Author and Robin Hood CEO Wes Moore is co-writing a book about the death of Freddie Gray, the man killed while in police custody in Baltimore in 2015, and the unrest that resulted, the Associated Press reports.
Penguin Random House imprint One World will publish Five Days: The Fiery Reckoning of an American City, written by Baltimore native Moore (The Other Wes Moore, The Work) and journalist Erica L. Green, next year.
The publisher describes the book as “a kaleidoscopic account of five days in the life of a city on the edge, told through seven characters on the frontlines of the uprising that overtook Baltimore and riveted the world.”
“Each shifting point of view contributes to an engrossing, cacophonous account of one of the most consequential moments in our recent history—but also an essential cri de coeur about the deeper causes of the violence and the small seeds of hope planted in its aftermath,” Penguin Random House said.
Gray, 25, was an African American man arrested by Baltimore police officers for possessing what they claimed was an illegal knife. While being driven in a police van, he suffered a spinal cord injury that took his life. Six police officers were charged in connection with Gray’s death; none were convicted.
Gray’s death led to massive protests in Baltimore from residents who believed he had been targeted because of his race.
Five Days is slated for publication on Apr. 14, 2020.
Michael Schaub is an Austin, Texas–based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
