Klara's Reviews > Black Cop's Kid: An Essay

Very personal and thought-provoking read. It goes into some very heavy and violent events and yet the writing feels effortless. It is equally a love letter to Abdul-Jabbar's father; a personal history of the author growing up in New York; a recollection of important historical events spanning from 1960s until present day; a collection of facts and studies about black experience in the US; and an outraged letter to the public. I think this text might be as crucial as Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race.

I really liked that although Black Cop's Kid talks specifically about race and being black, its message and underlying issues feel universal. Here are some of the more universal and less gruesome quotes that I enjoyed:

Punishment for raising your voice is to silence that voice.

My dad didn't like to talk. So I listened to what he did rather that what he said.

..."one bad apple spoils the bunch," because the rotten apple by proximity makes the others rotten. That is the current system. Because when those bad apples do something egregious, the rest of the force feels compelled to defend them. Like a squad of Roman soldiers, they hunker down around each other and surround themselves with raised shields. That makes them just as guilty of the crimes as their fellow officers. That makes them all bad apples.

4.5/5 stars