Juror Number 2: The Story of a Murder, the Agony of a Neighborhood

"Juror Number 2 is a true crime memoir told from the point of view of the author, who served as a juror in a double murder trial. The murders took place in a public housing project in East Harlem, Manhattan, New York City. Beside the dramatic account of the trial itself, the book is the story of the author's investigation into the causes of the trial, specifically, why the young men who were the victims, key eyewitnesses and perpetrator were all growing up in fractured families, cutting school at an early age (11 or 12), joining gangs, selling crack cocaine and getting arrested. Based on extensive visits and interviews, the author looks at the role of public housing, the police and criminal justice system, the schools and various social service organizations in the lives of young people in East Harlem--and finds occasional examples of success amidst much that isn't working"--