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autumnwinterspring's review against another edition
4.0
Although the 8 different accounts did make this retelling a bit convoluted at times, this recount of the 2015 Baltimore riots is personal and devastating and eye-opening.
amanda_schleimer's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
medium-paced
3.75
avvid's review against another edition
4.0
I was glad to have learned about the events of five days in baltimore that followed the death of freddie gray while he was in the custody of the BPD. The narrative itself is a little (well, very, tbh) choppy, due to the authors’ efforts to base their work on interviews with 7 different people affected by the events. It just didn’t flow very well for me.
But it still manages to make clear that poverty and wealth/income inequality are significant and growing problems that have far reaching consequences. I would recommend that everyone read the epilogue for a good summary of the salient points made in the body of the book. The narrative itself i didn’t find to be super compelling, but it was a quick and easy read, and it held my interest well enough, i suppose. The main narrative may be more appealing to readers who enjoy the blow-by-blow of events as they’re unfolding, or who have a personal connection to baltimore.
There is something here to edify all of us, so i don’t think you will regret picking this one up. You’ll come away a better citizen for having read it, even if it doesn’t end up in your top 10 list.
But it still manages to make clear that poverty and wealth/income inequality are significant and growing problems that have far reaching consequences. I would recommend that everyone read the epilogue for a good summary of the salient points made in the body of the book. The narrative itself i didn’t find to be super compelling, but it was a quick and easy read, and it held my interest well enough, i suppose. The main narrative may be more appealing to readers who enjoy the blow-by-blow of events as they’re unfolding, or who have a personal connection to baltimore.
There is something here to edify all of us, so i don’t think you will regret picking this one up. You’ll come away a better citizen for having read it, even if it doesn’t end up in your top 10 list.
hmstamper's review against another edition
4.0
Good read about the different perspectives about the Baltimore Uprising of 2015.
thechronicknitter's review against another edition
4.0
A powerful look from a variety of viewpoints/persons who were in Baltimore, Maryland the five days after Freddy Gray was laid to rest after dying from police brutality. The way that the police handled themselves, nor the city itself, during the riots did nothing to quell the fear, anger and frustration that had been building up over decades in the city of Baltimore. Hearing what transpired from many different sides allows the reader a take on what really occurred, what various people were thinking, as well as what took place afterwards both to the people who told their stories as well as the city of Baltimore. Powerful and pointing out that we have a long way to go.
kobrien's review against another edition
4.0
3.5
This book is an interesting read, a deeper look into what the protests and unrest in the aftermath of the murder of Freddie Gray was actually like and what it meant for the people of Baltimore. It has a very tight scope of 5 days, but in those 5 days tries to cover 7 or 8 different people’s experiences. I think everyone’s perspectives added to the overall picture, but many could have used a deeper dive and exploration. I think the author’s views comes through strongly in the second hand telling of these people’s experiences and it could sometimes make me wonder what was objective. I’m glad I read this book and reading it in 2021 it’s hard not to draw the connections of the similar media coverage of protests in Minneapolis and Kenosha. This book reminded me of the importance of the personal and the local.
This book is an interesting read, a deeper look into what the protests and unrest in the aftermath of the murder of Freddie Gray was actually like and what it meant for the people of Baltimore. It has a very tight scope of 5 days, but in those 5 days tries to cover 7 or 8 different people’s experiences. I think everyone’s perspectives added to the overall picture, but many could have used a deeper dive and exploration. I think the author’s views comes through strongly in the second hand telling of these people’s experiences and it could sometimes make me wonder what was objective. I’m glad I read this book and reading it in 2021 it’s hard not to draw the connections of the similar media coverage of protests in Minneapolis and Kenosha. This book reminded me of the importance of the personal and the local.
allyreids's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
meganashlee27's review against another edition
5.0
I was back and forth between a 4 and a 5 for this one until I read the Author’s Note.
I appreciated the author’s storytelling, bringing together all the different voices and experiences throughout the five days on unrest. But reading how they all tied together, and what perspectives the author saw in bringing these stories together really elevated it for me.
I appreciated the author’s storytelling, bringing together all the different voices and experiences throughout the five days on unrest. But reading how they all tied together, and what perspectives the author saw in bringing these stories together really elevated it for me.
jmk1217's review against another edition
5.0
"Freddie Gray is dead because of a stop and arrest that lacked any probably cause whatsoever. And now they are running around in tanks arresting people without any probable cause. I really believe that all people need to push state legislators to pass legislation that pushes back on the abusive practices the judiciary has allowed and promoted over the past 30 years. I'm hoping for some good legislation across the country to come out of this moment. But I also think this is going to be a years long struggle. I hope this is the moment. I hope Ferguson was the start, and that five years from now we can celebrate a shift and a new civil rights movement in America."
-Baltimore juvenile public defender Jenny Egan, April 29, 2015
-Baltimore juvenile public defender Jenny Egan, April 29, 2015