Review by calypsogirl78 -- Guilty When Black
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Alana Walker Tutwiler
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Review by calypsogirl78 -- Guilty When Black
[Following is a volunteer review of "Guilty When Black" by Carol Mersch.]
Guilty When Black by Carol Mersch follows the tragic, sobering story of Miashah Moses, a young woman living in Tulsa, Oklahoma who was convicted in the horrific death of her two young nieces. Many would argue, however, that her only crime was to be born poor, black, and queer in a city with a long history of racial injustice. The book begins with a detailed account of the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 in which the thriving black town of Greenwood, known as Black Wall Street, was destroyed by a mob of angry white people. This disturbing event sets the stage for the telling of Miashah’s story-while babysitting her nieces in the low-income apartment that she shared with her sister, she locked them in the house to take the trash out. During the seven or eight minutes that she was gone, a fire erupted from the stove, trapping and killing her nieces inside. Miashah locked them inside in order to keep the toddler from getting out and falling from one of the missing slats of the balcony-one of numerous safety and code violations in the apartment complex. The fire that killed the young girls was not the first in the complex and neither would it be the last. The electrical system was so poorly maintained that one company refused to even work on it, citing the dangerous conditions and the potential lawsuits. Despite a mountain of evidence that the fire was not caused by Miashah, she was essentially railroaded into accepting a guilty plea and a prison sentence by a system that was stacked against her from day one. Her story is interspersed with the stories of other women who were swallowed up by the Oklahoma prison system, as well as the story of several black people who were wrongly convicted of crimes and later exonerated, but only after serving long prison sentences.
This story is so moving and captivating that it reads like a novel. Unfortunately, the events within are all too real. The author does an excellent job of weaving statistics about the state with the highest rate of incarcerated women in the country, with the stories of the humans who are impacted by this system. They are not just numbers, they are mothers, daughters, sisters, fathers, sons, brothers. By the time you finish reading, you will feel as if they are your mothers, daughters, sisters, etc. I read the book in two days, devouring it in long sittings at a time.
The only negative and unfortunate aspect of the book is the editing. There are several instances of missed or repeated words, which can disrupt from the otherwise smooth flow of the novel.
Because of the errors, I have to give the book 3 out of 4 stars. If the errors are corrected, I would gladly give it a 4th star. There is profanity in the novel, including the use of racial slurs, and descriptions of crime scenes that may be overwhelming to some. Therefore, I would recommend this book to mature audiences. Even if you are not a usual fan of nonfiction, you may want to give this book a try because the story is very compelling and not dry at all.
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Guilty When Black
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Guilty When Black by Carol Mersch follows the tragic, sobering story of Miashah Moses, a young woman living in Tulsa, Oklahoma who was convicted in the horrific death of her two young nieces. Many would argue, however, that her only crime was to be born poor, black, and queer in a city with a long history of racial injustice. The book begins with a detailed account of the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 in which the thriving black town of Greenwood, known as Black Wall Street, was destroyed by a mob of angry white people. This disturbing event sets the stage for the telling of Miashah’s story-while babysitting her nieces in the low-income apartment that she shared with her sister, she locked them in the house to take the trash out. During the seven or eight minutes that she was gone, a fire erupted from the stove, trapping and killing her nieces inside. Miashah locked them inside in order to keep the toddler from getting out and falling from one of the missing slats of the balcony-one of numerous safety and code violations in the apartment complex. The fire that killed the young girls was not the first in the complex and neither would it be the last. The electrical system was so poorly maintained that one company refused to even work on it, citing the dangerous conditions and the potential lawsuits. Despite a mountain of evidence that the fire was not caused by Miashah, she was essentially railroaded into accepting a guilty plea and a prison sentence by a system that was stacked against her from day one. Her story is interspersed with the stories of other women who were swallowed up by the Oklahoma prison system, as well as the story of several black people who were wrongly convicted of crimes and later exonerated, but only after serving long prison sentences.
This story is so moving and captivating that it reads like a novel. Unfortunately, the events within are all too real. The author does an excellent job of weaving statistics about the state with the highest rate of incarcerated women in the country, with the stories of the humans who are impacted by this system. They are not just numbers, they are mothers, daughters, sisters, fathers, sons, brothers. By the time you finish reading, you will feel as if they are your mothers, daughters, sisters, etc. I read the book in two days, devouring it in long sittings at a time.
The only negative and unfortunate aspect of the book is the editing. There are several instances of missed or repeated words, which can disrupt from the otherwise smooth flow of the novel.
Because of the errors, I have to give the book 3 out of 4 stars. If the errors are corrected, I would gladly give it a 4th star. There is profanity in the novel, including the use of racial slurs, and descriptions of crime scenes that may be overwhelming to some. Therefore, I would recommend this book to mature audiences. Even if you are not a usual fan of nonfiction, you may want to give this book a try because the story is very compelling and not dry at all.
******
Guilty When Black
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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ally derwin
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I found the statistics to be really well mixed with the story as well. I couldn't stop reading it either, it took me just three sittings, but once it was done I really had to process everything. Personally, I didn't find the editing too bad, I only found 6 mistakes, but maybe I'm not as good of an editor! Great review
