Sparkhouse

"Elle Dowd is the only white writer I have ever encountered in this weird space of progressive Christianity talking to her cousins about their sin of racism who isn't making a dime from her book--100 percent of every dime she makes off this book goes back to the community she learned from. That's the best--but far from the only--reason to listen to her or buy this book."

"Baptized in Tear Gas is a powerful and honest reflection rooted in equipping others with the skills and tools to engage in transformative change."

"In Elle Dowd's transformative memoir, we see that the grueling fight to uproot white supremacy--christened and propagated by no less than our own church fathers--is indeed holy work. Dowd is baptized in tear gas, purified by truth, and willing to wake us up from our sleep."

"White people explaining abolition to other white people is part of the work. I'm thankful to have this book as a part of my arsenal that I can recommend to other white folks working through issues of police and prison abolition."

"In the ever-sharpening glare of white supremacy, Dowd casts a vision for a transformed people and church, showing by example how we can move past Dr. King's 'white moderate into a faithful body willing to confront our own complicity and challenge the lies of American racism."

"Elle Dowd writes with a sober clarity about the demon of white supremacy in a way few white people have. Baptized in Tear Gas is a primer for those of us who are white and seek a better world."

"In 2014 I watched as the Ferguson Uprising unfolded on my phone screen through Elle's Facebook posts. Her ability to communicate what was happening, both through her posts and through this book, helped me shift from denial and fragility to action."

"While many books convict and educate white Christians about white supremacy, racial capitalism, and anti-Black racism, Baptized in Tear Gas compels and equips you to do something about these matters."

"This book is a much-needed addition to the antiracist conversation, one that moves white folks beyond basics to a passionate belief in abolition and liberation. Elle Dowd is the real deal."

"If you are a white person of faith wrestling with the state-sanctioned violence you witness in the streets of America, this book is a must-read. Dowd's stories and theological insights will steel our resolve for the next time we demand justice and are met with tear gas, white supremacist hatred, and our own insecurities."

"The opposite of protest tourism, Baptized in Tear Gas powerfully excavates the chamber of the human heart where joy, hope, and faith collide with fear, propelling a young minister out into the streets to learn anew what the gospel demands."

"I celebrate Rev. Elle Dowd's Baptized in Tear Gas for its daring audacity to confront the insidious white moderatism among folk who've been the ultimate provocateurs of oppression since 1619. Submerge yourself in the divine waters of these pages, repentant and reignited to enter(as Jesus did after his baptism) the wilderness of authentic, anti-capitalistic justice activism."

"If you're a white Christian and you find yourself on the sidelines quietly lamenting another story of racist violence, go read Baptized in Tear Gas. It'll get you off the bench. There's an abolitionist inside you. Dowd will help you find them."