Canada from slavery to contemporary society. She links slavery to the current state of policing, policies and practices. A critical look at how pervasive anti-Blackness is in the Canadian context.”

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