‘THEY CAN’T KILL US ALL’

A Changing Nation and the Cost of Progress

Published November 2016, by Little Brown. Edited by Vanessa Mobley.

An instant New York Times bestseller | Recipient of the Christopher Isherwood Prize. (LA Times Book Prizes, 2017) 

"Riveting.... A timely, significant book." (Kirkus, Starred Review).

"Lowery's book is electric, because it is so well reported, so plainly told and so evidently the work of a man who has not grown a callus on his heart.... Lowery's book is valuable for many reasons. He circles slowly and warily around the question of why, during Obama's presidency, so little has happened to improve on the racial front." Dwight Garner, New York Times

“..a wise memoir that chronicles the fatigue of reporting Black death…” (Ebony)

"An explosive examination of police brutality" (O, The Oprah Magazine)

“A searing, affecting, sharply written treatise on one of the most important crises the United States faces today.” Harper’s Bazaar

"The best journalism serves as the 'first draft of history,' but every so often a reporter gets to write the second draft as well. Wesley Lowery has provided a crucial dispatch from a particularly American frontline. Ferguson, Charleston, Baltimore and Cleveland are more than flashpoints in current affairs, they are the theaters in which our longstanding battles for racial equality have taken place. They Can't Kill Us All is a valuable field report on the status of American democracy itself." Jelani Cobb, staff writer, The New Yorker and dean, Columbia Journalism School

"A model for journalism that is as deeply felt as it is informative." (City Paper)

"The quiet optimism underlying his book is itself an act of protest in our dark times." (The Nation)

‘I’d recommend everyone to read this book … it’s not just statistics, it’s not just the information, but it’s the connective tissue that shows the human story behind it.” Trevor Noah, host of Comedy Central’s ‘The Daily Show’

"Lowery's strength lies in the breadth of his reporting and the depth of his introspection...." (Chicago Tribune)

"With empathy, anguish, and a superb eye for telling detail, Wesley Lowery chronicles the birth of the new civil rights movement. This book is an urgent, grounds-eye view of the struggle." ―Chris Hayes, MSNBC host and bestselling author (He later added on-air: "Everyone should read it. It is incredibly well-reported and very well done.... It's a fantastic book. Go out and read it.")

"Lowery is unflinchingly honest...a skillful reporter and storyteller. He takes the reader through the laborious task of reportage with a humanity and forthrightness, making this book more than just a catalog of tragedy. He succinctly presents a story of human grief." (New York Times Book Review)

‘A devastating front-line account of the police killings and the young activism that sparked one of the most significant racial justice movements since the 1960s…Lowery more or less pulls the sheet off America … essential reading” Junot Diaz, Pulitzer Prize winning author

"Insightful and unnerving…” (Minneapolis Star Tribune), 

"Lowery sets out to remind us why revisiting our history is crucial for racial improvement." (New York Magazine's The Cut) 

"Riveting…” (Boston Globe)

"Lowery takes us inside the pain and courage of those who have cared to challenge the police and this nation. He details their stories and, along the way, provides a powerful and all-too-human account of what it means to be a reporter in a time of profound crisis. His example gives me renewed home in those who report the news. This is a must read!" ―Dr. Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor at Princeton University and bestselling author

"An anthropological examination of the movement.... a vivid timeline of the movement from its origins to present day.... They Can't Kill Us All is a documentary on the awakening of young black Americans--no, all Americans--to the systematic injustices that weren't erased with the election of President Obama.... Lowery's clear-eyed reporting is exceeded only by his thoughtful, sharp sentences. He allows pain to seep into the prose, not hiding the anguish of a black man reporting on so much black death while pointing out connections that can't be ignored.... [Lowery] is one of the best on the national beat." (San Francisco Chronicle)

"Lowery's dispatches from the front lines…have proven indispensable, and with They Can't Kill Us All, he further shows just how vital his reporting has become… a necessary read for anyone in need of greater understanding of why and how a new generation of young black activists have taken to the streets to demand justice from their country. ―Mychal Denzel Smith, bestselling author

"Documents, with refreshing candor and vulnerability, his efforts to balance life and work, ambition and compassion.... [Lowery's] reflections, observations and personal dilemmas offer a glimpse behind the scenes as a reporter hones his craft and calibrates his moral and professional compasses.... Through it all, Lowery was honest with himself, and now, in his book, he is honest with his readers. This candor enhances his credibility as a journalist.... Overall, this is a beautifully written reporter's journal that offers an overview of an important chapter in 21st-century African American history.... As a young man who has seen up close the bloody misuse of power and the fire and fury it engenders, Lowery has remained steadfast in his role as witness and truth-teller. His example of integrity under fire and professionalism under pressure should be an example to his junior and senior colleagues alike. We desperately need tough and tenacious reporters unafraid to speak truth to power as we wade into the multiple uncertainties of the next four years." (Washington Post)