Institutional racism is portrayed in the most repulsive manner possible in Code Blue: An Oath to the Badge and Gun by Jamell Crouthers. Written in the first-person narrative, the police officer had every good intention of living up to his ethical code of honor and protecting his community. However, he finds himself reporting to corrupt leaders and riding alongside cruel partners. Receiving orders to plant evidence, brutally beating informants, pulling over men from targeted neighborhoods – the list is long and painful. The dilemma he faces is whether to go along with the corruption which requires telling lies, or neglecting to mention certain facts in police reports, or exposing his commanders and colleagues, resulting in losing his steady paycheck, medical benefits and pension. These are realistic and pragmatic considerations in today’s world. These internal conflicts build over time, as he struggles with making these difficult decisions. The officer’s soul seems to die, bit by bit.

The style of writing in this book is quite unique. Using a poetic, narrative form, the author tells the story with seemingly small fragments of information. Yet, these phrases and thoughts are truly powerful, describing the police officer’s complicated struggles. Although detailed prose is not a part of this work, the reader can easily imagine the settings and the people in the narrator’s life. Author Jamell Crouthers has written a distinctive, one-of-a-kind book in Code Blue: An Oath to the Badge and Gun. The reader will be enlightened, and sometimes sickened, by the sobering events. This book is an unforgettable portrayal of the justice system.

Code Blue (An Oath to the Badge and Gun) by Jamell Crouthers is a general poetry book that would appeal most to a mixed audience of young adults and adults who are interested in reading stories about police corruption. The story follows a police officer that has been on the force for a couple years and has felt proud of how he has protected and served the community. However, his feelings of pride quickly turn to disgust as he begins to learn that his precinct is corrupt when police bulletins begin ordering police officers to act immorally and illegally against racial minorities, drug dealers, and other bystanders. The officer is faced with the hardest decision of his career. Does he too become corrupt or will he risk it all to do the right thing?

Code Blue (An Oath to the Badge and Gun) by Jamell Crouthers is a well written book with a high level of emotional impact. The author not only touched on many different types of corruption, but he also demonstrated the way that the police officers themselves can feel in such situations. I never realized how the officers could feel if they were being pressured to be corrupt or the amount of peer pressure involved. The style of writing was well chosen as it kept each case focused on the important factors without giving unnecessary details; instead of wasting time with character names, the author just provided the details of each character that were vital to each case. Overall, I walked away from this book feeling emotionally drained and with a new understanding of the ways in which corruption can take hold.