Blood in the Water (book)

Since its publication in 2016, Blood in the Water has been profiled by media outlets across the U.S., Europe, and Canada, and has received much critical praise. The book was featured and reviewed in three separate sections of The New York Times with one of the reviews calling it a "gripping...remarkable...a superb work of history"[2] while another heralded its research, and the final one, a full-length piece in the NYT Book Review, lauding its passion and power.[3] Reviews in other publications such as Newsweek and The Christian Science Monitor were equally glowing, with the latter calling the book "a masterpiece." The author, Heather Ann Thompson, was herself featured in The New York Times Magazine. In their review, the Brennan Center for Justice described how, "Thompson’s definitive account should be read by students, historians, and others who are interested not only in the riot itself, but in these larger subjects, and one more: the capacity of our legal system, after the fact, to right wrongs, and provide at least a modicum of justice."[4] Lauren Brooke-Eisen, the reviewer, notes that the book, "contributes greatly to our understanding of this complex event by expertly filling in these details and weaving them into a comprehensive narrative."[4] Additionally, Blood in the Water has won a number of book awards. In 2017, it was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in history,[5] the Bancroft Prize in American History and Diplomacy,[6] the Ridenhour Prize, and the J. Willard Hurst Award in Socio-Legal History,[7] amongst others. Blood in the Water was a National Book Award Finalist in 2016, as well as a New York Times Most Notable Book, Publishers Weekly Top 10 Book of 2016, and received starred reviews at Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, and Library Journal.[8][9][10]