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As a
young teen, Derek Strange spent most of his time with a friend,
Billy, who was Greek. The Martini brothers were troublemakers
and wanted Derek to "do something" to prove himself.
They walked through the aisles of a neighborhood store and
Dominic picked up a comb and put it in his pocket. Derek tried
taking a padlock but got caught. Mr. Fein, the manager,
decided to let Derek go. He asked Derek what he wanted to do
when he was older and Derek replied "police". He told Derek
that what he did while a young man could reflect on him later in
life.
Derek's brother, Dennis, is home from the
service with a disability pension after serving in Vietnam. He
has some bad habits including drugs and alcohol. Things get
worse when he comes under the influence of Alvin Jones.
Is Derek able to help his brother Dennis?
In
1968, Derek does become a Washington D.C. policeman. Derek and
a white cop, Frank Vaughn, soon come together when a black man is
run over in the street.
What happens during this time of
unrest with the civil rights movement?
George Pelecanos has
done an outstanding job of writing about actions of neighborhood
street-wise members and following them through more turbulent times
in their lives. Throughout this book, you can feel the anguish
of these characters as they lived through the unrest of the civil
rights movement. You can also feel the pain they faced because
of the racial segregation that was so prevalent at this time. The
author has woven all these emotions together and created characters
that are very real.
The book has everything you would want
in a novel. It has a compelling plot and at the same time, it
gives the reader a feel for events that took place during the civil
rights movement. These historical events in our society are
intertwined with a great story. This book is excellent and one
that should be added to your "must read" list!
REVIEWED BY
NANCY EATON
DO NOT REPRINT WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR,
NANCY
EATON
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