Book Discussion: Tangled Up in Blue: Policing the American City

Journalist and law professor Rosa Brooks goes beyond the blue wall of silence in this radical inside examination of American policing

In her forties, with two children, a spouse, a dog, a mortgage, and a full-time job as a tenured law professor at Georgetown University, Rosa Brooks decided to become a cop. A liberal academic and journalist with an enduring interest in law's troubled relationship with violence, Brooks wanted the kind of insider experience that would help her understand how police officers make sense of their world--and whether that world can be changed. In 2015, against the advice of everyone she knew, she applied to become a sworn, armed reserve police officer with the Washington, DC, Metropolitan Police Department.

In Tangled Up in Blue, Brooks recounts her experiences inside the usually closed world of policing. From street shootings and domestic violence calls to the behind-the-scenes police work during Donald Trump's 2016 presidential inauguration, Brooks presents a revelatory account of what it's like inside the blue wall of silence. She issues an urgent call for new laws and institutions, and argues that in a nation increasingly divided by race, class, ethnicity, geography, and ideology, a truly transformative approach to policing requires us to move beyond sound bites, slogans, and stereotypes. An explosive and groundbreaking investigation, Tangled Up in Blue complicates matters rather than simplifies them, and gives pause both to those who think police can do no wrong--and those who think they can do no right.

Here is the link to the free e-copy book in pdf format:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1X3VJopbmF73qNil71tgpFIAGJrNFS8Rq/view?usp=sharing

Here is the link to the Goodreads page of the book:
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/53732819

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To provide an enjoyable experience for fellow participants, here are three ground rules during book discussion events:

1. Step up and step back. (If you feel that you’ve been talking too much, step back to listen more. If you feel that you’ve been relatively quiet, step up to share your perspective or ask a question)
2. Listen to understand, not to respond.
3. Be open-minded and value differences.

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note:

• This book club will always be free and will never accept fundraising, sponsorships, or advertising. The only request is that, because we will usually meet at a local coffee shop, it will be great if participants can order some drinks or meal items during events.