Plot Summary

Tulia

Nate Blakeslee
Guide cover placeholder

Tulia

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2005

Book Brief

Nate Blakeslee

Tulia

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2005
Book Details
Pages

484

Format

Book • Nonfiction

Setting

Tulia, Texas • 1990s

Publication Year

2005

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

Roundup icon

Super Short Summary

In Tulia: Race, Cocaine, and Corruption in a Small Texas Town by Nate Blakeslee, in 1999, 38 Black residents of Tulia, Texas, were wrongfully convicted on drug charges based solely on the testimony of a single, disreputable police officer named Tom Coleman. Blakeslee recounts how these convictions were ultimately overturned after investigations revealed that Coleman had fabricated the accusations, highlighting systemic racism and law enforcement failures. Topics include systemic racism and wrongful incarceration.

Informative

Dark

Unnerving

Gritty

Reviews & Readership

4.2

923 ratings

81%

Loved it

15%

Mixed feelings

4%

Not a fan

Roundup icon

Review Roundup

Nate Blakeslee's Tulia presents a gripping narrative on racial injustice in a small Texas town. Readers appreciate its investigative depth and compelling storytelling, despite occasional criticisms of a slow pace and dense legal details. Overall, the book is praised for shedding light on critical social issues with thorough research and human empathy.

Who should read this

Who Should Read Tulia?

Readers who appreciate Nate Blakeslee's Tulia will likely enjoy true-crime narratives and social justice themes, akin to Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow and Bryan Stevenson's Just Mercy. They are typically interested in race relations, legal injustices, and systemic corruption within the American judicial system.

4.2

923 ratings

81%

Loved it

15%

Mixed feelings

4%

Not a fan

Book Details
Pages

484

Format

Book • Nonfiction

Setting

Tulia, Texas • 1990s

Publication Year

2005

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

Buy This Book

We’re just getting started

Add this title to our list of requested Study Guides!