In light of the recent Black Lives Matter protests in Baltimore and across the country, some concerned White friends and colleagues asked me what they can do. Because I read the audiobook edition I wasn't able to read the Author's Note, but I found this article that explains how the novel relates to the author's family. There are many situations in the book that will show you a side of war you have hardly ever seen in fiction.

It is a clear and damning recount of the relentless physical and policy violence against the black community in Baltimore and throughout the country. The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products.The atmosphere surrounding the siege (the constant fear, the uneasiness, the hurdles that the citizens faced, the despair and oppressive state of the citizens), in particular, the dehumanization and degradation that occurred during that period are depicted very well by Morris. The possibility of making a perilous escape from the city brings Zora hope that she might be reunited with her family but also a feeling of guilt for others left behind.

The siege of Sarajevo is told through the eyes of Serbian artist, Zora Kocovic,as she witnesses her city crumble from the shelling of snipers in the mountains surrounding Sarajevo.That lends a lot of validity to what would otherwise have seemed as fictional events improbable in real life. If you're thinking you're not interested in Baltimore as such, or that this looks a little policy-wonky, I'd recommend you get over that! Used books have different signs of use and might not include supplemental materials such as CDs, Dvds, Access Codes, charts or any other extra material. The symbolism of Zora’s art and the significance of the title “Black Butterflies” against the upheaval and devastation Zora witnesses is of particular significance to this story. Initially we see her painting its bridges and landscapes—and later the destruction and fires that take over the city.

Although we all absolutely play an important role in dismantling racism, it is my hope that the leaders tasked with signing legislation related to redlined communities step up to make these critical changes.

He uses “tracks” instead of chapters to divide the book which is a reference to a hurricane analogy he later uses to calibrate the degree of hypersegregation in cities. He also provides a glossary of terms used throughout the book which includes spatial racism, segrenomics and the White L (the predominantly White area of Baltimore that runs along the Charles Street corridor to the Inner Harbor then east to Fells Point.