Code Blue: An Oath to the Badge and Gun Part 1 (Book 1 of 5)

Code Blue: An Oath to the Badge and Gun by Jamell Crouthers is not just another cop book. This novel has many layers and makes you feel for Gary and the predicament that he is put into. The choices that he faces makes it all the more believable. Jamell Crouthers caught my attention on page one and kept me quickly turning the pages to find out what would happen next. I found that the pace set in Code Blue: An Oath to the Badge and Gun was easy to follow and I quite enjoyed the way the book played out. When I come across a good book, I strive to make sure that I pass on the joy of reading to anyone who is interested. This genre has piqued my interest and has reinvigorated my love for reading. If you are interested in this genre at all, I would definitely give this book a read. You will not regret it.

Jamell Crouthers’ Code Blue: An Oath to the Badge and Gun is a thought-provoking read that had me hooked from the first page, where the author offers a disclaimer that this is a fictitious story in which the protagonists’ race would never be stated. The story follows the day-to-day life of Gary who juggles two main facets of his life: working on the force as a police officer and being a father figure to his son. Although this story is one of fiction, Crouthers’ Code Blue: An Oath to the Badge and Gun paints a very real and vivid picture that highlights a narrative that many people in America face today—being confronted the dilemma that your job conflicts with your personal beliefs and morals. Throughout the course of the book I found myself empathizing and relating with Gary’s dilemmas. I found that his internal struggles surrounding the corruption and injustice he faces (and witnesses) while working as a cop mirror many situations I’ve witnessed in my own life, such as the fact that my mother works on an assembly line that builds military drones. I highly recommend Crouthers’ book to anyone seeking a raw, unadulterated, and poetic story that eloquently captures the conflict that many individuals today (especially in America) face of making sacrifices and compromising personal beliefs for the sake of having a job.

This is an amazing story that touches a lot of issues and concerns going on in today’s society. I love how the author was able to place himself as the character and speak like it was coming from his real life, like he was actually the character. This was a good way to make people aware of the issue between black men and the cops today.

Code Blue is a unique book told from the point of view of a police officer named Gary. Gary has been on the force for years, but suddenly is faced with an increasingly hostile and corrupt work environment. Caught between his ideals about what it means to be a protector of the community and the need to keep his job to support his family, Gary struggles with his morality and life in general.

The police force Gary is on becomes very overtly, intentionally corrupt with the promise of pay raises (and for some bad apples, an opportunity to flex their racism). The force follows orders from their chief, who continues to post bulletins demanding compliance to edicts about everything from planting drugs to straight up murder, writes things like “this is inhumane but to be honest I really don’t care, let’s get the job done so we can all look good for the media in the end.”

Corruption thrives in our justice system, but the extremely blatant actions of the police force didn’t feel authentic in some places (particularly with the chief’s orders). I took it as a social commentary, basically throwing what goes on behind the scenes into the limelight, but I think it would have been better if there had been more gray area all around. Corruption thrives in the gray areas where people aren’t sure what is right or wrong or how deep the rabbit hole goes. Even though Gary says there were only a few bad apples ruining things, it wasn’t the case…his police force was too black without enough white and gray areas.

What I appreciate most about this book are the author's earnestness and sincerity in his writing I think he has raised very important social issues of the general public's fear of authority, abuse of authority and racism which are very real in America. The story is written with the intention of reflecting the recent conflicts between the police and the community. It has certainly helped to further raise awareness of the issue of racial bias that is prevalent in some parts of the US. I think the author has tried to remain objective and sincere throughout the book.

However, I think the author could have done better in terms of paragraphing. There are practically no paragraphs at all and I think the book is written too simplistically.

Code Blue: An Oath to Badge and Gun by Jamell Crouthers is a pertinent read in today’s society where Blue Lives Matter is a hot button topic. Our main character is Gary, a veteran police officer with morals and ethics, who took his oath to the badge seriously. Over time, though, he is increasingly surrounded by fellow officers who don’t see the law in black and white, and he begins to notice the corruption seeping in around him. Everything is about looking good for the media and taking the easy way out, so Gary begins to document what he sees and hears – and he becomes not so much disgruntled as disappointed as the once respectable profession he had respected and been proud of falls prey to the dominance of gray matter in the world. Code Blue hits the nail on the head with its portrayal of good cops caught up in the corruption that can happen so easily – a slow fade from justice and morals.

As an editor, I expect books to follow formula, with special attention being given to grammar and structure. But, Crouthers chooses to flow with a free-form poetical hand that pulls the reader in with passion and sincerity. He brings light to issues that are often too taboo to speak about or are written by an unknowing hand. This book is raw, real, and needed. It is proof that everyone has a story that can change lives and set an example, and I believe Crouthers will in fact influence many young people with his words. Traditional? No. Influential? Absolutely.

In Code Blue: An Oath to The Badge And Gun, author Jamell Crouthers' poetry confirms what some of us suspect every time an incident of police brutality makes national news; the justice system is not always black and white or even blue. It is instead full of gray areas that create the internal conflicting thoughts expressed by the book's main character, Gary, a police officer caught between fighting corruption and crime, both of which are found out on the streets as well as within his own precinct.

Code Blue: An Oath to the Badge and the Gun by Jamell Crouthers is exactly what it sounds like, a story about commitment to the police force. But the story doesn’t follow a mundane structure that you might expect. The plot is layered and well thought out. The story follows a police officer named Gary forced to make the impossible decision between staying true to the integrity of his work or following suit with the now corrupt environment he works in.
This book definitely had me thinking and I could feel the struggle that Gary faced when being torn in two different directions. It’s one of those cringeworthy decisions that keeps you nervous while reading, which I see as fuel to the reader to keep going. I found myself really wanting to know what Gary was going to do next.

This was a highly enjoyable read!! The author gets real and discusses some taboo topics about race and our justice system that many of us think about but wont talk about…I can’t wait for more books from Mr. Crouthers!!! Excellent read!!! Highly recommended!!!