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A review by lit_vibrations
Come Home Safe by Brian G. Buckmire
5.0
Special thanks to the author, publisher, & netgalley for my advanced readers copy!!!
This book was so compelling and thought-provoking it literally had me on EDGE with emotions. Not gone lie it had me a little angry and my heart racing for a minute. But I loved how the author tried delivering his message and let it be known he doesn’t have the right answers but can give us the knowledge he’s learned. Kudos to Brian for this.
The book follows two siblings 12 year old Olive and her 14 year old brother Reed and their encounters with police, false accusations, unlawful interrogations, and discrimination. We’re taught that the police are here to protect and serve yet not much protecting was done in either situation.
The book is broken down into two parts. We see firsthand what Reed experienced when dealing with the police and the whole ordeal left him traumatized. Imagine being on the way home from school with your younger sibling only to be stopped by police then accused of something you didn’t do. I felt so bad for Reed because not only was he afraid but he was a child and they treated him as if they were dealing with an adult.
The 2nd part shows Olive in a similar situation yet she is falsely accused by a frantic woman. Rather than the police hearing both sides they took what the woman said and ran with it. In this particular instance they only saw color. Once it was revealed the woman was wrong the police chalked it up to being a misunderstanding. Little did they know Olive and Reed’s mother was present. They were biracial and there mother just so happened to be a white woman. Once she was present that changed the trajectory of the entire situation. Crazy right? Not really.
I can’t say a lot without basically giving the whole book away. But you guys it’s a MUST-READ if not for you definitely for your children or teens. The author did an amazing job with giving us two different scenarios involving the law and what could be done in either situation. His law expertise was immaculate and I think something we should take into account when dealing with police.
Once I finished the book I understood the reasoning behind the title “Come Home Safe”. Nobody should have to say those words to their children everyday. But when we live in a world that has grown even more dangerous by the day it’s necessary.
There was something Olive mentioned in the story that really stuck with me. “I walk differently to be safe, I dress differently to be safe. How much of myself do I have to give up to be safe?” I felt that on so many levels. How much do we have to give before we can feel safe in this world. What more can we do not to be deemed as a threat that results in police brutality?
I loved how each chapter’s header was a famous quote. I loved both of the MC’s especially Olive she was very smart and wise for her age. Overall this was a quick and easy read that definitely packed a powerful punch. I recommend this book 100%!!!!!
This book was so compelling and thought-provoking it literally had me on EDGE with emotions. Not gone lie it had me a little angry and my heart racing for a minute. But I loved how the author tried delivering his message and let it be known he doesn’t have the right answers but can give us the knowledge he’s learned. Kudos to Brian for this.
The book follows two siblings 12 year old Olive and her 14 year old brother Reed and their encounters with police, false accusations, unlawful interrogations, and discrimination. We’re taught that the police are here to protect and serve yet not much protecting was done in either situation.
The book is broken down into two parts. We see firsthand what Reed experienced when dealing with the police and the whole ordeal left him traumatized. Imagine being on the way home from school with your younger sibling only to be stopped by police then accused of something you didn’t do. I felt so bad for Reed because not only was he afraid but he was a child and they treated him as if they were dealing with an adult.
The 2nd part shows Olive in a similar situation yet she is falsely accused by a frantic woman. Rather than the police hearing both sides they took what the woman said and ran with it. In this particular instance they only saw color. Once it was revealed the woman was wrong the police chalked it up to being a misunderstanding. Little did they know Olive and Reed’s mother was present. They were biracial and there mother just so happened to be a white woman. Once she was present that changed the trajectory of the entire situation. Crazy right? Not really.
I can’t say a lot without basically giving the whole book away. But you guys it’s a MUST-READ if not for you definitely for your children or teens. The author did an amazing job with giving us two different scenarios involving the law and what could be done in either situation. His law expertise was immaculate and I think something we should take into account when dealing with police.
Once I finished the book I understood the reasoning behind the title “Come Home Safe”. Nobody should have to say those words to their children everyday. But when we live in a world that has grown even more dangerous by the day it’s necessary.
There was something Olive mentioned in the story that really stuck with me. “I walk differently to be safe, I dress differently to be safe. How much of myself do I have to give up to be safe?” I felt that on so many levels. How much do we have to give before we can feel safe in this world. What more can we do not to be deemed as a threat that results in police brutality?
I loved how each chapter’s header was a famous quote. I loved both of the MC’s especially Olive she was very smart and wise for her age. Overall this was a quick and easy read that definitely packed a powerful punch. I recommend this book 100%!!!!!