They Can’t Take Your Name

A beautiful, powerful novel that is as simple in its telling as it is deep in its emotions. Eli Stone is a shell of a man, undone by the death of his beloved wife and desperate to find an excuse to keep on living. Renovating The Roz, a landmark jazz club in the center of Denver’s African American community, is his latest effort to give his life meaning. The club is about to open when in walks Liza, a law student who has dedicated her life to saving her Dad, Langston, who sits on death row, falsely accused of robbery and murder. Eli and Liza recognize the need in each other, but put aside their feelings to focus on clearing her father. When Langston is sentenced to be executed in 30 days, the tension ramps up and the suspense becomes unbearable. Throughout, Eli turns to memories from his past, especially that of a priest who helped raise him and gave him the skills to survive as a Black man in a racist world. Wrongful conviction is one of the greatest injustices in our legal system, and crime fiction provides a perfect tool for exploring it. I can’t wait to read more about Eli and Liza. In the meantime, this book would make a great choice for book groups that want to use fiction as a springboard to discuss racism, anti-racism, and incarceration.