Wesley Lowery's 'They Can't Kill Us All' won't explain why or how the Movement for Black Lives emerged in the wake of Trayvon Martin's death. It won't explain how or why the movement was able to bring the ongoing consequences of racial inequity into mainstream news after the (white) American public had long decided that colorblindness should dictate conversations concerning racial injustice. However, what Lowery's book does do is give a detailed look into what was happening on the ground, at the very moments that protests and uprisings were emerging. For that reason, Lowery's work adds to and enriches the existing literature on the Movement for Black Lives.

a kind of 'behind the scenes' survey of activism generated because of the murders by police of poc. this kind of journalism frames motivations and provides depth of understanding to Black Lives Matters movement

Like many, I first remember encountering Washington Post journalist Wesley Lowery in the days after Michael Brown was killed by Officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, MO. I was glued to Twitter, hungry for information to counter the helplessness and anger I felt. He was one of the first journalists on the ground and his observations and insights were immeasurable. And that was before he and fellow journalist Ryan Reilly were arrested by the Ferguson police in an act of intimidation.

When I found out Lowery had written a book, I knew I wanted to read it but I wasn't sure what the experience would be like. After all, this is not a light topic. This book blew me away. I could not put it down. It's incredibly engaging and riveting. We learn more about Lowery's background, as well as how his journalism career began. We see the string of events that sent him to Ferguson and how coverage there- combined with Twitter- changed everything. We see how his coverage of Mike Brown then led to covering the many other senseless killings since by those sworn to protect us. Lowery intersperses this by spotlighting the activists he met along the way, many of whom I was familiar with but did not know much about beyond their tweets. He also looks at the history that formed this narrative of police violence (for a more in-depth look, I recommend The New Jim Crow.)

All this is compelling enough but I particularly appreciated Lowery's perspective as a journalist. Why he covered things the way he did. The mistakes he made. (He addresses a specific tweet in which his bias showed. I hadn't really thought about the way journalists use Twitter before.) How covering the deaths of People of Color affected him as a POC, especially when so few officers are held accountable even in the face of video proof.

This is an important book. It's one of the books I wish everyone would read. Especially those who don't understand the events in Ferguson, the Black Lives Matter movement, or how it's possible to advocate for justice within the police system while valuing the work the police do. For those who do understand all of those things, this will serve as a reminder of the events of the past few years and why it's important to continue fighting for justice for Trayvon, Mike, Eric, Sandra, and too many more names who have been added to the list.

This serves as a great primer of sorts for anyone that may not have closely followed the protests across the country following police shootings, from Ferguson to Baltimore to all the other cities where demonstrations took place and continue to take place today. As someone who closely followed these events as they were unfolding, this text was concise summary of those events and a reminder of many of the events. Equal parts reporting and personal accounts from those directly involved in the shootings or protests, this work is an important read for all, across the board, no matter your personal opinion. From the birthing of Black Lives Matter as both an organization and protest chant to the reigniting of campus protest, Lowery does a great job of tying together events, organizations, and real people living real lives into a movement.

"But the protest chants were never meant to assert the innocence of every slain black man and woman. The protests were an assertion of their humanity and a demand for a system of policing and justice that was transparent, equitable, and fair."

In this book, Washington Post writer Wesley Lowery shares his experiences of reporting about the shooting of Michael Brown and the uprising and protests in Ferguson and the subsequent protests of other police shootings as all people were made more aware of the police violence in America. The book is quite comprehensive and has an index and notes at the end.

They may try, though

“They Can’t Kill Us All”: Ferguson, Baltimore, and a New Era in America’s Racial Justice Movement by Wesley Lowery (Little, Brown & Co., $27).

Wesley Lowery, the Washington Post reporter who was arrested in a McDonald’s in Ferguson, Mo., while doing his job, has written an amazing account of his own reporting in “They Can’t Kill Us All”: Ferguson, Baltimore, and a New Era in America’s Racial Justice Movement.

Followers of Lowery’s active Twitter account (and if you’re not following him, you’re missing out: @wesleylowery) will remember how he moved from the protests in Ferguson to the University of Missouri protests to the Baltimore protests following the death of Freddie Gray. This book is a description of his own journey as he reported the major events that gave birth to the Black Lives Matter movement and increased scrutiny of police shootings.

In addition to showing the work behind the news stories, Lowery includes some memoir-like anecdotes of his own growing up and how it felt to be a black reporter dealing with white authorities—including some that arrested him.

This is a wonderful combination of memoir and a good journalist’s insights into the stories he covered. Don’t miss it.