Book Review: Endangered by Jean Love Cush

A summary from Goodreads.com: An innocent black teenager is accused of murder in this provocative and compassionate thriller that skillfully probes issues of race, class, crime, and injustice and offers a searing portrait of modern America.

From the time her son, Malik, could walk, Janae taught him that the best way to stay alive and out of trouble with the law was to cooperate. Terrified for his safety, she warned him, "raise your hands high, keep your mouth shut, and do whatever they say," if the police ever stopped him. But when a wave of murders hits Philadelphia and fifteen-year-old Malik is arrested, Janae's terror is compounded by guilt and doubt: Would Malik have escaped jail if he'd run?

Unable to see her son or pay for his defense, Janae, a cafeteria worker, reluctantly allows Roger Whitford, a white human rights attorney, to represent Malik. With the help of an ambitious private attorney named Calvin Moore, Roger is determined to challenge the entire criminal justice system and expose its inherent racism--racism that threatens the very existence of America's young black men.

Offering a startling and unprecedented defense, the lawyers spark a national firestorm of debate over race, prison, and politics that burns to the very core of Janae herself. As she battles to save her son, she begins to discover that she is also fighting for her own survival and that of her community.

This isn't the type of book I would normally read, but after reading the summary, I was intrigued. The book immediately drew me in when it opened with the arrest of Malik, and I was hooked the entire time. I immediately felt like he was innocent of any crime just based on the fact that he didn't run from the police, but he was treated as a guilty criminal from the get-go.

Jean Love Cush's descriptive writing made it easy to picture this story as I was reading it, and it actually reminded me of a Tyler Perry movie. There was even a hint of romance mixed in.

You can definitely see Cush's law degree background through her writing. This story wouldn't have been as believable without it.

When I started reading, I had assumed that I would be reading about Malik's entire trial, but as I got closer to the end and realized there weren't enough pages left, I questioned whether this would be a book that would leave me hanging. I'm happy to report that even though you don't get to read about Malik's trial, the story has a great conclusion.

I don't venture into different genres often, but I liked this book. I'm glad I read it.

I give it an A.

You can purchase this book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or IndieBound.

Disclaimer: I  was provided a copy of this book in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.

7/25