The Savage City

By: T. J. English

Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris

“T.J. English has the mastered the hybrid narrative art form of social history and underworld thriller. The Savage City is a truly gripping read filled with unexpected twists and turns.”
—Douglas Brinkley, author of The Great Deluge

In The Savage City, T.J. English, author of the New York Times bestselling blockbuster Havana Nocturne, takes readers back to a frightening place in a dark time of violence and urban chaos: New York City in the 1960s and early ’70s. As he did in his acclaimed true crime masterwork, The Westies, English focuses on the rot on the Big Apple in this stunning tale of race, murder, and a generation on the edge—as he interweaves the real-life sagas of a corrupt cop, a militant Black Panther, and an innocent young African American man framed by the NYPD for a series of crimes, including a brutal and sensational double murder.

Another excellent book by TJ English

Between The Savage City, Havana Nocturne, and The Corporation, TJ English is fast becoming one of my favorite contemporary authors.

I Highly Recommend This Book!

I downloaded this audible as the author was an Poe nominee. I found the first 3 pages harsh and wondered if the remainder of the book would be from the perspective of an admitted racist police officer. I was glad to listen on and found the author's writing honest and accurate in the description of the events. I found the author's and narrator's transition from one viewpoint to another an excellent style of writing/reading. I was eager to hit play when I had time to listen to this book. I completed this one in record time.

Robust indictment of institutional racism

A very skillfully constructed account of race and change in New York City in the 60s and 70s. Weaving the stories of the three men together, the author paints a picture of sometimes dramatic, sometimes rather mundane, examples of institutional racism. The most compelling part is how casual bigotry was, and is still to a large degree, understood and accepted as a natural way of life. It's not all overtly racist cops (though they do feature), but a general apathy to affect real change. It seems insane that even now, a half century later, it's still an uphill fight to have effective civilian oversight of the police. At least oversight that actually has teeth. The book should be a shocking expose of long gone era, but unfortunately, it hasn't really improved all that much.

Deep Look into NYC Division in the earlier days.

The audiobook was good! It educated me on other cases, books and other events which led me to more learning and research about New York City in the earlier days.