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aliena_jackson's review against another edition
1.0
While I was originally hopeful that this book would be powerful, shedding light on an inside perspective from a member of Ferguson’s black community and a police officer, it was shockingly scant on details. Every chapter felt like it was only this man praying, or being shook. I was surprised at how close minded he was in terms of protestor-police relations. The writing wasn’t great either- I found it to be too simplistic and undescriptive of important things. Each chapter was a formula, wake up, pray, go to work, pray, walk, pray, justify police brutality, pray. He barely talked about Michael Brown, whose death was the ultimate cataclysm from a community reeling from decades of injustice. After the halfway point, I read as quickly as possible to get it over with. A thoroughly disappointing read.
lakecake's review against another edition
4.0
I received a free copy of this from Goodreads Giveaways.
I tend to not go in for memoirs because I'd rather read a biography or a non-fiction account from someone more objective; I feel that memoirs have a tendency to gloss over the bad bits. This memoir felt necessary, however--I think we owe it to the people who lived through Ferguson to read and try to understand their lived experiences as they remember and see them, because it's not an event that objectivity is going to make more clear or make better. So I was invested in reading Captain Johnson's words and sharing his experience through the 13 days of being in charge of the security response in Ferguson following Michael Brown's murder. A difficult but worthwhile read, to process and to feel.
I tend to not go in for memoirs because I'd rather read a biography or a non-fiction account from someone more objective; I feel that memoirs have a tendency to gloss over the bad bits. This memoir felt necessary, however--I think we owe it to the people who lived through Ferguson to read and try to understand their lived experiences as they remember and see them, because it's not an event that objectivity is going to make more clear or make better. So I was invested in reading Captain Johnson's words and sharing his experience through the 13 days of being in charge of the security response in Ferguson following Michael Brown's murder. A difficult but worthwhile read, to process and to feel.
socraticgadfly's review
5.0
People expecting a quasi-legal fault-finding with the Ferguson PD or anything else, should move on.
Instead, this is a mix of what Ron Johnson did on the streets of Ferguson combined with a mini-biography of how he became a captain in the Missouri State Police and got to this point.
Take it at face value and it's a five-star book.
Contra some reviewers, while some of Johnson's actions might be moderately second-guessed, he made no big mistakes. Then gov-Jay Nixon was among those who said so.
Otherwise, it's sad to see racism still inside police departments. I hope Johnson made some friends to replace those he lost. I hope some white officers and black residents both found enlightenment. And, I hope that a certain string of leftists will accept that not all black police offers are co-opted by "the system." Johnson clearly was not.
Instead, this is a mix of what Ron Johnson did on the streets of Ferguson combined with a mini-biography of how he became a captain in the Missouri State Police and got to this point.
Take it at face value and it's a five-star book.
Contra some reviewers, while some of Johnson's actions might be moderately second-guessed, he made no big mistakes. Then gov-Jay Nixon was among those who said so.
Otherwise, it's sad to see racism still inside police departments. I hope Johnson made some friends to replace those he lost. I hope some white officers and black residents both found enlightenment. And, I hope that a certain string of leftists will accept that not all black police offers are co-opted by "the system." Johnson clearly was not.
lmbartelt's review
4.0
4.5 stars. When the events happened in Ferguson, Missouri in August 2014, I only casually followed the news. I didn't understand all of what was happening and I didn't always know what to believe. This is why I like first-person accounts of events, and while I know that Ron Johnson's account doesn't tell the whole story, it's an important work.
13 Days in Ferguson walks readers through Johnson's experience as a Missouri State Highway Patrol captain from his initial response to the protests and violent acts after Michael Brown's death to his charge to lead the security effort in Ferguson to his vision for Ferguson in the future.
I wanted to read this book because of Johnson's perspective--as a black man and a law enforcement officer, he has a unique position in the conversation about race and policing. I felt he was honest in his recollection of the events and he didn't paint one group in a more favorable light than the other. He strikes me as a man caught in the middle and using that position to try to bridge the gap. I was inspired by his community policing efforts and the sincerity of his hopes.
I'm glad I added this to my racial justice reading.
13 Days in Ferguson walks readers through Johnson's experience as a Missouri State Highway Patrol captain from his initial response to the protests and violent acts after Michael Brown's death to his charge to lead the security effort in Ferguson to his vision for Ferguson in the future.
I wanted to read this book because of Johnson's perspective--as a black man and a law enforcement officer, he has a unique position in the conversation about race and policing. I felt he was honest in his recollection of the events and he didn't paint one group in a more favorable light than the other. He strikes me as a man caught in the middle and using that position to try to bridge the gap. I was inspired by his community policing efforts and the sincerity of his hopes.
I'm glad I added this to my racial justice reading.
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