How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America
by Clint Smith
On Juneteenth
by Annette Gordon-Reed
Policing the Black Man: Arrest, Prosecution, and Imprisonment
by Angela J. Davis, Bryan Stevenson, Marc Mauer, Bruce Western, and Jeremy Travis
Tangled Up in Blue: Policing the American City
by Rosa Brooks
God in the Ghetto: A Prophetic Word Revisited
by William Augustus Jones Jr. (edited by his daughter Jennifer Jones Austin)
King of Scars
by Leigh Bardugo
Like many Americans, I continue to learn about the legacy of slavery in America—and how that legacy impacts every element of modern life, from politics to economics to policing. I’m excited to explore that history through many of these books, from Gordon-Reed’s personal reflections in On Juneteenth to the essays in Policing the Black Man.
On a very different vibe, I am a big fan of Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse [novels]. Having thoroughly enjoyed the Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows mashup series on Netflix, I’m excited to continue the story of Ravka in King of Scars.
