The lessons of Baltimore

Also this week: Protest reading, critics' picks and more [Mural of George Floyd]( Patrick Semansky/AP The killing of George Floyd has inspired protests across the U.S. and around the world, with crowds evoking the names of other black men and women who have died in police custody — including [Freddie Gray]( who died after Baltimore police gave him a "rough ride" in a police van. Author Wes Moore chronicles the uprising that occurred in Baltimore following Gray's death in his new book, Five Days: The Fiery Reckoning of an American City. "I think it's important for the country to understand the lessons of Baltimore, understand the lessons of what happened to Freddie Gray, understand the aftermath of what happened to Freddie Gray," he tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross. "Because we're basically reliving history right now." Moore adds that "while I share the calls for peace, I do think it's important for people to wonder and to ask: ... Where's our collective pain supposed to go when there still is no justice? That's the tension that we're seeing right now on the streets." [Find that full conversation here.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- [A man kneels as he confronts National Guard members guarding the area in the aftermath of a protest in Minneapolis.]( A man kneels as he confronts National Guard members guarding the area in the aftermath of a protest in Minneapolis. Carlos Barria/Reuters Our friends at the Code Switch blog have been keeping list of readings from around the web that'll help you put this week's events in context. [You can check that out here.]( We also dug into our archives for some books that you may find helpful right now: - Ibram X. Kendi, on his book [How to Be an Antiracist]( - Reviewer Silvia Viñas on Reni Eddo-Lodge's [Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race]( - Robin DiAngelo on [White Fragility:]( It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism]( Finally this week, NPR Politics' Ron Elving [digs into Masha Gessen's new Surviving Autocracy]( "Gessen clearly regards Trump not only as a Putin apologist and sometime collaborator but as a Putin impersonator," Elving writes. Heller McAlpin says Brit Bennett's sophomore novel The Vanishing Half "[more than lives up to her early promise]( with its tale of two light-skinned black sisters whose lives go in very different directions. In This Is One Way to Dance, Sejal Shah writes about growing up in Rochester, NY as a born and bred American who's also part of the Gujarati diaspora. Martha Anne Toll says it's full of "[important, refreshing, and depressing observations]( [Surviving Autocracy, by Masha Gessen]( [The Vanishing Half, by Brit Bennett]( [This Is One Way to Dance, by Sejal Shah]( Stay safe if you can, read if your brain will let you, and take care of yourselves and each other! Petra --------------------------------------------------------------- What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [books@npr.org](mailto:books@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Music, Pop Culture, Code Switch and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Books emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy](