Los Angeles | Book Chatter

getty-8 Hello, again! Normally the week flies by for me but this week is dragging just a tad. Anyone else?

For today’s post I am sharing some photos from my recent trip to the Getty Center. The photo you see at the top here, is the view from the center itself. We still have haze from smoke but that cluster of buildings you see is downtown Los Angeles. As you can see, the day was beautiful and it was breezy on top of the hill. Very refreshing.

Although the museum had timed entry and low capacity, some of the galleries were still packed which is why many of my photos are off to the side. Especially the Van Gogh. Here are just some random shots and a few fave pieces.

It felt really good to be taking some art in. After hobbling around for two hours on my torn meniscus though, I could barely make it back to the shuttle. I tried to get The Hub to wheel me around in a wheelchair but he wasn’t up for the task. My daughter suggested via FaceTime that I wheel myself around using my ARMS. I laughed at that. My son suggested I amputate my leg. See how the humor works in my family?

Needless to say, I need more outings like this.

I am still waiting for My Heart is a Chainsaw to come in from the library for RIP. I don’t think it will ever come in. I am at the top of three lists but the wait pattern seems stalled. I’ve moved on. I think I will read Reese’s latest pick L.A. Weather since that came in from the library quickly. It won’t work for RIP but I have to keep the reading flowing or I will for sure hit a wall.

The Otter Pup is giving me side eye these days because I am not able to take her for her walkies. The Hub has been taking her but she is throwing me some serious shade. Won’t read with me, won’t let me tuck her in for bed, etc. Me trying not to step on her is what caused my injury so you’d think she’d be grateful!

I don’t like to be down for anything so I’ve been very antsy. Jittery. Feeling as if I need to be doing 100 things. My daughter’s birthday is coming up and it feels weird to not have her here. Her friend is flying out to see her though. Very sweet. I don’t know, my mind is spinning. I need to get outside again, soon.

Have a good week!

Ghettoside
By Jill Leovy
Spiegel & Grau, Hardcover, 9780385529983, January 2015, 384pp.

The Short of It:

An interesting look at one particular murder case in Los Angeles and how black on black crimes have been challenging detectives for years.

The Rest of It:

Ghettoside is a police procedural which covers (mostly) the murder investigation of a Los Angeles detective’s black son, who was killed by another black man while walking down the street. Leovy delves into the history of black on black crime in Los Angeles and why the cycle of black violence continues.

Focusing on the investigation, we meet detectives who have chosen to work in South Central because they firmly believe that that is where the most improvement can be made. That, in itself, was refreshing.

This book has all sorts of fascinating statistics. Those of you who eat that stuff up will find this book a quick and interesting read. But it’s a tragic read as well. So many young lives lost and we are not talking about gang members. We are talking about young kids, 13 and 14 year-olds riding their bikes down the street or kids who happened to be wearing he wrong color that day. All of them black on black crimes which to this day puzzle law enforcement.

What can be done? One detective in particular goes out of his way to take that extra step with the hope of breaking the cycle and as a reader, you suddenly realize how overwhelmingly hopeless the situation must be. At the same time though, one life saved is still something, right? You can’t really put a price on that.

It’s a tough topic but an important one and even with all the stats I breezed through it. My book club discusses it later this week so we’ll see what they have to say about it.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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