rrickman33's review against another edition
4.0
This book is about five unforgettable days of protests and riots in Baltimore after the murder of Freddie Gray by Baltimore police. Told through the stories of 8 different individuals living in Baltimore from April 25th-29th 2015. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing about their lives and the story of the 5 days through them. The book ended with an epilogue of where did they all end up, and an Author’s Note written in 2020 of what can be done to change our country for the better.
To quote Wes Moore from the book directly, “This book is about more than Freddie Gray’s death and its aftermath. This book is about more than Baltimore. It’s about privilege, history, entitlement, greed, and pain. And complicity. Mine. All of ours.”
The Author’s Note was probably my favorite part of the book where Moore discusses poverty, housing, income inequality, lead poisoning in toddlers, and more. Where should we start to fix our country? Right there. “It’s our time to use our individual voices, power, will, and privilege to address economic injustice. To fight for those who have been consistently left out.”
I learned a great deal from this book and the only reason it’s a 4 star from me is because of how it was organized. Not only is it divided up by the 5 days but the chapters from the 8 people are random. Not every person has a chapter for every day, sometimes it would switch back and forth quickly between people in the day and I got very confused. I lost track of who was who multiple times. With a bit more organization to help readers this really would be such a phenomenal book with a powerful message.
To quote Wes Moore from the book directly, “This book is about more than Freddie Gray’s death and its aftermath. This book is about more than Baltimore. It’s about privilege, history, entitlement, greed, and pain. And complicity. Mine. All of ours.”
The Author’s Note was probably my favorite part of the book where Moore discusses poverty, housing, income inequality, lead poisoning in toddlers, and more. Where should we start to fix our country? Right there. “It’s our time to use our individual voices, power, will, and privilege to address economic injustice. To fight for those who have been consistently left out.”
I learned a great deal from this book and the only reason it’s a 4 star from me is because of how it was organized. Not only is it divided up by the 5 days but the chapters from the 8 people are random. Not every person has a chapter for every day, sometimes it would switch back and forth quickly between people in the day and I got very confused. I lost track of who was who multiple times. With a bit more organization to help readers this really would be such a phenomenal book with a powerful message.
hannas_heas47's review against another edition
4.0
This book sets the stage for the riots around Baltimore when Freddie Gray was arrested and hurt during police custody which lead to his death. The book also details other deaths of unarmed men being killed while in police custody trying to bring awareness to the situation and the sort through the frustrations. Wes Moore brings you seven different outlooks from people involved in what happened to the city during those five days. What you take from that is obviously an opinion of your own.
What did I like? Wes Moore is a thought provoking author of several different books, my favorite being The Work. This title however comes from seven different peoples view points during stages of the riots, and not really in the eyes of Wes Moore. Change needs to come about but from where and how much is too much. A peaceful protest and march turns deadly with riots. Wes Moore gives you the situation through the eyes of several key point players and you can form your own opinion.
Would I recommend or buy? This is an admiral fence book for Wes Moore, he gives you the situation and allows you to form your own opinion. Most people don’t like that this book takes so many view points, and it’s a lot of information to process. I’m sure you could have quite the list of police brutality and it’s very clear that a reform is needed.
Thoughts for the author? Interesting angle and unexpected, I really enjoyed the Work, and the other Wes Moore. This one was thought provoking but it raises more concerns than anything. Thanks to Netgalley for a copy to read and offer my opinion.
What did I like? Wes Moore is a thought provoking author of several different books, my favorite being The Work. This title however comes from seven different peoples view points during stages of the riots, and not really in the eyes of Wes Moore. Change needs to come about but from where and how much is too much. A peaceful protest and march turns deadly with riots. Wes Moore gives you the situation through the eyes of several key point players and you can form your own opinion.
Would I recommend or buy? This is an admiral fence book for Wes Moore, he gives you the situation and allows you to form your own opinion. Most people don’t like that this book takes so many view points, and it’s a lot of information to process. I’m sure you could have quite the list of police brutality and it’s very clear that a reform is needed.
Thoughts for the author? Interesting angle and unexpected, I really enjoyed the Work, and the other Wes Moore. This one was thought provoking but it raises more concerns than anything. Thanks to Netgalley for a copy to read and offer my opinion.
bookreviewswithkb's review against another edition
emotional
informative
fast-paced
3.75
i liked the premise of this book and appreciated gaining a deeper understanding of the climate of the city of baltimore, how there came to be an uprising after the murder of Freddie Gray by police. the authors utilized a wide variety of perspectives through multi-narrative storytelling, including a woman whose own brother was murder by police, a public defender, the Orioles owner, a police captain, and more
it was a good read but i think it would have been more impactful if the authors had narrowed down the amount of perspectives shared and went deeper with each. it felt disjointed at times and i was unable to form a connection with some of the individuals who were sharing their story because we didn’t get enough time with them
laurenash's review against another edition
3.0
Would have been stronger with less perspectives. As the editor, I would've chosen the police officer, lawyer, family member, councilman, and I guess protester.
renwar96's review against another edition
5.0
Wes Moore has a way of writing that pulls you into the story and makes you feel like you're living it. This book is written in a different persons point of view in each chapter. It conveys their fears as they watch the city they live in get torn apart. It's very interesting to hear each persons perspective on the situation. If I see Wes Moore's name on it, I know it's a must read!
anitaofplaybooktag's review against another edition
4.0
This book follows the five days in the aftermath of Freddy Gray's death while in custody of the Baltimore police. As someone living in the adjacent county at the time, I can say the ramifications of this event roiled Baltimore. By and large, I thought Moore picked a really interesting way to show the events from varying perspectives from an African-American police officer to the owner of the Baltimore Orioles to the manager of a popular roller rink to the sister of a man killed by the police. Each person perceived the events slightly differently, and in their own way, tried to make sense of what happened and tried to help their city.
Moore summarizes his perspectives at the end of the book with a call to action.
This book was uniquely fascinating to me because I know a lot about the physical locations and many of the political players. So it is hard for me to really know how a reader outside of the Baltimore metro area would perceive it. The chapters are very, very short, with each one focusing on a different person. This gives the book a fragmented feeling, and I wonder if that might get confusing for some readers.
And obviously, there is a political message, and not everyone is going to agree with the conclusions. Moore focuses as much on poverty as he does on racism (which in Baltimore, a city where every leadership position is held by black people makes sense), but his final chapter has an academic tone to it and really doesn't talk about how change can be made when a city with so many murders is an unattractive location for economic development. Baltimore has a terrible reputation, and for a city with so many amazing physical assets and beauty, that is a hurdle that no one seems able to overcome. Post Freddy Gray and the consent decree, the police are policing much less and the murder rate has soared. What is the answer? The city is grappling with these issues as we speak which makes this book so gripping and topical right now.
Moore summarizes his perspectives at the end of the book with a call to action.
This book was uniquely fascinating to me because I know a lot about the physical locations and many of the political players. So it is hard for me to really know how a reader outside of the Baltimore metro area would perceive it. The chapters are very, very short, with each one focusing on a different person. This gives the book a fragmented feeling, and I wonder if that might get confusing for some readers.
And obviously, there is a political message, and not everyone is going to agree with the conclusions. Moore focuses as much on poverty as he does on racism (which in Baltimore, a city where every leadership position is held by black people makes sense), but his final chapter has an academic tone to it and really doesn't talk about how change can be made when a city with so many murders is an unattractive location for economic development. Baltimore has a terrible reputation, and for a city with so many amazing physical assets and beauty, that is a hurdle that no one seems able to overcome. Post Freddy Gray and the consent decree, the police are policing much less and the murder rate has soared. What is the answer? The city is grappling with these issues as we speak which makes this book so gripping and topical right now.
30something_reads's review
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
3.75 ⭐
This was a really compelling look into the days after the death of Freddie Gray in 2015 Baltimore. Moore outlines those 5 days through the viewpoints of 8 individuals whose lives intersected during these protests.
While informative, my biggest issue was the organization of these viewpoints. It often felt meandering and getting off track.
Still a very powerful recount of the oppression endemic to the communities in Baltimore.
This was a really compelling look into the days after the death of Freddie Gray in 2015 Baltimore. Moore outlines those 5 days through the viewpoints of 8 individuals whose lives intersected during these protests.
While informative, my biggest issue was the organization of these viewpoints. It often felt meandering and getting off track.
Still a very powerful recount of the oppression endemic to the communities in Baltimore.