The Black and the Blue

A Cop Reveals the Crimes, Racism, and Injustice in America¿s Law Enforcement

By: Matthew Horace, Ron Harris

Narrated by: Matthew Horace

During his 28-year career, Matthew Horace rose through the ranks from a police officer working the beat to a federal agent working criminal cases in some of the toughest communities in America to a highly decorated federal law enforcement executive managing high-profile investigations nationwide. Yet it was not until seven years into his service- when Horace found himself face down on the ground with a gun pointed at his head by a white fellow officer-that he fully understood the racism seething within America's police departments.

Through gut-wrenching reportage, on-the-ground research, and personal accounts from interviews with police and government officials around the country, Horace presents an insider's examination of archaic police tactics. He dissects some of the nation's most highly publicized police shootings and communities to explain how these systems and tactics have hurt the people they serve, revealing the mistakes that have stoked racist policing, sky-high incarceration rates, and an epidemic of violence.

"Horace's authority as an experienced officer, as well as his obvious integrity and courage, provides the book with a gravitas." -- The Washington Post

"The Black and the Blue is an affirmation of the critical need for criminal justice reform, all the more urgent because itcomes from an insider who respects his profession yet is willing to reveal its flaws." -- USA Today

Critic reviews

"A black cop's frank look at tensions between police, communities of color.... The Black and the Blue is an affirmation of the critical need for criminal justice reform, all the more urgent because it comes from an insider who respects his profession yet is willing to reveal its flaws."
—USA Today

"The Black and the Blue is an important contribution to a growing body of work about minority police officers. Horace's authority as an experienced officer, as well as his obvious integrity and courage, provides the book with a gravitas."
—The Washington Post

"Who polices the police? Matthew Horace asks this in TheBlack and the Blue....[P]lenty of [stories] are about times when black lives didn't seem to matter, others are about blue lives, too, as police officers-white and black, men and women, good and bad-talk honestly about life on the street."—New York Daily News

"Horace's experiences, from his childhood in Philadelphia to his work on the streets and in police training classrooms, will be revelatory to many readers who have not felt the sting of racial prejudice.... [S]olid reporting and trenchant analysis [gives] Horace's readers a poignant understanding of how it feels to be both a black man and a black policeman. Reading The Black and the Blue will help all of us better understand the formidable challenges that big-city police officers confront every day-and how those challenges are exponentially more difficult when the police officer is a black man."—Philadelphia Inquirer

"The hidden dysfunctions in American policing are laid bare in this searching exposé.... Horace and coauthor Harris write sympathetically of the dilemmas of policing, but are uncompromising in their indictment of abuses. Horace's street cred and hard-won insights make this one of the best treatments yet of police misconduct."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"The heated debates surrounding the relationship between police and African Americans have tended to overlook one crucial part of the story: people who belong to both communities. Matthew Horace is a keen observer of the racial dynamics of policing, the often shameful history that contextualizes it and the implications for our current circumstances. A great deal has been said on this subject but very little of it [is as] perceptive and profound as The Black and the Blue."

—Jelani Cobb, The New Yorker

"Matthew Horace is shedding light on racial stereotypes and how they play out in police departments across America."—Salon.com

"An impassioned memoir... Horace vividly depicts the surreal challenges faced by African Americans in law enforcement.... An astute, unvarnished account that should stand out from the crowd of pro- and anti-law enforcement books."—Kirkus Reviews

Wow.

This should be required for all law enforcement agencies and personnel. It’s really disturbing that these stories are true. Everyone needs to push play on this one.

Honest, Practical, Wise

Matthew Horace mixes his own personal experiences as a cop with stories from around the country that break your heart, but then he offers practical, boots on the ground answers for how to change and fix the problem of racial inequality and the conflicts between the police and black and brown communities in our country. Spoiler alert: it's not just for the police department to fix. We ALL have to get involved, ask different questions, vote for change, be the change, and be part of the solution. Well written, loved hearing his voice as he narrated, and loved the wisdom he imparts!

Clairvoyancy is present!

After listening to Matthew Horace's interview on Karen Hunter show SiriusXM Urban View Ch126, I quickly put this on my audible list. Boy did it not disappoint! while listening along I felt like this should be placed in new recruit handbook in all police departments nationally. Being able to understand how the police department works for everyone in it and all the nuances in it is very enlightening. For those 19-21 yr old first adult job rookies in the force can definitely use this to help mold a new culture and civilians should listen to help break down the barriers and together a newer level of trust can begin to move. But it takes work and effort on both sides to do so.

must listen

this is a wonderful and enlightening book. it shows both sides of the issues, of policing in America, without having a hidden agenda. the agenda is stated clearly and to the point.

MUST READ!

Every American needs to read this book in order learn why centuries of negative policing policies and mandates must change.

Amazing

This was HARD to listen to because it's rather graphic but I think it's an important book in today's society and everyone should read it, especially government officials in the city, state, and federal levels.

Changes your perception of law enforcement

What I learned listening to this book: we didn't get even half the facts about Ferguson MO from the media; systematic and potentially deadly targeting of Black people (especially Black men) by law enforcement is still a thing in America; if you stop at cursing at individual racist cops you will never reach an understanding of the people who make the policies that enable them.

Hard-hitting, well-narrated by the author. Sometimes I had to turn it off and think because what Horace is saying is difficult to process.

If you really want to know some important truths about being Black in American (even being a Black Cop in America), then this book is for you.

Required reading

Matt Horace is a friend and inspiration. His book is essential for everyone because it cuts through the politics and misconceptions between the false dichotomies of Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter. Matt patiently and congenitally reminds us that all lives matter, but that many of our actions, attitudes, institutions and systems are failing our country because their pernicious consequences fall so disproportionately on people of color. Matt is a national treasure and it’s a blessing that he and Mr. Howard teamed up on this. Read and share this book! Troy Eid, former United States Attorney for Colorado.

Not for the faint of heart!

Powerful! Painfully honest! I was intrigued to read this book when I saw it recommended in the Sheriff Departments quarterly newsletter in Boston. This book gives a well researched documentation of what is happening in America today by a Cop! A black cop! A man who has dedicated his life to protecting us all; black and white. He has regrets, and has learned from his mistakes. I imagine that he is well respected in his field, but clearly is pained by the truth and reality of what was and is historical institutional racism today. He’s trying to make a difference. This book definitely is making a difference. If he does nothing else, this is his legacy. I stopped reading around chapter 11 because it’s so painful and I needed a break. I found the author, Matthew Horace on LinkedIn and wrote
Him telling how I felt. He wrote back encouraging me to push forward and after a couple of weeks, I did just that. Glad I did Horace! Thank you for educating me and giving me another lens through which to see good and decent police officers.

Excellent book

Excellent book that should be read by anyone that calls themselves an officer and wants to do the job of an officer