Code Blue: An Oath to the Badge and Gun Part 1

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 has been writing poetry since he was 13 years old. He didn't take his writing ability seriously until his late 20s. Jamell is a poet and writer that creates thought-provoking content about different aspects of life. His goal is to write as many poetry books on societal issues that we all face in today's age. Through writing poetry, it is an easy read for others and it's a gateway to getting inside his mind. Jamell Crouthers book Code Blue An Oath to the Badge and Gun, (2017),is part of a series.<BR><BR>The goal was to tell a fictional story from a police officer’s point of view. It is written in the form of bulletins, discussing the inner concerns around the struggles of man, being part of the police force and raising a son in the world. The writing also takes the form of an agenda of the police system and how brutality, corruption, lies, cover-ups, going under cover, deceit, are orders by higher authority who do not do things by The book.<BR><BR>The protagonist, Gary says:<BR>"I’m currently living by the code of the blue and not for the code red that fills sidewalks, The blood that gushes out of people’s bodies and death fills the air within seconds."

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.<BR>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.”<BR>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.

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.