A really powerful read. Engaging from the start and leaves a lasting impression. Richly written, well researched. Its a beautiful read

It is one thing to become aware of police brutality via various news outlets and social media, but to read a book that focuses on this topic in NYC, was a great idea. The author did his homework and presented it to us, the reader in a clear and concise manner. The research the author did is very obvious in his writing. This is a must read for all. Highly recommended. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review.

This book covers the history of police brutality against black people in New York City in an educational, concise manner. A good read for anyone interested in the topic or history.

a poignant and timely look at how police target and abuse people of color while experiencing near zero consequences for doing so--this is one of several books making it clear the 'Blue lives' murder

Thanks to NetGalley and NYU Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book covers the history of police brutality against black people in New York City. The introduction discusses how a lot of works about this topic don’t go far enough back, missing the integral ‘40s and onward.
An extremely relevant work to our times, Taylor’s book is a super informative and impactful book to remind us that it’s not just “bad apples” but a system long misused by police officers. It’s well-researched and thorough explanation of how we got here, and the ways many organizations of black people have tried to fix and dismantle the system we still have.

It does occasionally feel a bit dry in tone, but as an academic work, that’s to be expected. There were some sections where I felt the sentence structure was a bit too repetitive. Several long sentences in a row made the information harder to digest, but eventually it found its rhythm.

On the whole, I’m very glad to have read this book as it went beyond our modern cases of police brutality to explain what’s happened before now. 4 stars.