Deadly Force

A Police Shooting and My Family's Search for the Truth

By: Lawrence O'Donnell

Narrated by: Lawrence O'Donnell

Length: 17 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

Featuring a new preface and afterword by the author.

From the host of MSNBC’s The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell, the riveting story of a 1975 police shooting of an unarmed black man in Boston - one of the first to draw national headlines - and the dramatic investigation and court case that followed.

On a rainy winter night, James Bowden Jr. left his mother’s house in Roxbury after a visit. As he guided his Buick out of his parking spot, an unmarked police car suddenly blocked his path. Two undercover officers sprang out, running toward his car. Shots were fired, and Bowden slumped over the wheel. Moments later, he was pronounced dead on arrival at a nearby hospital. The police argued that they had fired in self-defense, claiming that Bowden was an armed robbery suspect and that after they had ordered him to stop, he had fired a shot at one of them. And multiple internal investigations by the Boston Police Department exonerated the officers involved.

But Patricia Bowden, James’ widow, knew better. “The truth will come out,” she said at her husband’s funeral. She sought a lawyer willing to take on the Boston Police Department and finally found one in Lawrence F. O’Donnell, the author’s father, a man whose past, unbeknownst to Patricia Bowden, made him the only man in town who could not refuse her case. O’Donnell embarked on a highly contentious three-year battle with the Boston Police Department to win justice for James Bowden.

More timely now than ever, Deadly Force is a powerful indictment of police misconduct, a reminder of this issue’s long, tortured history and of how far we still have to go.

©1983 Lawrence O'Donnell, Jr. (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers

Wow. I couldn’t put this down awesome book

Reads
Like an amazing fiction thriller
this book is not to be missed

Very much enjoyed having it read by the author

I didnt know what to expect

this is a pretty insightful perspective into the racial conflict in the mid-70s in Boston really enjoyed that angle from the lawyer's perspective

Larry O'Donnell! At his best, as always.

Love everything this man does and says. He doesn't disappoint. I love his openess about the racism in his home town. I was raised Catholic in an Irish Catholic neighborhood in Chicago, IL's south side. I was always amazed at how racist our extended family and friends were. Thank God for my mom and dad who absolutely refused to hear any tinges of racism in us, their five children. My mom went the extra mile and would invite people she knew we would not meet in our regular lives. They were tradespeople, teachers, musicians, writers and we had them for Sunday dinner. Mostly, they were people of color. We were so lucky that our mom taught us to see the people, not the color.

When will the killing and lying end?

George Floyd's story 40+ years ago. Almost nothing has changed. Heartbreaking. This is the story of James Bowden who was murdered by the Boston police. Highly recommend, especially the audiobook read by the author and member of the legal team who obtained justice for Patricia Bowden and her 2 children.

Meticulous analysis of. A coverup

Superb narration: clear, engagingly varied inflection, rhythm, and pace.

Exhaustively detailed story about a civil rights law suit against Boston Police Department.

life lessons

I listen to the Lawrence O'Donnell show nightly. I am impressed with his show. this book taught me things about the city I was born in I never knew in detail. I grew up in the suburbs but had family who lived in Dorchester and I graduated from Catherine LaBoure at Carney hospital.
my parents raised 3 children without predudice so I believe I was lucky not to feel the bigotry others did. I lived through the race riots but was gifted, as was the oDonnell family with the ability to see both sides.
I remember working at the Robert Breck Brigham during the riots . we we're more concerned about the children of our Haitian CNA then the fact the police had to escort us out of Mission hill during them.
Thank you for the insight into what was going on around me.
Howerver let me add that when I walked from Newton, through Blue Hill Ave to go to work at Carney hospital during after the blizzard of 1978 every person I met along the way was kind and helpful. I then knew we all come together in situations the remind us we are all God's children.

Better Than Fiction

This is one of books that is better to hear than read. The author’s reading of it was very impactful and full of the passion that such a case should have.
It describes a pattern of coverup that has been repeated so many times in our country. I highly recommend that it be listened to.

Heartfelt Raw and Eye-Opening

I’ve watched Mr. O’Donnell every weekday night on MSNBC News so I knew I’d be in for an outstanding 🎧 listen. What I didn’t know was how he was an inside player for the plaintiff in Boston’s first Deadly Force case. My respect for this man has grown immensely, not only as a writer/narrator, but a a man of great moral thinking.
Thank you.

How long

How long do I have to fear for my grandsons? Sad that even with the settlements injustice cannot replace a beloved family member and that this continues so many years later!
A good reminder!

Better than fiction!

Great to have Lawrence reading this book. Just like today's news. You just keep listening and waiting for the truth and justice to arrive. Loved this book.