On September 15, 1983, Michael Stewart, a young model and artist, died in the hospital after an altercation with the New York Transit Police in New York. Witnesses later recounted the altercation, stating that police choked Stewart with a nightstick and beat him with clubs. Witnesses also recounted the pleas for help and for them to stop went unanswered and their attack continues against him. When they brought him to the hospital, doctors and nurses questioned the police account because his injuries did not match their description of events.
Before the BLM movement, there were a lot of instances of unfair treatment and stereotyping by the authorities, and while this incident will NEVER receive the justice that Michael deserves, this did bring light to the unfairness and mistreatment. Michael was more than his murder and death, he was an aspiring artist who just wanted to make a name for himself, he did not deserve what happened. No one deserves that kind of treatment. This was a very touching story that showed that life does not end after death, that Michael continues to live on through his story and his art.
Thank you Celadon Books, Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the opportunity to read/listen and review this story! A tragic ending to an aspiring artist whose story is being shared!

Before George Floyd, before Rodney King, there was Michael Stewart; a young, gifted, black artist who was killed by NYC transit police on one fated night in the 80's. This book is about Michael and his life before that night and then what happened after that night and the overall aftermath that ends with white men crowing, killers still working, and family and friends in shattered pieces, never to be put together again, always remembering and talking about Michael.

This was a very good, well-written, well-researched [I had no idea that THIS story was one of the inspirations for Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing, and I know I will look at that movie with new eyes, now that I know the story of Michael Stewart] , but ultimately very difficult book to read, especially right now as the "powers-that-be" [that are also morons but I digress] try and erase the history they do not like or agree with, ESPECIALLY Black history. We need to read books like this [and others like Toni Morrison and Isabel Wilkerson books, both who are mentioned in this book as well] to remind us that we ALL need to fight to keep this from happening. VOTE! Never forget. Say their names! Preach their histories and stories. Always.

Dion Graham is one of my favorite narrators and he does an excellent job here in reading this difficult story. I loved listening to him tell this story and I highly recommend listening to him read this very important book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Elon Green, Dion Graham - Narrator, Celedon Books, and Macmillan Audio for providing the eBook and audiobook ARC's in exchange for an honest review.

Another astounding true crime book from Elon Green that goes beyond the crime itself and explores the circumstances of the time. Yes, Green unflinchingly presents the facts of what happened to Michael Stewart, but he also brings to life the art world Michael was a part of both before and after his murder, the realities of 1980s New York, and contextualizes it all.

I really liked Green's Last Call and the HBO documentary based on it. But there's something more urgent about The Man Nobody Killed in 2025. In a time in the U.S. when human rights are being infringed upon, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies are under attack, Jan 6th terrorists have been pardoned, and the president is saying police will have no repercussions for their actions, this book is vital reading.

I repeat, this book is vital reading. Green illustrates that history repeats itself. What happened to Michael Stewart was another version of what happened to Emmett Till 40 years earlier, and then happened again 40 years later to George Floyd. These tragedies and names should not be forgotten, but we also need to educate ourselves and be aware of implicit bias, to make a change and stop these atrocities from happening.

I was unaware of Michael Stewart until listening to this book. Granted, I wasn't yet born, but the similarities between his death and the violence and death of black people at the hands of police in my lifetime were unsettling. How had I never heard this story before? Especially as Green highlights how influential his death was to the artists, musicians, writers, and influencers of the time. Art I've seen and had no idea what precipitated it.

I'm aware that the world is dark right now, but I can't emphasize enough how good this book is and how much it should be read right now in 2025.

The audiobook production was great. Narrator Dion Graham fully engrossed me in the story. And there's a bonus conversation between the author and one of Michael's friends whom he interviewed for the book at the end that was fantastic. It made me tear up all over again.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for access to this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Heartbreaking reflection on police brutality in New York on the 1970s and 80s focusing on the life and death of a young artist and the reaction to his tragic beating and the trial that followed. I was moved by the community response to his story and the uncanny similarities to events still happening in our country today. This important story and others like it should be required reading for everyone in America so that we can begin to understand the implications of systemic corruption in law enforcement and the consequences of our own complicity when we see injustice and choose not to engage.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my copy. These opinions are my own.

The Man Nobody Killed: Life, Death, and Art in Michael Stewart's New York by Elon Green tells the story of Michael Stewart, a young artist and model in NYC , who died in 1983 as a result of police brutality, that was rampant in the 1980s. It reveals the gross malpractice of the parties involved.

Due to the perseverance of several actors in the story including Stewarts’s family, friends, the press and artists who supported the investigation, inconsistencies in the behavior of those involved, medical records and accounts of the incident were revealed. The author is able to weave the political climate and arts scene of NYC at the time. While no one was convicted in this case, ultimately, this along with similar events inspired films, movies and works of art including this book and remain in the record of our history.

I had the good fortune to be able to read and listen to this book at the same time. For a non-fiction book, loaded with medical and case facts reads like a novel and is easy to understand. In addition, the narration by Dion Graham was set at a great pace and tone and I was able to seamlessly switch between both the audio and print without issue.

Thank you, Celadon Books, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. All Opinions are my own.

Rating: 5 Stars
Audio Release Print Pub Date: Mar 11 2025

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The story of a brutal murder of Michael Stewart, a young, unknown model and artist in New York City. Thank you @celadonbooks and @macmillan.audio for my early reading and listening copies of @elon.green ‘s new release, THE MAN NOBODY KILLED, out March 11, 2025.

Green does a great job of outlining the events, building character’s backgrounds and step-by-step outlining the events in the midst of and following Michael Stewart’s brutal murder.

I have known of this murder and the many, many faults within the justice system (hence the title), but I learned so much from this book. I had NO IDEA how many well-known people were connected with Stewart and the case itself- shocking, really. Madonna, Andy Warhol, Cuomo, Howard Rubenstein,

The inconsistencies in reports, the obvious reasons he died, but the “murky medical diagnosis”, the lengthy court case, his time at Bellvue…the list goes on. It is maddening how many inconsistencies there were in efforts to cover up for people’s mistakes.

Read it- just like Sing, Sing from last year, I feel this piece of nonfiction is powerfully written, brings it into a perspective you can understand, and is worth knowing what happened.

This is a meticulously researched and devastating account of the tragic 1983 murder of Michael Stewart. A promising 25-year-old New York model and artist along the lines of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Stewart was brutally beaten and asphyxiated by NYC Transit police and eventually succumbed to his injuries after 13 days unconscious in Bellevue hospital. The ensuing battle for accountability and justice of any kind was deeply sad and frustrating to follow, and further illustrates the horrifying systemic racism that is now and has always been at work within the power structures of the United States. I do wish I learned even more about Michael as a person from the text, but overall an important book that is heartbreakingly relevant to current events.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for my advanced copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the Audio ARC!

I was completely uneducated in the matter of the death of Michael Stewart prior to listening to this book. The tragic story is very extensively and clearly told by the author. I especially enjoyed learning about all of the ripples that this created in the immediate aftermath, and even to the modern day, where many of the underlying issues of this case still exist, and are even more amplified by the connected world we live in.

**Audiobook Review: *The Man Nobody Killed* by Elon Green**

*The Man Nobody Killed* is a chilling and deeply investigative work that sheds light on a case long buried by history. Elon Green masterfully unravels the complexities of crime, justice, and the narratives that shape public perception. This is not just a true crime story—it’s a necessary examination of the flaws within the legal system and the societal biases that allow certain cases to fade into obscurity.

The audiobook format amplifies the impact of Green’s meticulous research. The narrator’s steady, measured delivery ensures that every detail is given the weight it deserves, making it impossible to turn away from the unsettling truths being uncovered. The pacing is deliberate, allowing listeners to absorb the full gravity of the events, while the storytelling remains gripping throughout.

This book is an urgent reminder that justice is often unevenly served, and that the stories of victims, regardless of their backgrounds, deserve to be told. *The Man Nobody Killed* is not an easy listen, but it is an important one—one that forces us to confront uncomfortable realities and question the narratives we accept as truth.

**Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity 💕**

Green has written an amazing, heartbreaking, infuriating book about the life and death of Michael Stewart, a member of the art community on the Lower East Side of New York City in the early 1980's. I had not heard, or don't remember, the details of Michael's beating and death and was fascinated to learn in the author discussion at the end of the audio that Green hadn't either and had run across the details on the internet. Through interviews and court notes and documents, Green unwinds the fateful night that Stewart encountered the Transit police on the NYC subway, how his beating and death impacted the artists around him, and how his family and friends fought for justice for years. I was enthralled from start to finish. I both read and listened to this book to try and decide which format is best for my patrons and highly recommend both since Mr. Green's writing flows so well on the page and Dion Graham's narration is stellar. A huge thank you to Elon Green, Celadon Books, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the early access to this extraordinary book.