Rising from the Ashes Los Angeles, 1992 by Paula Yoo - OPTIONAL

Rising from the Ashes Los Angeles, 1992. Edward Jae Song Lee, Latasha Harlins, Rodney King, and a City on Fire by Paula Yoo, 368 pages. NON-FICTION Norton Young Readers. 2024. $20. 

Language: R (11 swears 3 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: R (shootings, people killed, photos of dead people) 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL 

APPEALS TO: SEVERAL 

In Los Angeles in 1992, Rodney Glen King was filmed as he was beaten by police officers, Latasha Harlins was shot and killed buy a store owner who thought she was stealing orange juice, and Edward Jae Song Lee was killed as he came to help fellow Koreans protect their shops during the civil unrest and fires that were a response to the not guilty verdict of the police officers, and the light sentence of the store owner. 

Told through the voices of dozens of witnesses, family members, police officers, reporters and others involved in what was a violent 5 days. Yoo narrates the events through the stories of the three victims and their families, and through the eyes of the Korean American community. I was an adult in 1992 and remember listening to the radio and watching the violence and fires on tv, but was not aware of the impact on the Korean Community, and the racism that let to the eruption of the city of LA. Full of first hand accounts, and lots of photographs City on Fire was an engaging read, and a well documented account. Includes a list of the names of all those killed, the numbers of individuals involved as well as the number of fires and buildings destroyed. A fantastic read. 

Lisa Librarian