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Tell the Truth & Shame the Devil: The Life, Legacy, and Love of My Son Michael Brown
The revelatory memoir of Lezley McSpadden—the mother of Michael Brown, the African-American teenager killed by the police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri on August 9, 2014—sheds light on one of the landmark events in recent history.
“I wasn’t there when Mike Mike was shot. I didn’t see him fall or take his last breath, but as his mother, I do know one thing better than anyone, and that’s how to tell my son’s story, and the journey we shared together as mother and son." —Lezley McSpadden
When Michael Orlandus Darrion Brown was born, he was adored and doted on by his aunts, uncles, grandparents, his father, and most of all by his sixteen-year-old mother, who nicknamed him Mike Mike. McSpadden never imagined that her son’s name would inspire the resounding chants of protesters in Ferguson, Missouri, and ignite the global conversation about the disparities in the American policing system. In Tell the Truth & Shame the Devil, McSpadden picks up the pieces of the tragedy that shook her life and the country to their core and reveals the unforgettable story of her life, her son, and their truth.
Tell the Truth & Shame the Devil is a riveting family memoir about the journey of a young woman, triumphing over insurmountable obstacles, and learning to become a good mother. With brutal honesty, McSpadden brings us inside her experiences being raised by a hardworking, single mother; her pregnancy at age fifteen and the painful subsequent decision to drop out of school to support her son; how she survived domestic abuse; and her unwavering commitment to raising four strong and healthy children, even if it meant doing so on her own. McSpadden writes passionately about the hours, days, and months after her son was shot to death by Officer Darren Wilson, recounting her time on the ground with peaceful protestors, how she was treated by police and city officials, and how she felt in the gut-wrenching moment when the grand jury announced it would not indict the man who had killed her son.
After the system failed to deliver justice to Michael Brown, McSpadden and thousands of others across America took it upon themselves to carry on his legacy in the fight against injustice and racism. Tell the Truth & Shame the Devil is a portrait of our time, an urgent call to action, and a moving testament to the undying bond between mothers and sons.
“I wasn’t there when Mike Mike was shot. I didn’t see him fall or take his last breath, but as his mother, I do know one thing better than anyone, and that’s how to tell my son’s story, and the journey we shared together as mother and son." —Lezley McSpadden
When Michael Orlandus Darrion Brown was born, he was adored and doted on by his aunts, uncles, grandparents, his father, and most of all by his sixteen-year-old mother, who nicknamed him Mike Mike. McSpadden never imagined that her son’s name would inspire the resounding chants of protesters in Ferguson, Missouri, and ignite the global conversation about the disparities in the American policing system. In Tell the Truth & Shame the Devil, McSpadden picks up the pieces of the tragedy that shook her life and the country to their core and reveals the unforgettable story of her life, her son, and their truth.
Tell the Truth & Shame the Devil is a riveting family memoir about the journey of a young woman, triumphing over insurmountable obstacles, and learning to become a good mother. With brutal honesty, McSpadden brings us inside her experiences being raised by a hardworking, single mother; her pregnancy at age fifteen and the painful subsequent decision to drop out of school to support her son; how she survived domestic abuse; and her unwavering commitment to raising four strong and healthy children, even if it meant doing so on her own. McSpadden writes passionately about the hours, days, and months after her son was shot to death by Officer Darren Wilson, recounting her time on the ground with peaceful protestors, how she was treated by police and city officials, and how she felt in the gut-wrenching moment when the grand jury announced it would not indict the man who had killed her son.
After the system failed to deliver justice to Michael Brown, McSpadden and thousands of others across America took it upon themselves to carry on his legacy in the fight against injustice and racism. Tell the Truth & Shame the Devil is a portrait of our time, an urgent call to action, and a moving testament to the undying bond between mothers and sons.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 10, 2016
142 people are currently reading
2036 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
July 27, 2020
It's hard for me to rate such a personal and real story, especially one that has made me teared up while reading the last few chapters. I'll focus on the ghostwriter's ability to put together this book instead and tentatively go with 3.5. I'm really glad we get to see the few glimpses of Michael's life and personality, as well as the life his mother has lived; it helps humanize them beyond the tragedy. It's important to talk about and learn about people's stories without them having to die first. From a technical level though, I think this ghostwriter could have done better - I couldn’t help but notice the book felt like it was rushed together before publishing due to the typos and errors, and much of the writing is explaining things matter-of-factly rather than taking a deeper look at the author's life and psyche (or her son's). I wish there had been a clearer focus on Michael’s life to paint a picture of what he was like, his interests, his fears, etc… I’m much more engaged whenever the book talks about him and I want to know everything about him beyond just his death, i.e. his interest in computer programming - how did he learn how to put computer parts together? How did he become interested in computers in the first place? I would love to read about all these details and know him better, and thus have the book be more impactful by honoring the life that he lived.
April 18, 2017
3.5 Stars
Lezley McSpadden experienced something that no one should ever have to experience. Her 18 year old son Michael Brown was murdered in cold blood by "police officer" Darren Wilson and his body was left laying in the street for 4 hours. Brown's death set off days of protest and grief. The police would turn the streets of Ferguson into the occupied villages of Iraq. The "police officer" Darren Wilson who murdered Mike Brown without remorse would of course get away with it because everyone knows cops can murder with impunity. Leaving Lezley McSpadden feeling not only grief at losing her child but a moral rage at the world.
Lezley was born and raised in the hood and she makes no effort to coverup her ghettoness. I've read other reviews that criticized her for that, but I don't think you should criticize someone for telling their truth. This book wasn't really about Mike Brown, his murder or the occupation of Ferguson that followed. This book was about a mothers love and the desire to show her son as more than a victim or a thug. Mike Brown is martyr. He died so that people (white people) could see the injustice that minorities experience at the hands of bullying trigger happy cops.
I highly recommend this book to everyone.
Book Riot Read Harder 2017 Reading Challenge: A book in which a character of color goes on a spiritual journey.
Lezley McSpadden experienced something that no one should ever have to experience. Her 18 year old son Michael Brown was murdered in cold blood by "police officer" Darren Wilson and his body was left laying in the street for 4 hours. Brown's death set off days of protest and grief. The police would turn the streets of Ferguson into the occupied villages of Iraq. The "police officer" Darren Wilson who murdered Mike Brown without remorse would of course get away with it because everyone knows cops can murder with impunity. Leaving Lezley McSpadden feeling not only grief at losing her child but a moral rage at the world.
Lezley was born and raised in the hood and she makes no effort to coverup her ghettoness. I've read other reviews that criticized her for that, but I don't think you should criticize someone for telling their truth. This book wasn't really about Mike Brown, his murder or the occupation of Ferguson that followed. This book was about a mothers love and the desire to show her son as more than a victim or a thug. Mike Brown is martyr. He died so that people (white people) could see the injustice that minorities experience at the hands of bullying trigger happy cops.
I highly recommend this book to everyone.
Book Riot Read Harder 2017 Reading Challenge: A book in which a character of color goes on a spiritual journey.
June 22, 2016
I eagerly anticipated this book. Maintaining justice amongst increasingly militarized policing policies has always been a passion of mine. (That's an intellectual way of saying "Fuck the police")
I've followed Michael Brown's case closely, ever since it happened. It was of interest to me for several reasons. I really wanted to know more about a few things - what was going on with that convenience store situation? The evidence seems to back up Officer Wilson's account, so if it's true what on earth would possess Mr. Brown to act like that? What was really going on on the streets where protests were happening?
I really wish I hadn't read the first 148 pages of this. It look 75 pages before Michael Brown was even BORN. Before that, it was just Ms. McSpaddens life. She painstakingly describes every one of her outfits and hairdos.
One thing I've got to give Ms. McSpadden - she is unashamed. Around here people try to clean up their image a bit, put their best foot forward, hide their bad decisions in a vague statement like "There were some hard times...". Not Ms. McSpadden. She spells out every terrible decision, every rotten action, every time she cut off her nose to spite her face. She describes her chaotic and toxic upbringing She doesn't give her mother a shadow to hide in. She doesn't make excuses either - she just tells her story as her story.
While I somewhat admire her candor and frankly she sounds a lot like many of my friends and family, I still wish she hadn't written all that stuff. Because overall, she just makes herself look like a hood rat. Did she not have a friend to counsel her that some hands are best held close?
It's especially frustrating because one likes to have a narrative to show justice starkly. I wanted Mike Brown to be a good boy from a good family so what happened could have an easily defined enemy. But that isn't really the truth and Ms. McSpadden doesn't really care about narratives. It is a moral challenge to face the fact that justice is multi-faceted, there are no "perfect victims" and we must find it within ourselves to seek restorative action even to people who are in their own way.
Although the evidence (even of Ms. McSpadden's independent investigator) backed up Wilson's account, I still kind of didn't believe it. If true it would have meant that Mike Brown engaged in some crazy, impulsive, irrational action. Like, really, you charge at a police officer? That's nuts. Who would do that? They say he was high on marijuana and who does something like that on pot? Nobody would do that, it's nonsense.
But after reading this book... I actually have to begrudgingly accept Wilson's account. Everything that Ms. McSpadden puts in this book paints a picture of herself as an impulsive, quick-to-anger, reckless person. She doesn't attempt to paint her son in a significantly different brush.
Where this is really problematic is that this ISN'T a book about Mike Brown. This is a book about Lezley McSpadden. She speaks surprisingly little about her son.
That's not surprising as the story unfolds because as it turns out, she didn't raise him. He stayed with his grandparents, his dad's folks. Ms. McSpadden wasn't absent - she saw him often and loved him deeply. But she was not involved in the day to day raising of this human. She called the school when she found out he wasn't doing well his senior year and the counselor said to her "We didn't know you existed". She wasn't even an emergency contact. When he finally did succeed in graduating (with significant personal effort according to all involved), she didn't even attend his graduation ceremony.
Mr. Brown had several very serious health problems and Ms. McSpadden's own account makes it sound like she did not take care of them. She took him to the doctor a few times. She got him glasses. I guess they must've been reading glasses, though, because I've never seen him wear them in any picture? Speaking of pictures, I was a little surprised that this book contained none. I would have liked to see some nice shots of the Mike Brown as a little boy and all that.
She criticizes Dorian Johnson (the fellow who was with Mr. Brown at the time of the shooting) and says he wasn't really one of Mr. Brown's friends. She says this because she had never met Mr. Johnson before and because he didn't come to the family right after the shooting. OK, then who were his real friends? She doesn't mention any of them because she didn't know any of them. She didn't know who her son's friends were because she wasn't involved in the day to day proceedings of his life.
Ms. McSpadden has nothing at all to add to the discussion of the shooting because she wasn't there at ALL. She hadn't spoken to Mr. Brown in the days leading up to the shooting. She does paint a picture of Mr. Brown being really unstable and irrational during the time period she had last seen him. She prints his social media posts word-for-word and they just make him sound crazy.
Really, I just don't see how none of her friends read this book and didn't steer her away from it.
I liked reading about her Rainbow Mothers coalition and she did write eloquently about the pain involved in losing a child. I also think her push for body cameras on police officers is reasonable and smart.
But I don't think it would have made a difference. All the evidence points to Wilson telling the truth and she still wishes he'd go to jail.
One thing that struck me was how callous so many officials were toward her. It doesn't take much to acknowledge someone or say "I'm sorry for your loss". I mean, it might be kind of hard when the person is throwing a fit, but suck it up and act human anyway.
OK. There's my review. I'm exhausted and frustrated and wish I never picked this book up.
I've followed Michael Brown's case closely, ever since it happened. It was of interest to me for several reasons. I really wanted to know more about a few things - what was going on with that convenience store situation? The evidence seems to back up Officer Wilson's account, so if it's true what on earth would possess Mr. Brown to act like that? What was really going on on the streets where protests were happening?
I really wish I hadn't read the first 148 pages of this. It look 75 pages before Michael Brown was even BORN. Before that, it was just Ms. McSpaddens life. She painstakingly describes every one of her outfits and hairdos.
One thing I've got to give Ms. McSpadden - she is unashamed. Around here people try to clean up their image a bit, put their best foot forward, hide their bad decisions in a vague statement like "There were some hard times...". Not Ms. McSpadden. She spells out every terrible decision, every rotten action, every time she cut off her nose to spite her face. She describes her chaotic and toxic upbringing She doesn't give her mother a shadow to hide in. She doesn't make excuses either - she just tells her story as her story.
While I somewhat admire her candor and frankly she sounds a lot like many of my friends and family, I still wish she hadn't written all that stuff. Because overall, she just makes herself look like a hood rat. Did she not have a friend to counsel her that some hands are best held close?
It's especially frustrating because one likes to have a narrative to show justice starkly. I wanted Mike Brown to be a good boy from a good family so what happened could have an easily defined enemy. But that isn't really the truth and Ms. McSpadden doesn't really care about narratives. It is a moral challenge to face the fact that justice is multi-faceted, there are no "perfect victims" and we must find it within ourselves to seek restorative action even to people who are in their own way.
Although the evidence (even of Ms. McSpadden's independent investigator) backed up Wilson's account, I still kind of didn't believe it. If true it would have meant that Mike Brown engaged in some crazy, impulsive, irrational action. Like, really, you charge at a police officer? That's nuts. Who would do that? They say he was high on marijuana and who does something like that on pot? Nobody would do that, it's nonsense.
But after reading this book... I actually have to begrudgingly accept Wilson's account. Everything that Ms. McSpadden puts in this book paints a picture of herself as an impulsive, quick-to-anger, reckless person. She doesn't attempt to paint her son in a significantly different brush.
Where this is really problematic is that this ISN'T a book about Mike Brown. This is a book about Lezley McSpadden. She speaks surprisingly little about her son.
That's not surprising as the story unfolds because as it turns out, she didn't raise him. He stayed with his grandparents, his dad's folks. Ms. McSpadden wasn't absent - she saw him often and loved him deeply. But she was not involved in the day to day raising of this human. She called the school when she found out he wasn't doing well his senior year and the counselor said to her "We didn't know you existed". She wasn't even an emergency contact. When he finally did succeed in graduating (with significant personal effort according to all involved), she didn't even attend his graduation ceremony.
Mr. Brown had several very serious health problems and Ms. McSpadden's own account makes it sound like she did not take care of them. She took him to the doctor a few times. She got him glasses. I guess they must've been reading glasses, though, because I've never seen him wear them in any picture? Speaking of pictures, I was a little surprised that this book contained none. I would have liked to see some nice shots of the Mike Brown as a little boy and all that.
She criticizes Dorian Johnson (the fellow who was with Mr. Brown at the time of the shooting) and says he wasn't really one of Mr. Brown's friends. She says this because she had never met Mr. Johnson before and because he didn't come to the family right after the shooting. OK, then who were his real friends? She doesn't mention any of them because she didn't know any of them. She didn't know who her son's friends were because she wasn't involved in the day to day proceedings of his life.
Ms. McSpadden has nothing at all to add to the discussion of the shooting because she wasn't there at ALL. She hadn't spoken to Mr. Brown in the days leading up to the shooting. She does paint a picture of Mr. Brown being really unstable and irrational during the time period she had last seen him. She prints his social media posts word-for-word and they just make him sound crazy.
Really, I just don't see how none of her friends read this book and didn't steer her away from it.
I liked reading about her Rainbow Mothers coalition and she did write eloquently about the pain involved in losing a child. I also think her push for body cameras on police officers is reasonable and smart.
But I don't think it would have made a difference. All the evidence points to Wilson telling the truth and she still wishes he'd go to jail.
One thing that struck me was how callous so many officials were toward her. It doesn't take much to acknowledge someone or say "I'm sorry for your loss". I mean, it might be kind of hard when the person is throwing a fit, but suck it up and act human anyway.
OK. There's my review. I'm exhausted and frustrated and wish I never picked this book up.
July 19, 2016
This is a powerful riveting testament of unconditional maternal love: “Tell The Truth & Shame the Devil: The Life, Legacy, And Love of My Son Michael Brown” by Lezley McSpadden ( with Lyah Beth LeFlore) recounts the short life of her son Michael Brown, his tragic shooting death in Ferguson, Missouri on August 09, 2014 that sparked public outcry and outrage so extreme, it led to street protests and civil unrest across the nation and the formation of the Black Lives Matter movement.
As a single teen mother when “Mike Mike” Michael Orlandus Darrion Brown was born on May 20, 1996, McSpadden was determined to work very hard to care and provide for him. Disadvantaged by her lack of education, low wage work, impoverished and crime ridden neighborhoods McSpadden raised her growing family by her strong work ethic and fierce independence. This strength however, didn’t protect her from the shattering impact of domestic violence and poor relationships with men. Later she would find stability and happiness in a loving marriage. McSpadden narrates the story in first person, in addition this is a startling recollection of lower income/poor black American culture: from immediate and extended family life, education, employment, to celebrations--foods/diet with noticeable speech and mannerisms.
As a child, Michael was big for his age, he loved animals and video games. As he matured he was very devoted to his family, a good role model for his younger siblings, and assisted with their care. At school he had an IEP (Individualized Education Plan), avoided trouble with authority figures and gang involvement. Hospitalized as a teen for heart health issues and high blood pressure, he had to exercise and watch his weight. With little interest in sports, Michael tinkered with and repaired computers and he also rhymed and produced hip-hop beats. Following his high school graduation he aspired to attend college and study computer programming.
Nationwide young black men were nine times more likely than other Americans to be killed by police officers in 2015, according to the Guardian. Lezley McSpadden (St. Louis, Missouri): is the creator of The Michael O.D. Brown We Love Our Sons and Daughters Foundation that advocates for justice, supports improved health and wellness, also educational opportunities that build stronger families. McSpadden’s signature program, Rainbow of Mothers offers support to mothers who have suffered the tragic loss of a child. ~ Special thanks and appreciation to Regan Arts for the ARC of this book for the purpose of review, and for sponsoring the Goodreads Giveaways.
*In Memory of Michael Brown, today would have been his 20th Birthday.
As a single teen mother when “Mike Mike” Michael Orlandus Darrion Brown was born on May 20, 1996, McSpadden was determined to work very hard to care and provide for him. Disadvantaged by her lack of education, low wage work, impoverished and crime ridden neighborhoods McSpadden raised her growing family by her strong work ethic and fierce independence. This strength however, didn’t protect her from the shattering impact of domestic violence and poor relationships with men. Later she would find stability and happiness in a loving marriage. McSpadden narrates the story in first person, in addition this is a startling recollection of lower income/poor black American culture: from immediate and extended family life, education, employment, to celebrations--foods/diet with noticeable speech and mannerisms.
As a child, Michael was big for his age, he loved animals and video games. As he matured he was very devoted to his family, a good role model for his younger siblings, and assisted with their care. At school he had an IEP (Individualized Education Plan), avoided trouble with authority figures and gang involvement. Hospitalized as a teen for heart health issues and high blood pressure, he had to exercise and watch his weight. With little interest in sports, Michael tinkered with and repaired computers and he also rhymed and produced hip-hop beats. Following his high school graduation he aspired to attend college and study computer programming.
Nationwide young black men were nine times more likely than other Americans to be killed by police officers in 2015, according to the Guardian. Lezley McSpadden (St. Louis, Missouri): is the creator of The Michael O.D. Brown We Love Our Sons and Daughters Foundation that advocates for justice, supports improved health and wellness, also educational opportunities that build stronger families. McSpadden’s signature program, Rainbow of Mothers offers support to mothers who have suffered the tragic loss of a child. ~ Special thanks and appreciation to Regan Arts for the ARC of this book for the purpose of review, and for sponsoring the Goodreads Giveaways.
*In Memory of Michael Brown, today would have been his 20th Birthday.
May 19, 2016
This book is absolutely beautiful. It's rare for a book to move me to tears multiple times. This woman should have never lost her son in this way, but I am grateful that she has channeled her grief into action. Thank you, Ms. McSpadden, for sharing your son's story with us. I am thankful that you did.
April 26, 2022
So sad. Could never understand what this parent is going through
June 3, 2016
Revolutionary, in that it's the story of a regular lady you would see on the bus, at the library, or behind the counter who gets to tell her own life story. You see her experiences, choices, troubles, and traumas in what feels like an authentic voice. I'm so sorry she gained her chance to speak through such a painful and tragic circumstance, but I hope a lot of people who are interested in real life below the poverty line read her book.
May 20, 2016
I won this awesome book from Goodreads,& I loved it! Such a powerful story,it actually made me teary-eyed & I feel for this family...so sad. Great book,keeps your attention from page 1 right through to the end!
September 16, 2016
The most dangerous place on earth is between a child and the mother. Especially when that child has been murdered.
Americans are better-informed than ever thanks to technology, but there's so much information that important voices can get lost. Lezley McSpadden's chronicle of her son's life is a vital piece of information missing from the media narrative of what happened to her son Michael Brown one ugly day in Ferguson, MO. In our insatiable need for 24/7 news and entertainment, we often forget that the people behind the glossy online images are flesh and blood citizens with their own stories, hopes, and desires. McSpadden and her co-author, Lyah Beth LeFlore, paint a picture of contemporary black life in America in microcosm, an environment where, no matter how hard you try, you seemingly just can't win.
At least, not according to the rules of white America. But by other standards, McSpadden had definitely won a great victory before her son was taken away from her. Her own life--which involved difficulty at school despite much care and intervention, domestic violence, and financial woes--is a testament to her will to survive. After many years of struggle, she had a good job, a supportive family, beautiful children, and a true love. We learn about how Lezley met Mike-Mike's father, how he was born and raised, what kind of child he was, and how hard Lezley worked to get him through high school. It's a hard story to read, but at the same time there is more genuine love and support in her family than some of the wealthiest homes in America demonstrate. It's that consistent, persistent love that enables her to keep going.
And then, with one phone call, McSpadden's world is torn apart. She recalls, as best she can, the things that were going on around her as she struggled to make sense of Mike-Mike's death. She writes about something a mother should never have to do: putting together her child's funeral. She tells the anguishing tale of coping with the justice system, which--aside from Eric Holder's genuine care and concern--treated her with fear and disrespect instead of like a mother who has suffered a great loss. Justice is blind, they say, but from McSpadden's story we learn that she is also frequently deaf....at least, to voices of color.
McSpadden's memoir is mandatory for all library collections. It will upset some of your patrons, sure. But it will reassure others that libraries truly DO exist to serve ALL people, that ALL people's stories are represented. Especially when those stories are frequently drowned out in the mostly-white publishing, media, and book-reviewing industries. And that, my friends, is the true shame. Don't let it happen on your watch.
Americans are better-informed than ever thanks to technology, but there's so much information that important voices can get lost. Lezley McSpadden's chronicle of her son's life is a vital piece of information missing from the media narrative of what happened to her son Michael Brown one ugly day in Ferguson, MO. In our insatiable need for 24/7 news and entertainment, we often forget that the people behind the glossy online images are flesh and blood citizens with their own stories, hopes, and desires. McSpadden and her co-author, Lyah Beth LeFlore, paint a picture of contemporary black life in America in microcosm, an environment where, no matter how hard you try, you seemingly just can't win.
At least, not according to the rules of white America. But by other standards, McSpadden had definitely won a great victory before her son was taken away from her. Her own life--which involved difficulty at school despite much care and intervention, domestic violence, and financial woes--is a testament to her will to survive. After many years of struggle, she had a good job, a supportive family, beautiful children, and a true love. We learn about how Lezley met Mike-Mike's father, how he was born and raised, what kind of child he was, and how hard Lezley worked to get him through high school. It's a hard story to read, but at the same time there is more genuine love and support in her family than some of the wealthiest homes in America demonstrate. It's that consistent, persistent love that enables her to keep going.
And then, with one phone call, McSpadden's world is torn apart. She recalls, as best she can, the things that were going on around her as she struggled to make sense of Mike-Mike's death. She writes about something a mother should never have to do: putting together her child's funeral. She tells the anguishing tale of coping with the justice system, which--aside from Eric Holder's genuine care and concern--treated her with fear and disrespect instead of like a mother who has suffered a great loss. Justice is blind, they say, but from McSpadden's story we learn that she is also frequently deaf....at least, to voices of color.
McSpadden's memoir is mandatory for all library collections. It will upset some of your patrons, sure. But it will reassure others that libraries truly DO exist to serve ALL people, that ALL people's stories are represented. Especially when those stories are frequently drowned out in the mostly-white publishing, media, and book-reviewing industries. And that, my friends, is the true shame. Don't let it happen on your watch.
May 17, 2016
Just a bunch of garbage about what a wonderful kid he was so wonderful he bullied those littler than he was. Garbage!
Read
June 10, 2016Relentlessly raw and absolutely necessary.
February 6, 2017
I felt the title was misleading because not much was learned about Michael. I feel a huge amount of sorrow and sympathy for this mother. I am still confused as to what happened the day Michael was killed. The writing was not spectacular and I had a hard time connecting with the author. I find it inspiring that she will use her son's legacy to help others. I would have liked to know if the funds from her book were going toward her organization. This is hard for me to review because the book was not what I was expecting and I did not learn much about her son from it.
April 18, 2018
Tell the Truth and Shame the Devil
is about a mother’s journey into understanding and accepting the needless murder of her son by law enforcement.
November 21, 2018
I never thought much about this book when I borrowed it from my teacher. I just chose it at random but, I realized very quickly how relatable this book is. I’m from Oakland. It’s also a pretty scary and unsafe place. I’ve experienced shootings and I’ve seen lots of bad things. I related to the mothers childhood and adult hood in some ways. For example, the neighborhood she lived in was dangerous and hood-like. I’ve lived in a hood-like neighborhood practically all my life. I’ve seen many videos and stories about black lives matter. I’ve also seen videos of corrupted cops killing innocent people. I never got to see it or experience it first hand though. This book helped me realize what mothers and others go through because of police brutality. I actually had the chance to experienced a mothers emotions and feelings through the death of her son. I must say, it was really unfair how the FBI did not want to keep going with the investigation. I feel like they just did not want to find evidence or admit that the cop unjustly killed her son. There’s plenty of cops that over use their authority and believe they are above the laws. This society shouldn’t give cops special treatments when they do crimes. They are civilians and humans like everyone else so they should apply the same laws to them as well. I’m very sorry for her loss. I really felt my heart ache the moment they shot Mike Mike. I tried not to cry because I was in class. Thank you for sharing your story with me. I hope others can read it and connect with the characters on a personal level like me.
November 15, 2018
Incredible. I couldn't put this down. St. Louis was the city that radicalized me on issues of racial justice, and reading this was like going back. I was totally glued to the Ferguson coverage in 2014 from San Francisco, where I was working side by side with a staff of women with lives so similar to Nette's. Even though I get the structural causes for what happened to Michael OD Brown, this is the first book I've read that approaches all of the survival strategies that Nette uses with compassion and love. So inspiring and painful all at once.
September 7, 2019
Strength
A vivid picture of a not so perfect woman being the best mother she could be with the circumstances she had. I held back tears when it came to Mike Mike's murder. I love Lesley's spirit and resilience. I know her son is proud.
A vivid picture of a not so perfect woman being the best mother she could be with the circumstances she had. I held back tears when it came to Mike Mike's murder. I love Lesley's spirit and resilience. I know her son is proud.
May 23, 2022
This book is amazing. Lezley suffers a lot of racism in her community and she also had to grief the lost of her young son that was shot due to police brutality. She fought to gain justice for her son and alot of people around the entire world helped her with this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 2, 2021
read this.
May 24, 2019
Even though I gave the book a 3 star I really like it. This book talks about what a mother that lost her son felts like when there is really no justice at all for people of color. The book goes into a bunch of detail about Lezley McSpadden life and how hard it was to deal with her first son. This book had really describe scenes that make you feel the things that the women was feeling. However, somethings that were describe were really not necessary.
June 7, 2018
This book I would say is one of my favorites.When I saw the title it caught my attention but as Icontinue to read the book I knew I wanted to finish it.This book is very good and I suggest others should read it as well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 12, 2017
This book immerses the reader in the culture and family of Michael Brown. He was fatally shot, while unarmed, by a police officer on August 9, 2014. I highly recommend this book.
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December 19, 2019this book was about a woman who lost her child to police violence. her first born was shot and killed after a police call was made.
August 12, 2016
During my middle school years, I attended a middle school in Florida that was...how should I put this...underprivileged, I suppose would be the best way to phrase it. I remember that it was smack in the middle of what many called "the projects." I know I adopted that phrase, too, not knowing the origin of the term, or the loaded associations. Bottom line was, the school definitely did not reflect a solid middle-class constituency. It was a diverse group of students there, but every morning, and every afternoon, I boarded a school bus that then trundled off and deposited me into my own neighborhood, which may as well have been in another universe.
Reading Ms. McSpadden's book was a lot like taking a trip down memory lane. She and I are of a same age, so reading about her upbringing in St. Louis during the 1990s, and getting the pop culture references she made, rang very familiar with me. However, as I was reading it, I couldn't escape the feeling that her experiences, and mine, were nothing alike. We may have experienced the same events and culture, but in vastly different settings. I think that might be why it is difficult for many to read this book and really get the environment Ms. McSpadden grew up in, and later raised her children in. It's so far beyond our realm of experience, and when there is such a gap, how can we really understand?
I want to understand. And it's thanks to Ms. McSpadden's courage and honesty that I am at least able to read what it is like to be a female growing up in a racially-divided city, surrounded by a family filled with warmth and love and chaos, struggling to make the right choices when you don't have the information and resources to guide and support you. She raised her son, Michael Brown, as best she could, and worked hard to keep him in school. When he was killed by a policeman in disputed circumstances, she was left reeling from the shock and abruptness of her firstborn's violent and senseless death. She's spent her time since then trying to find justice for her son, and provide healing for others who have lost their children. In this very honest book, which perhaps deliberately presents information in a somewhat jumbled and chaotic fashion, she has given us a harsh portrait of a facet of American culture that many of us have never, will never experience firsthand--but should know about in order to understand how people, events, and geographies evolve the way they do.
It's a book about Michael Brown, but more than that, it's a book about Michael Brown's family, his life, his death, and his legacy. It's a book about the woman who gave him life and is trying to give his life meaning in death. It's a book that's going to make many of us uncomfortable, but it's not a book that we should turn away from. It's a book that throbs with raw anger, and many other emotions, and it's a book that doesn't agree with many of the outcomes of what happened in 2014. (Whether or not I agree is irrelevant.) It's a book of a mother's trauma at losing her child to violence, suddenly, a trauma that none of us should ever have to endure. It's a book made me think a lot about my fellow Americans and the vast differences between us, and the ways in which we live side by side yet worlds apart.
Reading Ms. McSpadden's book was a lot like taking a trip down memory lane. She and I are of a same age, so reading about her upbringing in St. Louis during the 1990s, and getting the pop culture references she made, rang very familiar with me. However, as I was reading it, I couldn't escape the feeling that her experiences, and mine, were nothing alike. We may have experienced the same events and culture, but in vastly different settings. I think that might be why it is difficult for many to read this book and really get the environment Ms. McSpadden grew up in, and later raised her children in. It's so far beyond our realm of experience, and when there is such a gap, how can we really understand?
I want to understand. And it's thanks to Ms. McSpadden's courage and honesty that I am at least able to read what it is like to be a female growing up in a racially-divided city, surrounded by a family filled with warmth and love and chaos, struggling to make the right choices when you don't have the information and resources to guide and support you. She raised her son, Michael Brown, as best she could, and worked hard to keep him in school. When he was killed by a policeman in disputed circumstances, she was left reeling from the shock and abruptness of her firstborn's violent and senseless death. She's spent her time since then trying to find justice for her son, and provide healing for others who have lost their children. In this very honest book, which perhaps deliberately presents information in a somewhat jumbled and chaotic fashion, she has given us a harsh portrait of a facet of American culture that many of us have never, will never experience firsthand--but should know about in order to understand how people, events, and geographies evolve the way they do.
It's a book about Michael Brown, but more than that, it's a book about Michael Brown's family, his life, his death, and his legacy. It's a book about the woman who gave him life and is trying to give his life meaning in death. It's a book that's going to make many of us uncomfortable, but it's not a book that we should turn away from. It's a book that throbs with raw anger, and many other emotions, and it's a book that doesn't agree with many of the outcomes of what happened in 2014. (Whether or not I agree is irrelevant.) It's a book of a mother's trauma at losing her child to violence, suddenly, a trauma that none of us should ever have to endure. It's a book made me think a lot about my fellow Americans and the vast differences between us, and the ways in which we live side by side yet worlds apart.
May 21, 2019
Overall I really liked the book, it made me realize that not only violence happens where I'm from but everywhere. I didn't give it a full five stars, because at first it was confusing due to the timeline and all the characters being introduced.
February 1, 2017
This book was very Inspirational to my soul. To first hear from a mother writing about the death of her son makes me happy. In the book she really brings out her emotions towards what happened! She explains how the death of her son caused her to appreciate the life she has to live in the future. Im not going to go deep into the book but I one last thing to add is, she is very encouraging towards people who may have experienced the same trial that she has, with the death of her son. I recommend this book to ANYONE who is serious enough to read and is willing to understand her experience.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 7, 2016
I won a copy of this book from Goodreads. Although it's not what I expected (less about Michael and more about his mom) it was a great memoir about Lezley's life up until and immediately after Michael's death. Highlights the changes that are needed in our system and society by focusing on this family's individual story and loss.
June 9, 2016
I felt that I needed to hear her story, after all of the media spin. I now have background into her upbringing and Michael Brown's upbringing. How hard must it have been to keep pushing him to graduate and see his future.
I pray she finds peace and purpose in her future.
I pray she finds peace and purpose in her future.
June 9, 2016
I just finished this book tonight. It took me awhile to really get going because I knew it was going to have a sad ending. Once I really started reading it I couldn't put it down. Lezley doesn't cover things up she is very forthcoming in her history.
December 31, 2016
If you understand cycles of violence, you'll understand how the deadly confrontation was inevitable. This is a fast, easy read, but poorly written, so it's difficult to understand in areas. It's good to understand a different point of view.
June 9, 2016
i had to pull myself together emotionally, more than once, while reading her account of the injustices her family faced.
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