The I Index

Five Days: The Fiery Reckoning of an American City

Next in the queue

72

/100

I Index Overall Rating

Readers

63/100

Critics

81/100

Scholars

N/A

Author:

Wes Moore, Erica L. Green

Publisher:

One World

Date:

September 14, 2020

A kaleidoscopic account of five days in the life of a city on the edge, told through eight characters on the front lines of the uprising that overtook Baltimore after the police killing of Freddie Gray.

What The Reviewers Say

Phil Moreheart,
Booklist
Instead of a traditional narrative, Moore and Green allow the events to unfold through the eyes of seven different people, ranging from everyday citizens who get caught up in the days’ events to community and business leaders, a police captain, and a politician. The action is presented chronologically in chapters devoted to each person’s experiences. The shifting perspectives give the story a broad scope, revealing how tragedy, injustice, and long-seeded socioeconomic and policing inequities ripped apart an already tense city..

Kirkus
Political analyst and activist Moore...closely examines the unrest that followed Gray’s death by recounting the experiences of a series of people deeply affected by the events. The result is a visceral collective portrait of a community beset by poverty and injustice.

Publishers Weekly
...an illuminating portrait of Baltimore in the aftermath of the April 2015 death of Freddie Gray.