Nightcrawling

I went to a family camp this summer and met a fellow camper reading this book while floating on the river (shout out to Mara!). When she finished it, she gave it to me.

I read it in two days—bringing it to meals, the river, to the lounge chairs by the basketball court. Let’s be clear—Nightcrawling isn’t a light, relaxing, river read… but it tells a powerful and heartbreaking story and I couldn’t put it down. 

I can’t resist a book set in Oakland, very near to where I live.

I also love a novel that tells deep truths, and Nightcrawling does that, showing the horrors of police abuse and the failures of the justice system. However, this book isn’t “trauma porn.” On every page, protagonist Kiara owns her story, drives her agency, makes the best choices she can in the moment, and loves with a huge heart.

The way she finds her way to queer love is organic and beautiful.