A first-person account that delivers a persuasive diagnosis of the Baltimore unrest.
Shird (Lessons of Redemption, 2016) documents the 2015 Baltimore riots in this work of nonfiction.
Following the death of Freddie Gray after his arrest by police in April 2015, Baltimore became the setting of protests, civil unrest, and violence. Shird leads the reader through a detailed account of the events, from the inciting case of Gray to the emergency’s aftermath. An eyewitness to the action, the author recalls the ways in which the African-American citizens of Baltimore—from lawyers to drug dealers to members of the Black Lives Matter movement—took to the streets to articulate their frustration over Gray’s fatal spinal cord injury while in police custody. In addition to the protests, violence and looting broke out around the city, ultimately leading to the declaration of a state of emergency and the arrival of the National Guard. Famous footage of a burning CVS on Pennsylvania and North Avenue played in a loop on news stations. “Many viewers couldn’t believe their eyes, as a US city came under siege on live television,” Shird writes of the riots. “It was the best reality show around, and yes, it was real.” In addition to analyzing the events of that spring, the author provides suggestions for how similar tragedies might be prevented, including addressing the poverty of cities like Baltimore, delivering alternative policing strategies, and demanding less sensational media coverage. Shird is an adept chronicler, writing in a conversational prose that nevertheless manages to capture the surrealism of many of the book’s images. As a first-person account of the protests, his book proves invaluable: his knowledge of his native Baltimore and the racial tensions that characterize it lend the narrative a depth absent in mainstream media depictions of the events. Shird’s solutions contain nothing that hasn’t been offered elsewhere, and many of them are far more easily said than done. Even so, the author convinces the reader that if the underlying causes of the disturbance seen in Baltimore are not tackled, other cities will likely see similar crises playing out on their own streets.
A first-person account that delivers a persuasive diagnosis of the Baltimore unrest.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-1-68419-504-6
Page Count: 266
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
