Walking While Black


Non-Fiction - Memoir
275 Pages
Reviewed on 07/24/2023
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    Book Review

Reviewed by Christine Nguyen for Readers' Favorite

Walking While Black is a heart-wrenching first-hand account by Polly J. Runyon-Sanders and Anthonii Sanders of a horrible night in 2009 in which Anthonii, aka Nii, was violently and viciously attacked by the Downers Grove Police in the suburbs of Chicago. Without warning, police used Tasers on Nii multiple times with excessive violence. Nii’s wife, Polly, who is Caucasian, witnessed the unprovoked attack and was not able to intervene due to severe shock. Nii was thrown in the ambulance to take him to the hospital, and the staff there also mistreated him. They did not treat his multiple wounds caused by the Tasers and did not do a thorough medical inspection. The staff did not even ask if he was in pain. “The Incident” that night would have devastating physical, mental, and emotional repercussions for Nii and Polly for years.

Polly J. Runyon-Sanders writes in chilling detail about the aftermath of the nightmare they endured. This is an intense true-life account that gives witness to the fact that black people all over America may be subjected to horrendous and biased treatment. Sanders touchingly includes handwritten poems and songs by Nii and many emails throughout the years of their legal and medical battles. The intense love that Sanders and Nii have for one another is witnessed and felt throughout the book, which is the key factor that stands out. Walking While Black is a stark reminder that police brutality is a huge social issue in America.