The Central Park Five: A Chronicle Of A City Wilding (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
Just finished another book: An astounding look at a landmark case that shocked a city, stunned a nation, and told us that just because it looks like a slam dunk case, doesn’t mean it is. A great book for any person aspiring to be a police detective, lawyer, or journalist. I was in kindergarden when the Central Park Jogger was brutality raped while jogging in Central Park. Even, at that young age I remember the constant news coverage each night. Fast forward 24 years and I happen upon a documentary about the Central Park Five. The Central Park five are five young men that ended up being convicted for this brutal crime that they did not commit. Racial and criminal tensions were strife across NYC in the late 1980’s and this crime was the tipping point for the City. Justice needed to be swift and right. Justice was swift but terrible wrong. Police convicted these young men because they happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I really liked the documentary and realized that a book was written before the documentary. I read the book, which of course had more detail to offer and was well written. If not familiar with the case, one will be able to pick this book up and know exactly what happened, what lead to the convictions, and why the justice system failed grossly because of how well written this book is. I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes reading about true crime or is pursuing the careers I mentioned above. Excruciating amount of detail about a black-on-white crime that gained attention largely because of its location in Central Park. The young men were indeed railroaded into making false confessions and served their sentence before the true killer was found thru DNA evidence. Unfortunately, as a lawyer, much of what's described is only too familiar. I simply couldn't maintain the same sense of outrage as the author or as the leader of the book discussion.
What do You think about The Central Park Five: A Chronicle Of A City Wilding (2011)?
An excellent and captivating story of violence and racism and false accusations.
—jasmine
Good book but hard to read! The things those poor boys went through was awful.
—nickeyja22
Riveting and heartbreaking, even if the writing can be a bit dry.
—swissmiss
NYC is not as friendly as you'd like to believe...
—ShaLyn80
