A look at one of America’s most progressive cities—Minneapolis—as journalist Justin Ellis returns to his hometown to grapple with the quiet history of white supremacy in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, uncover his family’s story of surviving 'Minnesota nice,' and revisit the city years later as state violence again forces the question of what a real reckoning looks like.
Author Justin Ellis sharpens a thought, turns a phrase, and screws it tightly into your heart in a way that most writers will only wish they could do, so pay attention and don’t miss it ... This is a thoughtful, thorough book that will satisfy readers of history and biographies, making it a don’t-miss. Start The Cruelty of Nice Folks and you’ll find that you can’t put it down.
An understandably despairing view of race relations in the wake of racist murders in Minneapolis ... An urgent critique of 'polite' racism that demands attention.
Penetrating and moving ... A searing account of Black survival in a city built on broken promises, and a damning view of liberalism as willing to pick and choose when equality is a virtue.
