(reviewed by Ann Onymous )
Each person in life faces many crossroads. From the day we’re born, to the day we die, we are faced with decisions. Each choice can influence our life’s journey. Which direction we take has an impact. At each opportunity we have a chance to make a choice – large or small – and the results drive our path forwards. Life is NOT black or white. Life is full of gray.
Black, White & Gray All Over is the perfect title for this detailed autobiography. This is not historical novel; this is the life that Frederick Douglass Reynolds has experienced, including all the challenges he faced as a child. Born in Detroit, Michigan, Reynolds went on to serve as a Marine in Southern California. A son, a brother, a husband, a father, he served in the city of Compton as a police officer and then in Compton’s Sheriff’s Department. This book explains the corruption within the Compton city council and the police department over many years.
This is a fascinating book but a very difficult read and not for everyone. In addition to corruption, it’s a gruesome account of drugs and killing. Detective Reynolds gives his insight into all that went on in the police department. The timing of this book is important. Reynolds worked in many different areas, under different conditions, including being personal bodyguard for Clarence Avant, and various musicians across the years. He investigated the mishandling of weapons and drugs by both “officials” and “criminals.” It’s not clear (black or white) who was who.
After reading this account, we are reminded of how, in the blink of an eye, life can be altered. Losing fellow officers, rescuing a child, finding a lost son, he dedicated his heart and soul to the job. It’s an important story to tell the world.
