THE LOS ANGELES RIOTS

A well-balanced account of the causes and effects of one of 1992's major social disasters. Especially good in his use of historical perspective, Salak shows how earlier urban violence in the US compared to—and contrasted with—this outbreak. In his analysis, the riots were sparked by the apparent unfairness of the Rodney King verdict, but their real causes were worsening economic conditions and community breakdown. Using color photos, captions, and sidebars, the author covers the actual riot briefly, but discusses society's reactions to it in greater depth. He quotes appeals by community groups, media personalities, and Rodney King himself, all of which failed to stop the violence; mentions related outbreaks in other cities; and concludes with official and grass-roots efforts to ``heal the wounds,'' making clear that ``business as usual'' will not suffice. A fine contribution to current events collections. Chronology, further reading, index. (Nonfiction. 12+)