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WE ARE NOT LIKE THEM
Christine Pride/Jo Piazza
Atria Books
October 5, 2021
336 pages
This is a “ripped from the headlines” story, very relevant to our times.
A 13 year old black and unarmed male is shot and killed by police, simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Mistaken for a robber even though there was no resemblance. Such a tired but familiar occurrence.
The conflict and basis of the story is the fact that the accused officer’s wife has been best friends since early childhood with a black female who is now a reporter at the local television station.
Even though this is written as a work of fiction, this book is thought-provoking and insightful. The chapters alternate voices between Jenn, the officer’s pregnant wife, and Riley, the television reporter. The friendship is threatened. The reader gets to see both sides of the story complete with feelings. These feelings get complicated and uncomfortable.
So much is covered in the book: racism, prejudice, police brutality, the code of silence in police departments, the test of friendship.
The characters are a cross-section of what we encounter in day to day life…..some are likeable and some, not so much.
I love the fact that this book is co-authored. I’m sure that it is no coincidence that one author is black and the other is white. That fact gives credibility to each side of this story.
This book is a stepping stone to understanding. It’s a long journey.
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