An Uprising of Angels

The 1992 L.A. riots that followed the acquittal of the four policemen accused of beating African-American Rodney King are the basis for this fervid debut from Baldwin. Using the inhabitants of "an integrated, staunchly respectable neighborhood," Baldwin tries to illustrate the rage and despair that were fueled by the King beating. Characters run the gamut from ex%E2%80%93vice cop Michael Macetti and his beautiful daughter, Sonja, to Gunther, an unemployed black man who turns to drug dealing, and his son Anwar, who falls for Sonja. Rabid gangbanger Rayhab has both avid followers%E2%80%94like Fedallah and Tashtego%E2%80%94and reluctant followers, such as Anwar and Hangman. Baldwin's liberal use of ghetto slang doesn't always ring true and his characters sometimes sound or act out of character or excessively preachy. However, he does a fine job of portraying the chaos and violence that convulsed the city.