Author Frederick Douglass Reynolds is a proficient storyteller who melds numerous timelines, affairs, historical backstories, relationships, crimes, bursts of violence, and personal tribulations. And he does so with an undercurrent of both charisma and humor, with the dominance of one over the other being determined by the gravity of each case. This triumph carries a hint of irony, as the author states early on that cops (Reynolds is a former law enforcer) generally dislike writing and doing paperwork, otherwise known as “scratching paper”. If his memoir is anything to go by, Reynolds’ reports must have read like chart-topping thrillers.

With remarkable patience and command over the most attention-gripping particulars, the author guides the reader through the stark reality of his youth, marked by physical abuse and unstable family dynamics. The tale treads on the heels of an equally startling account of the power dynamics, and consequent hazing, that serve as the basis of the police force. As a result, Reynolds’ work quickly presents itself as the unveiling of a world few people have admission to. Gang violence, narcotics, and a boy’s downward spiral create a strum of tension that is then carried deftly from chapter to chapter. Reynolds’ account of unyielding violence provides insight into Compton’s gangs, as well as the overall gang mentality and racial frictions that fed much of the viciousness he witnessed.

BLACK, WHITE, AND GRAY ALL OVER is written with tremendous self-awareness. Reynolds acknowledges his shortcomings as a boy, a man, a partner, and finally a father. His vulnerability, when contrasted against the forces that sought to cripple him, stimulates a special kind of tenderness; that of a victim shucking off all pretension to become whole. His accomplishments gain depth from this rawness as well. Consequently, his work merges the poignancy of a memoir with the thrill of a criminal tale. The author intersperses his sprint from his demons with tales of several known cases of criminality and many more that never made the news -  and seem all the more heartbreaking for it. His dissection of how racial profiling led to two patrol cops letting the Zodiac Killer slip through their fingers is as chilling as it is monumental in the fight against racism. Other insider perspectives circle the murders of Tupac Shakur and Notorious BIG, to name a few. And so, with his look at the rippling surface of Compton’s past and the rise of its numerous gangs, Reynolds’ memoir serves the dual function of a historical record. Imbued with the reality of living with PTSD and other mental health afflictions, the text reveals the effects of constant exposure to danger and heinous acts.

The reader witnesses Reynolds’ progression through the ranks, an incline that exists in direct proportion to the direction of his private life. This duality adds both texture and feeling to his work, speaking to the idea of human struggle. Meanwhile, riots, looting, casual murders, as well as an honest confession regarding the terror one experiences when faced with the breakdown of society, create an invaluable account of the human experience. As Reynolds remarks, “the degree of wealth, not race, ultimately determines and measures the regard of life”. And the more he nears his work’s culmination point, the more Reynolds concentrates on the corruption within law enforcement. This, again, proves fascinating. His autopsy of several cases, as well as the blood-curdling murders of his colleagues, give rise to full-bodied tales, further accentuating the multifaceted appeal of BLACK, WHITE, AND GRAY ALL OVER. And yet, this somberness is counterbalanced by effortless humor where appropriate, such as the anecdote regarding a victim’s unexpected resurrection at the scene of a crime. Above all, the author embraces and celebrates the idea of partnership, both professional and romantic which bleed into his blended family, tended to by a love once thought inconceivable. Its changing structure and numerous grievances are later handled with the same tenacity, leading to a wholesome conclusion that serves as a pinnacle of fulfillment.

BLACK, WHITE, AND GRAY ALL OVER is a memorandum of the valor and devotion of the law enforcers who lay their lives in the line of duty. Wrapped in stunning prose, Frederick Douglass Reynolds’ memoir operates as a heart-stopping ride-along, taking the reader from the footpaths trodden by his enslaved forefathers to the race-defying altitudes of true humanity.

~Neil Czeszejko for IndieReader