Black Cop's Kid An Essay by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Rating:

5 Stars

Themes:

Non-Fiction, Memoir, Social Justice, Racism

Thoughts:

Thought provoking essay on race, police brutality, institutional racism and activism. It highlights the concerns of black police officers facing both in the system from their white peers and in the community from those who see them as a traitor.

Abdul-Jabbar also tackles balancing his sports career with activism and facing people's perceptions of athletes as airheads with nothing of note to say with using his position to bring light onto the systematic discrimination faced by the black people in America.

Favourite Quote:

"The problem is we're used to lumping groups together as a monolithic block. Blacks are all this. Whites are all this. Cops are all this. This is inaccurate and, worse, an obstacle to improving our society."

Comments

Shame-Sex Attraction by Lucas Wilson

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Mint and Murder by Carly Winter

Rating: Stars Themes: Short Story, Cosy Mystery Thoughts: Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I had to read this book, seeing it was available, after reading Pipers Piping and Puppies last year. I did read it as a standalone (it’s not the first time I’ve read a series out of order and likely won’t be the last) I managed to follow along fine although I’m sure I’d have understood the relationship dynamics better had I read it in the correct order. I found the story great and as for the mystery I was guessing myself right the way through until Sam figured it out. Sam is a strong female main character who feels worth investing in so I may have to go search some more of the Heywood Herbalist series out. I enjoyed seeing Sam interact with her friends as they had great chemistry and it felt real, and also really liked Sam’s interactions with Doug as it added another layer of humanity to her and reality to the town. I would love ...

Broken Glass by Sarah Kay

Rating: 3 Stars Themes: Poetry Thoughts: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This collection is mixed for me, some of the poems were really good and all were definitely emotive but I think so many poems on the Hamas attack and subsequent war which is highly politically charged a little difficult to tackle. Favourite Quote: "What good is it to open my heart when in the end, you will stab it in the back?"

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