I read pretty quickly. I’m always looking for new non-fiction. Particularly history. I’ve found Darkblue714 on twitter has never failed me with good book recommendations. He reminded me to read The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration. Being a best seller in 1994, I don’t know how that bestseller managed to escape my classes in graduate school. [Turns out it came out in 2010, which explains why I didn’t read it in graduate school.] Anyway, if you don’t know what “The Great Migration” is, well, shame on you. But leaving that aside. It’s a great book.
Darkblue’s next recommendation was One Righteous Man: Samuel Battle and the Shattering of the Color Line in New York. This is new book. And it’s great history for anybody interested in police history, the NYPD, black history, American history, New York history, or for anybody who enjoys a good biography of a fascination man. You think you got it tough? Imagine being the first black cop in New York City. (Though Brooklyn had a few before Consolidation). Battle knew everybody who was anybody. The entirety of black America (and much of white America) passed through his watch. All the politicians, musicians, stars, and political leaders come to him. Talk about some weight on your shoulders. It’s an amazing story.
That white guy? He’s LaGuardia. If you don’t know who he is… well, he’s more than a crappy airport and great community college near my house.