To Do Justice

“[A]n unforgettable portrait of a city burning with hatred and hope.”

“A fast-moving tale of race, corruption and self-discovery set against the unrest – and the hope – of Chicago during Martin Luther King’s fateful 1965-66 fair housing campaign.”

“Frank Joseph has drawn upon his own Chicago-based journalistic history and experience to create a work of fiction that is true and accurate to the turbulent times into which it is set. A vivid and inherently fascinating read from start to finish.”

“TO DO JUSTICE drops you into the white-hot center of the 1966 Chicago race riots and gives you a street-level view of what happened and why. The big names are here — Martin Luther King, Jesse Jackson, Richard Daley, to name a few.

“But the beating heart of this dramatic story is that of an orphaned biracial girl forced into the streets by an abusive foster parent ... and the hard-working AP reporter who befriends her and helps solve the mystery of her peculiar parentage.

“Beautifully written and eerily in-tune with the racial concerns of our own time, TO DO JUSTICE is a must-read for anyone interested in one of the most turbulent moments in American history and how it still reverberates in our collective consciousness.”

“Joseph has a steely grasp of narrative, flitting between the perspectives of the two protagonists, Pinkie and Mollie—both trenchant in their views in their own ways—with ease. ...

“The decision to relate Pinkie’s and Mollie’s stories in the first person lends the whole an immediacy and verve it would have otherwise lacked. ...

“A brilliantly evocative story of mid-1960s Chicago, Frank S. Joseph’s TO DO JUSTICE brims with interest for readers of all types.”

“Once I started reading TO DO JUSTICE by Frank S. Joseph, I couldn’t put it down. The more I read, the faster my pulse raced.

“Most amazing to me, beside the author’s background (grounded in the reality and history of the author’s actual experience), is his magical ability to inhabit the characters, and making them alive as real people, not only characters.

“I don’t recommend books lightly. Am a retired librarian, and part, and sometime leader, of several book discussion groups. I am recommending TO DO JUSTICE, to all of them!”

“The author does a fantastic job of describing what life was like for both the Black residents and those in the Fourth Estate who were in the trenches and called to cover the riots. …

“(H)is accounts of behind-the-scenes newsrooms brings readers right to the old typewriters and use of pay phones to call in stories. Additionally, his addition of the famous corruption in Chicago’s political circles adds just the right spice to the novel. …

“I would recommend this book to anyone who would like a glimpse into what took place in this country well before the Black Lives Matter movement.”

“TO DO JUSTICE is a novel everyone should read—powerful, funny, sad, enraging, and ultimately affirming.

“Writing with the deftness of a true wordsmith, Frank Joseph examines questions of identity, racial politics, and the value of human life.

“Set in 1966 Chicago, the novel follows spunky 12-year-old Pinkie as she sets off alone on a hot summer day across the riot-ravaged city to find her real mother. Navigating a sea of crooked cops, indolent government workers, connected politicians, and the constant undercurrent of violence, Pinkie’s quest intersects with Mollie’s, an Associated Press reporter determined to write the truth.

“What they uncover will break, and mend, your heart.”

“Author Frank S. Joseph uses research, context, and detail to craft a powerful and immersive novel that brings the racial tensions and social complexities of 1960s Chicago vividly to life. ...

“I felt a deep empathy for Pinkie as she navigated the dangers of the streets and the uncertainty of her identity, while Mollie’s journalistic drive offered much-needed urgency and moral questioning in the story. ...

“Overall, I would not hesitate to recommend To Do Justice to readers everywhere.”

“A compelling story about how children can show us how to accept and understand those who may appear different to us, at least on the surface.

“Author Frank S. Joseph has created two wonderful characters in Steve and Sass, who can rise above the expectations and narrow-mindedness of the adults to realize and understand that they have much more in common than the differences which normally drive the races apart.”

“Chicago, during the summer of 1965, was feeling the heat of change.

To Do Justice is the third volume in author Frank S. Joseph’s mesmerizing Chicago Trilogy and takes readers to the West Side neighborhoods of the Windy City during the sweltering, on-the-edge summer of 1965. All eyes were on Chicago that summer, and in the middle of it all was young Pinkie and AP reporter Mollie Hinton.”

“Humorous, heartbreaking, uplifting, thought-provoking, and robust. Pinkie’s story will resonate with you and become etched into your heart long after you finish reading her tale.

“Frank S. Joseph beautifully explores intricate themes like self-discovery, corruption in law enforcement, ineffective governance, racially driven politics, racial inequality, social injustice, and human rights.”

“A novel that burns hot and bright. Pinkie’s journey through Chicago to find her white mother delves deep into the brutal racial complexities at the heart of America. Read this book.”