Rising from the Ashes: Los Angeles, 1992. Edward Jae Song Lee, Latasha Harlins, Rodney King, and a City on Fire

Paula Yoo

Book cover for Rising from the Ashes: Los Angeles, 1992. Edward Jae Song Lee, Latasha Harlins, Rodney King, and a City on Fire
Book cover for Rising from the Ashes: Los Angeles, 1992. Edward Jae Song Lee, Latasha Harlins, Rodney King, and a City on Fire

Rising from the Ashes: Los Angeles, 1992. Edward Jae Song Lee, Latasha Harlins, Rodney King, and a City on Fire

Rising from the Ashes: Los Angeles, 1992. Edward Jae Song Lee, Latasha Harlins, Rodney King, and a City on Fire

Paula Yoo

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Description

On April 29, 1992, following the acquittal of four police officers charged with the beating and arrest of Rodney King and the earlier killing of teenager Latasha Harlins, the city of Los Angeles erupted in violence. Many of these events were centered on the city's Koreatown, where tensions between the Black and Korean American communities had simmered for years, fueled by economic challenges and redlining and enflamed by sensationalized and racist media. Based on more than 100 personal interviews, Rising from the Ashes follows these events through the eyes and experiences of the families of King, Harlins, shooting victim Edward Jae Song Lee, and dozens of business owners, journalists, police officers, firefighters, activists, and other community members. Deeply researched and compulsively readable, this is a vivid, propulsive, and moving story of a pivotal moment in recent American history that continues to resonate today.

Critical Reviews

Using scores of interviews, direct quotes, news reports, and archival photographs to sculpt this thoroughly researched history, Yoo vividly and movingly conveys the broader historical context and the many lives that were affected, shedding light on systemic challenges that continue today. A nuanced and necessary narrative.-- "Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"

Yoo's message of empathy, progress, and resilience following tragedy prove resonant in this moving account that remains relevant to contemporary society, in which smartphones have replaced camcorders in individuals' quest to expose police brutality and systemic racism.-- "Publishers Weekly (starred review)"

Yoo offers a grim and well-researched account of an event that teen readers may have heard of, but likely do not know about with any detail... Dozens of interviews and quotes are seamlessly integrated to make a flowing and compelling narrative.-- "Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)"

Using extensive research and original reporting, Yoo creates deeply humanizing portraits of King; Harlins; Edward Jae Song Lee, a young man killed trying to protect a pizza parlor; and their families... A powerful and compelling history book that shows how the past still affects the present.-- "Horn Book Magazine (starred review)"

Yoo offers a complex and nuanced look at racial inequities, the war on drugs, and policing. The impossible task of distilling years of conflict and turmoil into a condensed space is achieved with grace and representation... An important, balanced text for collections working to build digestible historical titles related to race and America.-- "School Library Journal (starred review)"

Publishing Information

Publisher: Norton Young Readers
Pub date: 2024-05-07
Length: 384 pages

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