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anniema15's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
first half is stunning journalism. also tallanasty produces more journalists than you’d think!
jcarolm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
joshlegere's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
5.0
advujovich's review against another edition
4.0
Definitely appreciated the book as it helped me untangle my recollections of this time. I could feel parts of the book in my body as Floyd’s murder occurs blocks from my house. I suppose I felt the purpose of the books is to convince people that NO ONE deserves to die in the streets at the hands of the police (I don’t know how you can read this book and not want to abolish the police right here and now). So, I felt like the authors were preaching to the choir a bit. I absolutely loved the chapter about Floyd’s ancestors—detailing how unfairly their land in North Carolina was taken away from them and how many generations toiled on the land harvesting tobacco. The ending of that chapter when the authors wrote that he was killed after being stopped for allegedly using a counterfeit bill to purchase cigarettes, was elegant and beautifully connected past injustices, racism, and white supremacy with those of today. I wanted more of that elegance in telling the story, but found more of a chronological retelling of events. I do think that was important though—with that you were able to see the overlapping tragedies with the early pandemic in the background. All in all, an important read.
convivialcatch's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
kateyoutka's review against another edition
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Profound and important.
This book takes a look at the life of one man whose story is all too familiar for thousands of men who look like him. This book deftly follows what George Floyd's life was like before he was murdered in 2020. It's not a happy story or a particularly glamorous one, but that makes the story all the more heartbreaking. It's proof that Floyd was, like the rest of us, a flawed person doing their best to make it in the world. But in Floyd's case, and in the case of countless people of color, the odds were stacked against him. This book also explores the social movement that followed Floyd's murder. Most poignant to me was the exploration of how Floyd's murder impacted thousands (if not millions!) of people who had never met him, compared to how those closest to him grieved as the entire world learned his name.
This book takes a look at the life of one man whose story is all too familiar for thousands of men who look like him. This book deftly follows what George Floyd's life was like before he was murdered in 2020. It's not a happy story or a particularly glamorous one, but that makes the story all the more heartbreaking. It's proof that Floyd was, like the rest of us, a flawed person doing their best to make it in the world. But in Floyd's case, and in the case of countless people of color, the odds were stacked against him. This book also explores the social movement that followed Floyd's murder. Most poignant to me was the exploration of how Floyd's murder impacted thousands (if not millions!) of people who had never met him, compared to how those closest to him grieved as the entire world learned his name.