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A review by iamcaseyrkelley
An Inconvenient Cop: My Fight to Change Policing in America by Jon Sternfeld, Edwin Raymond
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
A must read for everyone. This really changes the perspective of how we look at policing. While I think there is part of the American population that fully recognizes the problems within police departments, this book illustrates that the issues we face are deeply ingrained into the fabric of the system.
The author starts the book deeply personal as he shares loss and love during his childhood. This approach offers us a look into the man beyond the uniform and gives a deeper understanding into who he is.
One of my favorite things about the book is how well the story telling is. It doesn’t read like fiction with a bunch of heavy text. It felt personable. I alternated between the audiobook (the author narrates) and the physical copy which gave me a more immersive reading experience. I felt like we were sitting on the deck and he was sharing his life experiences but also giving me insight into a world from a different lens. The author helped me understand that it is much deeper than “a few bad apples”. It is truly a system and then individuals that uphold that system with threats and retaliation for anyone that dares challenge it.
I applaud Edwin Raymond’s courage to tell this story. This was so enlightening. At times it is a difficult read. While “we” have always known some of the things in this book, seeing it in black & white and realizing that it is a strategy is simultaneously frightening and validating. As such, some may need to be in the right head space to read a book that confirms all that we knew and lets us know it is worst than we imagined.
The author starts the book deeply personal as he shares loss and love during his childhood. This approach offers us a look into the man beyond the uniform and gives a deeper understanding into who he is.
One of my favorite things about the book is how well the story telling is. It doesn’t read like fiction with a bunch of heavy text. It felt personable. I alternated between the audiobook (the author narrates) and the physical copy which gave me a more immersive reading experience. I felt like we were sitting on the deck and he was sharing his life experiences but also giving me insight into a world from a different lens. The author helped me understand that it is much deeper than “a few bad apples”. It is truly a system and then individuals that uphold that system with threats and retaliation for anyone that dares challenge it.
I applaud Edwin Raymond’s courage to tell this story. This was so enlightening. At times it is a difficult read. While “we” have always known some of the things in this book, seeing it in black & white and realizing that it is a strategy is simultaneously frightening and validating. As such, some may need to be in the right head space to read a book that confirms all that we knew and lets us know it is worst than we imagined.