Stand Your Ground

Starred review from June 1, 2015
Janice Johnson's 16-year-old son, Marquis, is usually well behaved. One of few African Americans at an elite preparatory school, he is a good student and has the grades to prove it. One of his few offenses, smoking a joint, has been dealt with, and now that he is no longer grounded, he takes his white girlfriend to the library. But Marquis never comes home. He has been shot to death, and the murderer, a white man, claims a stand-your-ground defense. Janice is devastated by the loss of her only child. Her husband, Tyrone, wants revenge, and in his fury, he turns to his brother, Raj, a member of the militant Brown Guardians. Meredith Spencer can't believe her husband shot a teenager. She feels bad for the family of the slain youth, but knows if she shares the secret about that night, the world of wealth and luxury she has come to know will only be a distant memory. A mother's anguish, a community divided by racial prejudice, the vilification of the victim by the press, the sickening media spin of the murderer as victimthis all-too-familiar scenario has become part of our lives. Murray, winner of several African American Literary Awards for fiction, powerfully captures the nuances and tragedies engendered by stand-your-ground laws. A must-read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)