This deep dive into a murder by police in New York City shone a light on how little has changed in the forty plus years since the death of Michael Stewart, a man nobody killed but who died at the hands of NYPD officers. I am very interested in the history and culture of New York City and this book will make a fine addition to my personal collection and to the shelf at my library.

Thank you, Celadon Books, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I just finished The Man Nobody Killed: Life, Death and Art in Michael Stewart’s New York, by Elon Green.

This book will be released on March 11, 2025.

This book is about the 1983 killing of Michael Stewart. Stewart was a black up and coming artist in New York who was killed by the police when they brutally attacked him in the process of arresting him for graffiti.

There were many witnesses to the killing and six police officers were indicted. But, thanks to the failures of an incompetent medical examiner, the prosecution wasn’t able to get any convictions. This book did a very good job exposing the failures of the system in this case.

I give this book a B+. Goodreads and NetGalley require grades on a 1-5 star system. In my personal conversion system, a B+ equates to 4 stars. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).

This review has been posted at NetGalley, Goodreads and my blog, Mr. Book’s Book Reviews

I finished reading this on October 5, 2024.

In The Man Nobody Killed, Elon Green delivers a harrowing exploration of systemic racism through the story of Michael Stewart, a young Black artist whose life was tragically cut short by police violence in 1983. Green meticulously pieces together Stewart’s life, the violent circumstances of his death, and the cultural ripple effects that followed. Stewart’s beating at the hands of New York Transit Authority police—allegedly for tagging a subway wall—sparked widespread outrage, galvanizing the art world and civil rights activists alike.

Green does more than recount a grim chapter in New York City history. He forces readers to confront uncomfortable questions about accountability, power, and the cyclical nature of injustice. Despite the ensuing investigations and protests from high-profile figures, no officers were convicted, exemplifying the persistent failure of the justice system to serve marginalized communities. Green’s narrative transcends the specific tragedy of Stewart’s death, instead framing it as a recurring nightmare in American history, inextricably linked to other cases of police brutality.

This book urges us to reflect on the cost of human lives when systemic forces remain unchallenged. By weaving Stewart’s story with the vibrant yet turbulent downtown New York art scene, Green presents a portrait of hope clashing with horror, leaving readers with a lingering sense of outrage and sorrow. This was a difficult read, and I feel it would be misplaced to attach a star rating to such a poignant and heart-wrenching narrative.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the opportunity to read and review The Man Nobody Killed prior to publication.

I knew nothing about Michael Stewart and was glad I got to read this book. It does a fantastic job in bringing the case to light and does the story respectfully. I thought Elon Green wrote this well and was able to learn about this tragedy.