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A review by rustedpages
Better, Not Bitter: Living on Purpose in the Pursuit of Racial Justice by Yusef Salaam
4.0
3.5 ⭐️s
Better, not Bitter’ is a memoir by Yusuf Salaam, one of the exonerated ‘Central Park Five’, who were wrongly convicted of rape. Rather than retelling the events of the conviction in detail, he focuses on what that event meant for Black people and America, along with recounting his emotional state and spirituality, and critiquing America’s justice system.
Oh how I love hearing people talk about how Islam saved them in their most difficult times. I am always in need of the inspiration. I would have liked it if he wrote about that in a little more detail, though I know it’s his choice how much he chooses to share about his spiritual journey. Other than that, I did notice that there was quite a bit of repetition throughout. But the book is cathartic, and an essential story to be told, in order to hold America accountable.
‘But I believe that there comes a time when the pain of remaining the same is far greater than the pain of trying to do something different.’
Better, not Bitter’ is a memoir by Yusuf Salaam, one of the exonerated ‘Central Park Five’, who were wrongly convicted of rape. Rather than retelling the events of the conviction in detail, he focuses on what that event meant for Black people and America, along with recounting his emotional state and spirituality, and critiquing America’s justice system.
Oh how I love hearing people talk about how Islam saved them in their most difficult times. I am always in need of the inspiration. I would have liked it if he wrote about that in a little more detail, though I know it’s his choice how much he chooses to share about his spiritual journey. Other than that, I did notice that there was quite a bit of repetition throughout. But the book is cathartic, and an essential story to be told, in order to hold America accountable.
‘But I believe that there comes a time when the pain of remaining the same is far greater than the pain of trying to do something different.’