Review of Guilty When Black
Posted: 19 Apr 2022, 15:38
[Following is a volunteer review of "Guilty When Black" by Carol Mersch.]
Guilty When Black is a realistic look at how unfair the criminal justice system can be to women, especially to women belonging to ethnic minority groups. This deep non-fiction dive into the ethical failure of the justice system is written by Carol Mersh, author and journalist, and follows the court trials and tribulations of Miashah Moses, an African American woman charged with child neglect when her two nieces were trapped in her burning apartment. Though comments over the faulty conditions of the apartment complex itself were raised, Miashah and her family became victims of the corrupt court system. Also included in this book are short biographies of other people that fell victim to unjust justice, and it also details the history of the Tulsa Race Massacre. This book brings to the spotlight the ways in which the justice system set in place to protect us can actually be the very thing we need protection from.
My favorite part of this book is that it does not sugarcoat the situations that it describes. I’m sure there were details and further information that were not included, but I found that everything that was included was a realistic view of what was happening to the people that it was about. I found this refreshing because, too often, books like this end the story at the first miscarriage of justice and mention that the victim is still in jail. In this book, you are able to follow the affected family through the whole process and see just how frustrating and upsetting these situations are.
I have no qualms with the book itself; it was well worded and passionately written. However, I did have an issue when I found myself reading the book for too long in one sitting. It covers a weighty topic, and most of the side stories included to drive home the main point do not have happy endings, so I would end up quite upset if I read too much in one sitting without taking some time away to digest the information. The book is incredible, but I would definitely recommend making it a book that you read within a week instead of within a day.
I’m giving this book a 4 out of 4 stars rating. This book keeps the reader intrigued throughout, seems very well researched, and has very few errors. I think that this book is an essential read as this topic is a prevalent problem in our society that goes ignored much too often.
I would recommend this book to any adult human living on Earth. I hesitate to include young children in this recommendation only because some of the stories included in this book are bound to frighten them. Personally, I would say everyone thirteen years old and above should read this book for their own personal education.
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Guilty When Black
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Guilty When Black is a realistic look at how unfair the criminal justice system can be to women, especially to women belonging to ethnic minority groups. This deep non-fiction dive into the ethical failure of the justice system is written by Carol Mersh, author and journalist, and follows the court trials and tribulations of Miashah Moses, an African American woman charged with child neglect when her two nieces were trapped in her burning apartment. Though comments over the faulty conditions of the apartment complex itself were raised, Miashah and her family became victims of the corrupt court system. Also included in this book are short biographies of other people that fell victim to unjust justice, and it also details the history of the Tulsa Race Massacre. This book brings to the spotlight the ways in which the justice system set in place to protect us can actually be the very thing we need protection from.
My favorite part of this book is that it does not sugarcoat the situations that it describes. I’m sure there were details and further information that were not included, but I found that everything that was included was a realistic view of what was happening to the people that it was about. I found this refreshing because, too often, books like this end the story at the first miscarriage of justice and mention that the victim is still in jail. In this book, you are able to follow the affected family through the whole process and see just how frustrating and upsetting these situations are.
I have no qualms with the book itself; it was well worded and passionately written. However, I did have an issue when I found myself reading the book for too long in one sitting. It covers a weighty topic, and most of the side stories included to drive home the main point do not have happy endings, so I would end up quite upset if I read too much in one sitting without taking some time away to digest the information. The book is incredible, but I would definitely recommend making it a book that you read within a week instead of within a day.
I’m giving this book a 4 out of 4 stars rating. This book keeps the reader intrigued throughout, seems very well researched, and has very few errors. I think that this book is an essential read as this topic is a prevalent problem in our society that goes ignored much too often.
I would recommend this book to any adult human living on Earth. I hesitate to include young children in this recommendation only because some of the stories included in this book are bound to frighten them. Personally, I would say everyone thirteen years old and above should read this book for their own personal education.
******
Guilty When Black
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon