Welcome to Litsy!

A look into murder and policing in LA‘s roughest areas. It‘s written by a journalist who spent years sharing an office with some LAPD homicide detectives. She focuses on one particular murder case using it as a jumping point to discuss the other issues at large such as gangs, black on black violence, inadequate policing, and overworked homicide detectives. A great book focusing on the sociological aspects of crime.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

#crime #sociology

Now reading.

#Nofemmeber #NonfictionNovember I can‘t believe this month is almost over 😱 I‘ve been challenging myself to use only nonfiction books and I‘ve discovered there are so many great books out there🎉❣️❣️❣️❣️This is another book I‘ve had on my TBR for too long. An investigative look at one particular homicide in LA with no cause. #Gunshot It‘s an epidemic that needs to be cured.

This book! Chills and goosebumps and heartache. I‘m not even halfway and I recommend it to everyone.

It‘s about the murders specifically in South LA and the detectives who work a specific case within the larger picture. It‘s giving a lot to think about and unfortunately I picked up this book just as life got super super busy.

A close look at one murder in LA, but using that murder as a jump off point for observing bigger issues of crime and policing overall in LA. #nonfiction #audio

I always have at least three books going. Anyone else do this? #currentlyreading #weekendreading

It started out well & interesting yet soon became a slog of one murder after another after another. I understand that was the whole point. I also understand that life does not follow a strict narrative. However since this book was billed as a social science study of inner city murder & what can be done there were no solutions raised. It was simply touristic murder after a while without any point. Maybe I am asking for an answer that isn‘t there.

This one is heartbreaking but important so here goes. I have tried several times to read this book and the raw humanity gets to me. That‘s why I distract myself with Robotech and anime. Now time for some sad reality.

I hit up three libraries today to work and get all my holds. Finally home so ready to settle in and read the rest of the night. 📚

I‘ve had this book on my TBR for a while and it didn‘t disappoint. I liked the way that the author focused on one murder, to make the story personal, but used this as a vehicle to talk about the wider issues. Highly recommended, and makes The Hate U Give, that I‘m reading now, seem all the more poignant.

😱

And what did I pick up new today for me to read! Ghettoside, hopefully I‘ll get to it this year and it will be one of my #NonFiction2018 reads.

Finally home and mostly caught up on sleep, so I've started to open my mail and a few Christmas gifts that I left for when I returned.

Very surprised to see this book from @Alicia !!

Thanks so much, it really made my mail much more fun to open and I can't wait to read the book 💜

I added your card to my Xmas card tree, which I'll take down eventually, I swear...

#holidays #gifts #ghettoside #truecrime #murderino

New coffee mug. New book. Cold morning. Ahhhh perfect.

A painful, important in-depth look at homicide among black men in LA, centered on one case while not neglecting others, this book will make you angry and make you think. From the lack of resources for detectives, an environment that offers little protections, and a hugely systemic problem on all fronts, she covers the complex issue from all sides in a sensitive yet matter of fact manner, and I highly recommend reading it. #ineedmorecharacters

Great staff picks at Books Inc Mountain View

On to the next book club pick for October #eshaverbookseller

This was an intense book. I'm not actually not sure it was better on audio and I sort of wish I had read it in print. I also really liked the parts where Leovy adds some of her theory on the reasons behind the problem and the ways to improve, but mostly it was a book about specific events, murders and policemen who investigated them.

A revealing, thoughtful look at homicides of Black men in the Los Angeles, but really anywhere in the US. Made me think about how little Black lives have mattered to those outside of these communities. Heartbreaking, but gives some sense of what could be done to at show that every life lost is a life that matters.

Such an interesting look at an endemic problem in America. By looking at one small area of LA the author is able to make the issue personal.

"She's some daddy's baby."
Ghettoside is one of the best nonfiction books I've read.

#february #wrapup #ToB2017 #LitsyAtoZ

Here's my February reading wrap-up. Just a few non-fiction read, but two floated to the top. Looking forward to the Tournament of Books in March.

Much to my dismay, I had to bail on this book. I wanted to read it because I know the conversation about racial violence is so, so important. I got about 1/3 of the way through, and it was excellently written, and the audiobook has a great reader (although white, which bugged me). But there was a lot about child loss (totally different than my own experience, obviously) that stirred too much in me. Maybe another time.

#RiotGrams #CurrentRead

Just a few chapters left in this fabulous audiobook. Loving this smart non-fiction that discusses law enforcement, gangs and the two sets of laws that govern many American neighborhoods. If you want to understand the frustration behind the phrase (and movement) Black Lives Matter --read this book. Extremely well done. #TrumpedUpReadingList

#TBRTuesday

Here's what's on deck for me this week!!

Jill Leovy founded in 2007 the LA Homicide Report - an interactive map/database of all homicides in LA county. She uses one specific murder case to illustrate the bigger picture, why black on black homicide is so detrimental to communities. How the lack of media coverage, police resources and convictions aid the lawlessness. She highlights some amazing people and give context. If you know someone who doesn't get Black Live movement, give this book

Today it is freakishly warm and downpour on me during my errands! Apparently the weather is telling me to stay in and read more!

This book has everything: true crime, abject grief, society-wide structural failures, and hope. Good for those times when you perceive yourself feeling just a little too happy.

#currentlyreading - I'm about halfway through this (lots of references) and love the personal stories of the detectives and families to break up some of the tougher material. It's amazing how determined a select few detectives became when so many others became jaded. It's definitely a tribute to unsung heroes.

But history shows us that lawlessness is its own kind of order. Murder outbreaks, seen this way, are more than just the proliferation of discrete crimes. They are part of a whole system of interactions determined by the absence of law.

But the perceived harshness of American criminal justice and its fundamental weakness are in reality two sides of a coin, the former a kind of poor compensation for the latter... It hauls masses of black men through its machinery but fails to protect them from bodily injury and death. It is at once oppressive and inadequate.

Be prepared for me to overshare on you feed. #sorrynotsorry #blacklivesmatter

This has been on my TBR for almost a year and I think it's time to finally commit! I think we could all use a bit more investigative journalism in our lives right 😉

I can't read!!! I have started numerous books in the last month, but I haven't finished anything! I didn't even read my book club book this month. I don't know who I am anymore!

I've put my #NonfictionNovember #TBR on my work "desk." Gotta keep my eye on the prize. ? Two books on my TBR are still heading towards me in the mail—good thing I'm just finishing up my third book of the weekend! #ThatNeverHappens #TheBookCorgi ?

If you're the kind of person who wonders what is meant by 'Black Lives Matter,' then this book is a must-read. Based on firsthand reporting, the author argues that black communities suffer from too little law enforcement when it really counts, when lives are taken. She further argues -- convincingly -- that segregation can explain much of the phenomenon of black-on-black crime. One of the best written and most important books I've read this year.

What a phenomenal piece of narrative nonfiction. Tremendous on audio.

Heart wrenching, affecting true story of crime in Los Angeles. The issue of black on black crime, the judicial system and lack of resources to investigate countless murders expertly told by a reporter embedded with LAPD homicide detectives. Beautifully written, it will break your heart.

The sheer number of murders is staggering. Every. Single. Day. 😓💔

Ghettoside is my political pick. It's a heartbreaking look at the injustices black people face in America. I took this picture a few weeks ago in downtown Minneapolis. #blm #justiceforphilando #politicalbooks #augustofpages #bookphotochallenge

So, my LA Review of Books podcast downloaded today with this misspelling. #proofreadingrocks #ghettosidenotghettocide

Very enlightening glimpse into the world of the LAPD homicide division as well as how systemic/institutionalized racism has allowed violence to flourish in African-American communities. This should probably be required reading for America right now.

But is it Friday yet though?

One of those books I'm going to spend the rest of my life trying to convince people to read. Written like true crime, which makes for a compelling and fast read, but full of pertinent info about a serious and heartbreaking issue. A great book.

The audio voice was too soft & relaxing. I probably should have read the hard copy. Incarnation Nations by Baz Dreisinger was better but was more of a global description where Ghettoside is US domestic focusing on Los Angeles, CA. Even that assessment is unfair because my experience came down to the narration. I still recommend Ghettoside for the real world experience in the US & to support our law enforcement officials.

I'm seem to be on a run of true crime reads. My brother said I'd like Ghettoside. So far so good.

The perfect read when you're already tired and sad.

Heartbreaking. Coop thinks so too.