52 Books, Week 20: The Other Side of the River

I should let my homegirl from Benton Harbor write this one. Very interesting story about the history of two towns in Michigan that have a deep history of racism.

Everything bubbles to the surface when a young black man is found dead, under very very mysterious cirucmstances. I wish I could say it was a story of redemption or tolerance, but it ends up just being an unfortunate commentary on how insidious racism is.

"A black teenager surfaces in the St. Joseph River, drowned. How did he get there? The towns of Benton Harbor and St. Joseph, divided by both race and the river, grapple with the possibilities in this maddeningly difficult case. Alex Kotlowitz puts his sharp reporting skills to good work here, describing in detail everything that is known about Eric McGinnis's short life and untimely death. But the book is best at plumbing the racial psychology of these mutually suspicious communities"

Not my words, but a good synopsis. Not bad, but if you like clean plot lines, this wouldn't be my first recommendation.