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Rating a 3.75-4 stars. The story itself is intriguing and fascinating, especially living in Atlanta. My issue with the book is it's a real slow starter and doesn't pick up until the last fourth of the book. That is the only reason why my rating is where I have it.
The book is set in 1948, pre civil rights era. The Atlanta Police Department is forced to hire 8 black officers, yet these men were only officers in name only. They had the uniform and the badge, but had no rights allotted to officers. They weren't even allowed in the police station and had to shack up in the YMCA. When a black girl is found murdered and her body dumped in a trash dump, two of the new officers take it upon themselves to investigate her murder. At times this book was really hard to read due to the harsh racial discrimination and how it was written. I understand the story couldn't be told without it, but it doesn't make it any easier to read. It was also hard because it makes you question how much of this behavior is going on today, which is sad. The book was good and painful.
The book is set in 1948, pre civil rights era. The Atlanta Police Department is forced to hire 8 black officers, yet these men were only officers in name only. They had the uniform and the badge, but had no rights allotted to officers. They weren't even allowed in the police station and had to shack up in the YMCA. When a black girl is found murdered and her body dumped in a trash dump, two of the new officers take it upon themselves to investigate her murder. At times this book was really hard to read due to the harsh racial discrimination and how it was written. I understand the story couldn't be told without it, but it doesn't make it any easier to read. It was also hard because it makes you question how much of this behavior is going on today, which is sad. The book was good and painful.