This intense look into the lives of the people and law enforcement of South Central LA was eye-opening for me. Leovy, by tracing the murder, investigation, and trial for the murder of an LAPD detective's son, Bryant Tennelle, also brings to light many sides of crime and policing in today's age. The aspect I appreciated the most was that the murder and crime epidemic that exists among the black community was portrayed from both sides (the victims and law enforcement). 
 I live and work in Baltimore City, where murder rates have skyrocketed since the Freddy Gray riots (not to say they were low before). I've tried so hard to understand why all of the violence has to exist - why do these young black men murder each other every day? Why can't they just stop? I certainly feel for them and know that I'm missing something, but I also have a hard time coming to grips with the fact that the violence even exists. As I read Leovy's explanations for the high murder rates, particularly for black men, things started to click in my mind. As Leovy explains, going all the way back to when blacks were enslaved, white owners pitted them against each other. Even as blacks gained their freedom, they weren't granted the same levels of protection and policing as others, and had to police themselves. From this self-policing, excessive violence was born that still exists today. Without law there is no order. These men and boys were born into these situations. They joined gangs to ensure some level of safety, because regardless of their gang affiliation, they were living in the line of fire. And those who managed to steer clear of gang affiliation were still in danger merely because of the color of their skin. Wear the wrong hat or be next to the wrong person, and you're in trouble no matter how good of a person you are. Many of the gangsters portrayed in Ghettoside where simply stuck - even if they wanted to get out, they couldn't. Their lives depended on it. 
 I've also had a hard time figuring out how I feel about the protests against police brutality. My uncle was a police officer in the Philadelphia area, and I've spoken to patrons at my library who have sons, fathers, uncles, etc that serve on the police force in Baltimore. I would always think of these people when I would hear and see people bashing cops during the recent riots. Of course those officers who abuse their power should be held accountable, and the blatant abuse and disrespect toward black men from police officers is simply disgusting. But completely abandoning support for the good men and women officers didn't sit right with me. While Leovy doesn't specifically address police brutality - she more-so focuses on the lack of support LAPD gives to investigating black crime - she once again enlightened me as she took readers behind the scenes of the LAPD, particularly the homicide division. These detectives and officers are required to take on incredibly intense case loads with little resources and time. In many ways, they were also "born into" their situations. Sure, they chose their profession, and some choose to take on the attitude that plenty of cops adopt (i.e. viewing black victims as less "worthy" as whites, believing that no amount of policing will fix the murder epidemic so not affording black murder cases the same time and effort as others, busting blacks for petty crimes, etc). But there are the ones who see the unfairness, want to turn it around, but have an insurmountable mountain to climb due to the spiraling levels of violence and the limited resources. No matter how hard they work, they can't seem to get ahead. 
 There is so much more to this book than what I just wrote about. Leovy was embedded in the LAPD homicide department for years and is a great, trustworthy source. In the end, this book both made my heart hurt and weirdly made me feel relieved. The situation that young black boys are growing up in in cities across America is simply horrifying. The violence and crime officers have to police is out of control. Both sides are struggling, and both sides need to understand that to reach a common ground. To combat the violence, the community has to put some trust in and afford respect to the officers policing their community. But for that trust and respect to be given, officers have to believe that young black men are just as worthy of their help as anyone else and act accordingly. 
 My relief stemmed from the fact that I had come a tiny bit closer to "getting it." Before, I felt bad because I felt like I was judging people, no matter how hard I tried not to. This judgement was born out of ignorance, and now I feel a little less ignorant. I still have a lot to learn, but Ghettoside has definitely shifted my perspective in the right direction. This is why everyone should read this book - for progress to be made, everyone has to be aware of the situation, not just those directly involved. We all have to be outraged by the murders of every single human being, no matter their age, color, background, etc. We all have to support those fighting to bring justice to the victims. Once people start seeing murder in America as less of a problem without a solution and more of a horrible "monster" that is destroying real, breathing human beings, we will hopefully see some change.