Five Days: The Fiery Reckoning of an American City
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- Create Date：2021-04-29 20:31:09
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Wes Moore
- ISBN：0525512381
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Craig
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Freddie Gray died after being arrested， handcuffed， and succumbing to a spine injury six days after being taken into the custody of the police of Baltimore， Maryland。 An ABC News report of Gray‘s April， 2015 arrest and it’s aftermath can in part be seen in this video: https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=FqHbJ。。。。The book 'Five Days: The Fiery Reckoning of an American City' by anti-poverty activist Wes Moore with New York Times federal education policy， civil rights and education equity reporter Eric Freddie Gray died after being arrested， handcuffed， and succumbing to a spine injury six days after being taken into the custody of the police of Baltimore， Maryland。 An ABC News report of Gray‘s April， 2015 arrest and it’s aftermath can in part be seen in this video: https://www。youtube。com/watch？v=FqHbJ。。。。The book 'Five Days: The Fiery Reckoning of an American City' by anti-poverty activist Wes Moore with New York Times federal education policy， civil rights and education equity reporter Erica L。 Green looks into the perspectives of eight participants in community uprisings in Baltimore following Gray‘s death while in police custody。The perspectives of eight people with direct involvement in Baltimore， expressed in short chapters of alternating perspective of the uprising that began after Gray’s death。 Perspectives included those Tawanda Jones， whose brother had died during a law enforcement incident; Major Marc Partee， the first African-American police commander of the city’s Inner Harbor district; Baltimore city councilman Nick Mosby; juvenile public defender Jennifer （Jenny） Egan， who volunteered to support jailed protestors; and John DeAngelo， scion of the city’s most powerful family and owner of the Baltimore Orioles， who face decisions he’d never before confronted。 Other voices allowed for a diverse accounting that made this reporting accumulate impact that makes this work feel like narrative nonfiction。Many longstanding cultural forces surrounding poverty， race， the relationships between police and the community served， community services that lead to illness in the community， and many others are raised with compassion and advocacy in addressing systemic issues at the core of what happened to Freddie Gray and the Baltimore community over time。 The epilogue following the perspectives of the five days in Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray serves as a succinct call for action today， and when 'Five Days: The Fiery Reckoning of an American City' was first published。Offering a personal touch in gathering multiple voices in the Baltimore uprising after Freddie Gray's death while in police custody was a clear achievement of the book 'Five Days: The Fiery Reckoning of an American City'。 The emotional advocacy of the book， and the balanced approach taken， indicates a sincere approach aimed at healing， compassion and understanding。 The message included within needs speaking， which helps me appreciate the book。 I grant 'Five Days: The Fiery Reckoning of an American City' by Wes Moore and Erica L。 Green 4。0-stars on a scale of 1-to-5。 。。。more
Nancy Kennedy
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Author Wes Moore tells the story of unrest in Baltimore after the police killing of Freddie Gray through the lives of seven people -- an activist， businessman， policeman， community activist， politician， public defender and a basketball star turned rioter。 The author says that by examining these people in the days after Freddie Gray's death tells a deeper story than the media of the time told。Well， it's not generally the job of the media to give the full backstory of people's lives -- they're wri Author Wes Moore tells the story of unrest in Baltimore after the police killing of Freddie Gray through the lives of seven people -- an activist， businessman， policeman， community activist， politician， public defender and a basketball star turned rioter。 The author says that by examining these people in the days after Freddie Gray's death tells a deeper story than the media of the time told。Well， it's not generally the job of the media to give the full backstory of people's lives -- they're writing the so-called "first draft" of history， so I don't like this jab at the Fourth Estate saying they didn't do their job。 Of course， a book author has room to tell a more complete story。 And， a story that is more slanted toward one side than the other， which this book is。For the most part， one side of the story is fully told -- the blighted lives people have led due to crushing， unrelenting poverty。 There's no question of the truth of that。 But the other side， if mentioned at all， is given short shrift。 People's life choices are downplayed， even excused。 Their actions are colored to garner sympathy that perhaps shouldn't be granted。 For example， when the author describes looting， he says people dashed out of stores with armloads of diapers and toilet paper。 Makes the looters sound like real family men， doesn't it？ Those aren't the items I saw on TV being carried out by the armload。 One of the main characters cuts a fire hose during a riot， but we are assured he had no animus toward firefighters， it's just that he had had a tough upbringing。 No matter that buildings burned to the ground because of his action。 And the police on the scene， who wanted to stop actions like these， were prevented from doing their job。In the Author's Note at the back of the book， Moore's main point is abundantly clear -- he says we are all complicit and all share the blame for the systems that create the kind of extreme poverty making neighborhoods like these in Baltimore explode in violence。 "It's our time to use our individual voices， power， will and privilege to address economic injustice，" he writes。 But a statement like this coming after pages and pages and pages of digs against white people and against the police just doesn't inspire lending an ear to our better angels。Moore examines the lives of his subjects in lively， vivid prose and you come to understand their lives， as he promises， more fully than you have from the press。 But in the end， I closed the book depressed， knowing that in all likelihood nothing will change。 You can have passion but without persistence， you won't get the job done。 These riots erupt and die down。 Who is working to change the entrenched conditions Moore examines？ The housing market that allows rentals with toxic levels of paint on the walls; the police who are afraid to do their jobs， so they let violence go unchecked for fear of lawsuits and their own lives; the drug-ravaged neighborhoods young people cannot seem to escape; the criminal justice system that is urged to have compassion but can't see why it should; the federal government that is continually vilified for not solving with more and more and more money the problems stemming from poverty。 My question is， Who is working to strengthen the institution of the family in poverty-stricken neighborhoods？ The greatest predictor of poverty is a single-parent home， yet men have not been held accountable for walking out on their families or encouraged to stay。 I don't see any mention of this reality and the need to change it。I have worked at the local level to address the conditions of poverty， and I've found that it is never enough and never gets at the root of the problem。 Solutions that are imposed from above， or from outside the community， take agency away from the community itself and never work。 Somehow， we have to change our rhetoric， start closing the divide created by today's blaming and shaming， to make people want to be allies and want to work together， not just badger the privileged tier to intervene from the outside。 You can enjoy this book at the level of the stories， and it might nudge your conscience， which is a good thing， but I don't see concrete suggestions for anyone to follow。 And in the absence of that， what will change？After reading this book， you should go back and read the author's first book， The Other Wes Moore。 In it， he tells his own personal story of escaping poverty and criminality。 I appreciate learning from someone's personal experience more than artificial lessons that are manufactured by telling other people's stories in a certain way。 。。。more
Emily
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A powerful look from a variety of viewpoints/persons who were in Baltimore， Maryland the five days after Freddy Gray was laid to rest after dying from police brutality。 The way that the police handled themselves， nor the city itself， during the riots did nothing to quell the fear， anger and frustration that had been building up over decades in the city of Baltimore。 Hearing what transpired from many different sides allows the reader a take on what really occurred， what various people were thinki A powerful look from a variety of viewpoints/persons who were in Baltimore， Maryland the five days after Freddy Gray was laid to rest after dying from police brutality。 The way that the police handled themselves， nor the city itself， during the riots did nothing to quell the fear， anger and frustration that had been building up over decades in the city of Baltimore。 Hearing what transpired from many different sides allows the reader a take on what really occurred， what various people were thinking， as well as what took place afterwards both to the people who told their stories as well as the city of Baltimore。 Powerful and pointing out that we have a long way to go。 。。。more
Terri Floccare
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I gave this book 4 stars because the subject matter is so important。 This book tells about the death of Freddy Gray in police custody in Baltimore and subsequent riots， but it's more than that。 It also gives a picture in Baltimore's past and the attitudes that allowed the death of Gray to happen。 My primary complaint is that there were a lot of point of view characters to keep track of。 I listened to this book and didn't have the advantage of being able to flip back and forth between chapters。 S I gave this book 4 stars because the subject matter is so important。 This book tells about the death of Freddy Gray in police custody in Baltimore and subsequent riots， but it's more than that。 It also gives a picture in Baltimore's past and the attitudes that allowed the death of Gray to happen。 My primary complaint is that there were a lot of point of view characters to keep track of。 I listened to this book and didn't have the advantage of being able to flip back and forth between chapters。 Some audiobooks have supplemental information and I would have expected this book to have a lot， but I wasn't able to find any such information readily available。The subject is important and I learned a lot， and Wes Moore is the author to be telling us this story。 When all is said and done I recommend this book。 。。。more
Brenda Seefeldt
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Must read for everyone to understand both sides of this racial reckoning we are in in 2020/21。 I happened to read this during the trial of Derek Chauvin。 Your compassion will grow。
Carl
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I read it in a flash。 It was extremely engaging for me because I am familiar with all the characters and I live in Baltimore and lived through the events post Freddie Gray。 It was a good idea to portray the events from different perspectives， especially that of Greg Butler， the guy in the gas mask who cut the firehose while firefighters were trying to put out the fire at CVS。
Abby
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I enjoyed viewing the events of these five days from multiple perspectives and multiple states of status to provide a clearer picture of what led to the riots。
Sarah Kloepple
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I moved to Baltimore three years after Freddie Gray's death， so I thought this book would be a great resource to learn more about such an important event in this city's history。 And it was -- I especially enjoyed the perspectives of Tawanda and Anthony。 （The latter's story of the West Baltimore community hub the Shake & Bake was heartbreaking by the epilogue。）But I thought the format of this book was an odd choice。 I did love the eight different perspectives and didn't have any trouble keeping t I moved to Baltimore three years after Freddie Gray's death， so I thought this book would be a great resource to learn more about such an important event in this city's history。 And it was -- I especially enjoyed the perspectives of Tawanda and Anthony。 （The latter's story of the West Baltimore community hub the Shake & Bake was heartbreaking by the epilogue。）But I thought the format of this book was an odd choice。 I did love the eight different perspectives and didn't have any trouble keeping them straight， but the chapters were just much too short that it felt choppy。 I think Moore and Green could have weaved those stories together in a more thought-provoking way， while also including important context， which Moore curiously saves （mostly） for the end in his author's note。 Despite that， though， this was easy to read and digest， and I think should be on any Baltimore resident's reading list。 。。。more
Glen Heise
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A sobering， engaging， and thought-provoking account of five days of unrest in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray in 2015。 The authors provide meaningful background information about the eight characters they follow through those five days of unrest。 And they provide thoughtful commentary about the causes and implications of this American story。
Sheila
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The story of what happened in Baltimore in the aftermath of Freddy Gray's death as told through the eyes of eight people in the Baltimore community。 Wes Moore narrates it and does it well。 This is the first audiobook I've listened to that I did not fall asleep while listening。I liked how each day is used as the timeline and each story is broken up into the days as the timeline overlaps for each person so I could see the same thing through different eyes。 The people may not have known each other The story of what happened in Baltimore in the aftermath of Freddy Gray's death as told through the eyes of eight people in the Baltimore community。 Wes Moore narrates it and does it well。 This is the first audiobook I've listened to that I did not fall asleep while listening。I liked how each day is used as the timeline and each story is broken up into the days as the timeline overlaps for each person so I could see the same thing through different eyes。 The people may not have known each other but they intersected through those five days。 No story was more important than any other。 I was interested in them all。 I liked how Mr。 Moore tells what happened to these people after those five days。 I also liked and appreciated that he looks at what needs to be done and provided solutions。 This book/audio is timely for today。 。。。more
Chris Jaffe
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This is a well-written and illuminating acccount of April 25-29， 2015 in Baltimore。 Moore interviews numerous participants， and goes back and forth between various ones， showing the events from their perspective。 At times you get this Rashomon-like impression， where different people in the same place at the same time have different impressions of what's going on。 （Was this "Purge" talk coming from the streets， or something the cops planned？ Was the cutting of the firehouse something that hurt pu This is a well-written and illuminating acccount of April 25-29， 2015 in Baltimore。 Moore interviews numerous participants， and goes back and forth between various ones， showing the events from their perspective。 At times you get this Rashomon-like impression， where different people in the same place at the same time have different impressions of what's going on。 （Was this "Purge" talk coming from the streets， or something the cops planned？ Was the cutting of the firehouse something that hurt putting out a fire or saved protesters from being hosed down？） The book reads very easily as a result。Downsides？ It could stand to have a bit more background so you aren't just pushed into the deep end of the pool with so little warning。 Also， Moore probably should've had a list of people at the start of the book。 There are times he'll go back to a person we haven't seen in 50 pages， and I can't remember who this person is and where we saw them previosly。Overall， a good understanding of the Freddy Gray Riots in Baltimore。 。。。more
C。
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This was amazing and thoughtful。 Highly recommended。
Caroline Norton
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Was really excited for this one， but after finishing it just felt “meh”。 Important and significant events to read about which I appreciated。 At times it felt disorganized and was hard to keep on track following 8 different individuals。
Hannah Rodewald
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It was interesting to hear the story from different perspectives。 But I don't feel like I have a deeper understanding of the unrest。 It was interesting to hear the story from different perspectives。 But I don't feel like I have a deeper understanding of the unrest。 。。。more
Breck Upper School Library
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Mr。 Brian Wright， Science instructor and personal friend of Wes Moore， nominated Moore's newest book。 Moore's lifestory is amazing （read his bestselling debut The Other Wes Moore）。 He is worth watching and frequently appears on tv and social media。 This book earned great reviews。 Mr。 Brian Wright， Science instructor and personal friend of Wes Moore， nominated Moore's newest book。 Moore's lifestory is amazing （read his bestselling debut The Other Wes Moore）。 He is worth watching and frequently appears on tv and social media。 This book earned great reviews。 。。。more
Leigh Gaston
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Somehow I missed this slice of historical events which occurred in Baltimore。 In 2015 Baltimore Police arrested a young man。 His neck and spine were severely damaged while in the police officer’s car， he went into a coma and died a few days later。 This was the beginning of civil unrest and protests with over 200 arrests and damaged businesses。 Corrupt police often made things worse。 The city was in crisis mode and Oriole fans were in harms way at the stadium。 The story unfolds in a rather dis Somehow I missed this slice of historical events which occurred in Baltimore。 In 2015 Baltimore Police arrested a young man。 His neck and spine were severely damaged while in the police officer’s car， he went into a coma and died a few days later。 This was the beginning of civil unrest and protests with over 200 arrests and damaged businesses。 Corrupt police often made things worse。 The city was in crisis mode and Oriole fans were in harms way at the stadium。 The story unfolds in a rather disjointed way through the perspectives of seven or eight different people。 In some ways I liked that but it seemed a bit choppy。 Nonetheless， it was absolutely worth reading and I recommend it。 。。。more
Jane Neumann
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Important events。 He made it hard to follow by taking in too many voices/stories。
Daryea Satterfield
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I loved this book。 Wes Moore does it again！ I am born and raised in Baltimore and this book really tries to capture the truth and the underlying conditions which lead to the catastrophic events and disarray in the city rather than discuss it a face value。 As a black man from Baltimore City， this book makes me appreciate the struggle I came from and motivated to get involved to help black youth， adults， or any disadvantaged people in my community to have better conditions and see a way out of the I loved this book。 Wes Moore does it again！ I am born and raised in Baltimore and this book really tries to capture the truth and the underlying conditions which lead to the catastrophic events and disarray in the city rather than discuss it a face value。 As a black man from Baltimore City， this book makes me appreciate the struggle I came from and motivated to get involved to help black youth， adults， or any disadvantaged people in my community to have better conditions and see a way out of the structural poverty and the mindset that you don’t have to be a product of your area code 。 Some of the knowledge conveyed in the book about Baltimore， I did not even know myself。 A beautifully written book that depicts a historic event in Baltimore with great care and insight。 。。。more
Kim Wiggins
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I usually just rate and don't leave a comment but after reading other comments， I felt compelled to leave my own。 I loved the different perspectives because it took me back to what I was feeling at the time。 I think it also gave some some context to how we got here。 How Freddie Gray and so many before him had been abandoned by the system。 I did listen to the book， so maybe it was easier to listen to because Wes Moore was actually reading it。 I think it is an important book for everyone to read。 I usually just rate and don't leave a comment but after reading other comments， I felt compelled to leave my own。 I loved the different perspectives because it took me back to what I was feeling at the time。 I think it also gave some some context to how we got here。 How Freddie Gray and so many before him had been abandoned by the system。 I did listen to the book， so maybe it was easier to listen to because Wes Moore was actually reading it。 I think it is an important book for everyone to read。 。。。more
Rachel Embry
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The author’s note at the end 👌🏻
Emma Sharon
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An incredibly powerful and detailed account of what happened in Baltimore in 2015。 I was a college freshman in Baltimore， and wish I’d known all of this then。 （Book 1 of Black Authors for BHM）
Elizabeth
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I really enjoy Moore's style of writing and appreciate his gift for storytelling， but I found Five Days a bit hard to follow as an audiobook。 I think it may have been easier to follow if I was reading it vs。 listening to it。 I really enjoy Moore's style of writing and appreciate his gift for storytelling， but I found Five Days a bit hard to follow as an audiobook。 I think it may have been easier to follow if I was reading it vs。 listening to it。 。。。more
Brandi Harper
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This book tells its story so well。 A must read for anyone who wants to gain some insight into racial unrest-it’s causes and effects。 This book looks at 5 days in the city of Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody。 The author looks at the events of these days from 8 very different perspectives。 It’s illuminating！ Highly recommend！！！
Katie
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 3。5This book is an interesting read， a deeper look into what the protests and unrest in the aftermath of the murder of Freddie Gray was actually like and what it meant for the people of Baltimore。 It has a very tight scope of 5 days， but in those 5 days tries to cover 7 or 8 different people’s experiences。 I think everyone’s perspectives added to the overall picture， but many could have used a deeper dive and exploration。 I think the author’s views comes through strongly in the second hand telli 3。5This book is an interesting read， a deeper look into what the protests and unrest in the aftermath of the murder of Freddie Gray was actually like and what it meant for the people of Baltimore。 It has a very tight scope of 5 days， but in those 5 days tries to cover 7 or 8 different people’s experiences。 I think everyone’s perspectives added to the overall picture， but many could have used a deeper dive and exploration。 I think the author’s views comes through strongly in the second hand telling of these people’s experiences and it could sometimes make me wonder what was objective。 I’m glad I read this book and reading it in 2021 it’s hard not to draw the connections of the similar media coverage of protests in Minneapolis and Kenosha。 This book reminded me of the importance of the personal and the local。 。。。more
Autumn Anthony
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Although the 8 different accounts did make this retelling a bit convoluted at times， this recount of the 2015 Baltimore riots is personal and devastating and eye-opening。
Heather Stamper
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Good read about the different perspectives about the Baltimore Uprising of 2015。
Lindsey
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（4。5 stars） I've read several reviews where readers found the multiple narrators distracting。 I don't agree and never felt confused with the audio version; however， I can see where the form started to take the wheel from the content to an extent。 Overall， I thought Moore accomplished a LOT in a fairly short book， and it helped bring some clarity to the conflicting news reports I remember reading in 2015。 （4。5 stars） I've read several reviews where readers found the multiple narrators distracting。 I don't agree and never felt confused with the audio version; however， I can see where the form started to take the wheel from the content to an extent。 Overall， I thought Moore accomplished a LOT in a fairly short book， and it helped bring some clarity to the conflicting news reports I remember reading in 2015。 。。。more
Cath Holden
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I am conflicted by this book。 I really enjoyed part and then have some concerns about its accuracy。 I must admit that I think the plot was hard to follow if you were not familiar with the events。 Since I lived outside of Baltimore in 2015， I remember these days very vividly and I think that helped me understand this book better。 I would recommend this book with hesitation。 I enjoyed how he followed seven people and told the stories through their eyes。 I enjoy how he saw the humanity in all seven I am conflicted by this book。 I really enjoyed part and then have some concerns about its accuracy。 I must admit that I think the plot was hard to follow if you were not familiar with the events。 Since I lived outside of Baltimore in 2015， I remember these days very vividly and I think that helped me understand this book better。 I would recommend this book with hesitation。 I enjoyed how he followed seven people and told the stories through their eyes。 I enjoy how he saw the humanity in all seven people in involved in these events in his book -- Tawanda， Partee， and Greg。 This reminded me of The Devils Highway。 At times， I wanted more， more research on events at the mall and Penn North。 Book Club Questions: 1。 I don't know a lot about most of these people but I am familiar with the Angelos Family。 The author implies Baltimoreans love the Angelos family and their leadership in the Orioles organization。 I dont think this is the case。 Moreover， in the epilogue， he made it sound like the Orioles were a great time and the riot impacted their success。 The Orioles were awful for most of the 2000s and 2010s。 Thus， if he misspoke about these facts， does it make you wonder what else he may have misspoken about？ 2。 Do you think his choice to barely discuss Marilyn Mosby while including her husband extensively in the book was interesting？ Should the role of the mayor have played a greater role in the book？ 3。 Which character did you like the most？ Which did think was an odd selection？ （Characters: Tawanda （brother killed）， Jenny （Lawyer）， Greg （Fire Hose）， Anthony （Shake and Bake）， Nick （City Council）， Partee （Cop）， John （O's）， Billy （Gray Lawyer）4。 Does Moore success， and remorse about that success as stated in the introduction， impact his portrayal of the events？ 5。 What character do you wish he would have had in the book？ （i。e。 Shabazz， Grey Family member， Sun Reporter）6。 Does this book match your memory of events？ 。。。more
Dan
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Moore does a great job compiling anecdotes to trace back the events of the 2015 Baltimore riots。 Growing up in Baltimore and being around the city during the riots definitely gave me a greater appreciation for this book。 It strikes a good balance of storytelling and social commentary。 I wish it would have gone into the actual trial of the police officers more， but otherwise I thought it did a great job。
Cathy
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