Tulia

Race, Cocaine, and Corruption in a Small Texas Town

By: Nate Blakeslee

Narrated by: James Boles

Early one morning in the summer of 1999, authorities in the tiny west Texas town of Tulia began a roundup of suspected drug dealers. By the time the sweep was done, over 40 people had been arrested and one of every five black adults in town was behind bars, all accused of dealing cocaine to the same undercover officer, Tom Coleman. Coleman, the son of a well-known Texas Ranger, was named Officer of the Year in Texas. Not until after the trials, in which Coleman's uncorroborated testimony secured sentences as long as 361 years, did it become apparent that Tom Coleman was not the man he claimed to be.

Tulia is the story of the town, the bust, the trials, and the heroic legal battle to reverse the convictions that caught the attention of the nation in the spring of 2003. With a sure sense of history and of place, a great feel for the characters involved, and showdowns inside the courtroom and out.

Blakeslee's Tulia is contemporary journalism at its finest, and a thrilling read. The scandal changed the way narcotics enforcement is done in Texas, and has put the national drug war on trial at a time when incarceration rates in this country have never been higher. But the story is much bigger than the tale of just one bust. As Tulia makes clear, these events are the latest chapter in a story with themes as old as the country itself. It is a marvelously well-told tale about injustice, race, poverty, hysteria, desperation, and doing the right thing in America.

©2005 Nate Blakeslee (P)2006 Audio Evolution, LLC

Critic reviews

"Tulia, in Blakeslee's rich and deeply satisfying telling, resembles nothing so much as a modern-day To Kill a Mockingbird, or would, that is, if the novel were a true story and Atticus had won." (The New York Times)
"Blakeslee's excellent and eminently readable book is a wonderful story of justice triumphant, but his vivid portrait of law enforcement gone wrong suggests that there are more Tulias than there are lawyers dedicated enough to expose them." (Washington Post)
"This devastating indictment of the toll taken by the war on drugs, viewed through the prism of one small community, is a masterpiece of true crime writing...this haunting work will leave many wondering how many other Tulias there are out there." (Publishers Weekly)

Stunning True-Life Courtroom Drama

I found this to be one of the most entertaining books I have ever heard, despite the serious and very upsetting content. It's a book that would be a perfect novel, all the elements of human heroism and triumph over adversity are there. The villains are well-crafted. The resolution is nail-bitingly tense. The legal arguments are fascinating. But, it's a true story, a very recent one, and it's one everyone should be aware of. The author, and the narrator, have done a superb job of crafting this work so that educating ourselves on this modern travesty of justice is an absolute pleasure. I'm sure the story will reach that many more ears as a result.

Injustice writ large.

Narration: Clear but drags. Variation in Cadence and inflection needed. Limited variation in cadence, accompanied by overly detailed explanations and descriptions, induces sleep. Possibly a plus for insomniacs such as myself.

Story:
1) Hard to believe such blatant racism still defines many of our communities. Important reading for anyone concerned about rigged trials inflicted on minorities. Ridiculously draconian sentences meted out to nearly the entire black male population of poo-dunk Texas town inhabited by racist, cowardly, uninformed citizens and bigoted, avaricious, self-righteous district attorney and judge. An excellent companion to "The New Jim Crow."
2) Heartening that even in backwaters we find people who buck the system in support of marginalized people. These crusaders are my heroes. Now let's get some of those people to go after Trump. Maybe he will be impeached after all. Just need a few more representatives and senators with guts, which we seem to pitifully lack at present time.
3) Details--actually, too many details--make this story "textbook informative." Accordingly, an excellent reference, but light, casual reading it is not. Producer dropped the ball. This is not a dissertation or, at least for the lay public's needs, need (should) not be so. Could be cut about 30% with no loss in meaning. If such precious, minutely focused detail is necessary, then it could be presented in end notes, footnotes, glossary, or annotated elaborations.
4) An excellent candidate for summarizing overview and key points.

One of the best True Crime books I've ever read

Would you listen to Tulia again? Why?

I will absolutely listen to this again. There is SO much information in this book. It gives the full picture of what happened here and why.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The story of the Tulia scandal continued across the whole book, and there were some stops to backdate the history of certain parts of the story. It works very well to write a complex story in this way.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

This is a sad and disheartening look at the dark and corrupt underbelly of this country. A very moving and depressing book. But necessary to read.

Any additional comments?

This is probably the best true crime book I've read. The writing is lyrical, the narrator is fantastic. Great book.

This was a great one !

Though I’m disgusted at the truth of the racist church of Christ town of Tulia, I’m so happy I found this to listen to.
On a funny note, the interludes between chapters was a piano playing hymns. Because it is a predominantly church of Christ town and the main sleaze of corruption were members of the church of Christ yet the piano playing hymns was an extra blow as the church of Christ is Adamantly

Great read!

Nate Blakeslee is a great writer and this book was both insightful and extremely well written. I highly recommend it.