A review by 11corvus11
Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin by Tracy Martin, Sybrina Fulton

4.0

I have a lot of issues with the respectability politics in this book, which I assume is why they didn't cover Black Lives Matter, which this case inspired the beginning of. There is a lot of claiming that "nonviolent," legal protest is the only effective kind which is odd since the verdict in this case and a juror calling their protests "riots" anyways shows that white supremacy does not care about respectability. The fact that more time was spent on Obama than it was on BLM- a movement that has fought harder and done more than he has- irked me. Why did I still give it 4 stars? Because this is their story and in some ways I don't believe my opinion about tactics really matters as much as hearing their story in their honest way does. I paid attention to what was going on but this book filled in a whole lot that I missed. I disagree with reviewers who claim it was too long or had too many quotes. I found the quotes fit very well and broke up the memoir-esque writing in engaging ways. I liked the design of the book and how it shifted back and forth between parents. I thought it was honest and well written. I would recommend it to folks interested in a more detailed history of the trial. Just keep in mind that their belief system is one of many and they don't speak for all activists.