'Ghettoside' by Jill Leovy dives deep into the heart of Los Angeles' violent neighborhoods, exploring the complexities of homicide investigations. Through the lens of a murdered young man's story, the book unveils the struggles of police detectives battling to solve crimes often dismissed by society. Leovy intricately examines the impact of systemic inequalities on urban violence and the lives of the inhabitants. With gripping narratives and poignant insights, she challenges readers to confront uncomfortable truths about race, justice, and community. This compelling exploration leaves you questioning what truly defines safety and justice in America.
By Jill Leovy
Published: 2015
"'In a landscape shaped by violence, the quest for justice becomes a profound act of faith.'"
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, USA TODAY, AND CHICAGO TRIBUNE • A masterly work of literary journalism about a senseless murder, a relentless detective, and the great plague of homicide in America NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FINALIST • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review • The Washington Post • The Boston Globe • The Economist • The Globe and Mail • BookPage • Kirkus Reviews On a warm spring evening in South Los Angeles, a young man is shot and killed on a sidewalk minutes away from his home, one of the thousands of black Americans murdered that year. His assailant runs down the street, jumps into an SUV, and vanishes, hoping to join the scores of killers in American cities who are never arrested for their crimes. But as soon as the case is assigned to Detective John Skaggs, the odds shift. Here is the kaleidoscopic story of the quintessential, but mostly ignored, American murder—a “ghettoside” killing, one young black man slaying another—and a brilliant and driven cadre of detectives whose creed is to pursue justice for forgotten victims at all costs. Ghettoside is a fast-paced narrative of a devastating crime, an intimate portrait of detectives and a community bonded in tragedy, and a surprising new lens into the great subject of why murder happens in our cities—and how the epidemic of killings might yet be stopped. Praise for Ghettoside “A serious and kaleidoscopic achievement . . . [Jill Leovy is] a crisp writer with a crisp mind and the ability to boil entire skies of information into hard journalistic rain.”—Dwight Garner, The New York Times “Masterful . . . gritty reporting that matches the police work behind it.”—Los Angeles Times “Moving and engrossing.”—San Francisco Chronicle “Penetrating and heartbreaking . . . Ghettoside points out how relatively little America has cared even as recently as the last decade about the value of young black men’s lives.”—USA Today “Functions both as a snappy police procedural and—more significantly—as a searing indictment of legal neglect . . . Leovy’s powerful testimony demands respectful attention.”—The Boston Globe
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“'In a landscape shaped by violence, the quest for justice becomes a profound act of faith.'”
Ghettoside
By Jill Leovy
Discover a world of knowledge through our extensive collection of book summaries.
Jill Leovy is an acclaimed American author and journalist, best known for her book "Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America," which examines the complexities of homicide in South Los Angeles and won critical praise for its in-depth analysis and narrative style. Leovy's writing is characterized by meticulous research and a compelling narrative voice, blending elements of nonfiction with the immediacy of fiction to bring her subjects to life. A former staff writer for the Los Angeles Times, she has also contributed essays and articles to various publications, showcasing her keen insight into urban issues and crime.
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