The Riot Within: My Journey from Rebellion to Redemption – A True Story of Police Brutality, Racial Justice, and Forgiveness

by Rodney King, Lawrence J. Spagnola

On a dark street, what began as a private moment between a citizen and the police became a national outrage.

Rodney Glen King grew up in the Altadena Pasadena section of Los Angeles with four siblings, a loving mother, and an alcoholic father. Soon young Rodney followed in Dad's stumbling steps, beginning a lifetime of alcohol abuse.

King had been drinking the night of March 3, 1991, when he engaged in a high-speed chase with the LAPD, who finally pulled him over. What happened next shocked the nation. A group of officers brutally beat King with their metal batons, Tasered and kicked him into submission—all caught on videotape by a nearby resident. The infamous Rodney King Incident was born when this first instance of citizen surveillance revealed a shocking moment of police brutality, a horrific scene that stunned and riveted the nation via the evening news. Racial tensions long smoldering in L.A. ignited into a firestorm thirteen months later when four white officers were acquitted by a mostly white jury. Los Angeles was engulfed in flames as people rioted in the streets. More than fifty people were dead, hundreds were hospitalized, and countless homes and businesses were destroyed.

King's plaintive question, "Can we all just get along?" became a sincere but haunting plea for reconciliation that reflected the heartbreak and despair caused by America's racial discord in the early 1990s.

While Rodney King is now an icon, he is by no means an angel. King has had run-ins with the law and continues a lifelong struggle with alcohol addiction. But King refuses to be bitter about the crippling emotional and physical damage that was inflicted upon him that night in 1991. While this nation has made strides during those twenty years to heal, so has Rodney King, and his inspiring story can teach us all lessons about forgiveness, redemption, and renewal, both as individuals and as a nation.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Biography, Politics, Biography Memoir

277 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[M. Broughton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I sat down with Rodney King's new book, The Riot Within (written with Lawrence J. Spagnola and published by Harper One), half-expecting a drawn out explanation of the infamous beating that shook the US in 1991. I remember the media frenzy and the riots, the outrage and the confusion. The event shaped the views of many young people on race and the power of authority, including mine.

King's beating by four white police officers, the trial and riots, and the Federal cases that followed is covered in detail. The tone of the writing seems almost neutral, though a hint of the rage and frustration that King must have felt during that time shows through. He treats those events with a fairness that surprised me, and made the reading even more interesting.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that, although the beating and aftermath are discussed in detail, it is not the central theme; at least, it wasn't for me. Beginning with brief, well-written vignettes of his childhood and ending with the man he is now, The Riot Within is the more than the autobiography of Rodney King; it is also a biography of countless, faceless others who struggle with adversity and prejudice.

While there is a great deal to recommend about this book, I want to focus on King's struggle with addiction. As a white woman from an upper class background, I questioned whether I would find a common ground with Mr. King's story. I got my answer in Chapter Two.

"This was when I began a routine that seemed innocent enough at the time - but it quickly became my dance with the devil. It started with me picking up a couple forties of malt liquor on the way home. ... Being a drunk sneaks up on you, and pretty soon you don't even need that meal as much as another forty. "


Replace malt liquor with Miller Lite and it is a quote I could have written myself. What had begun as an interesting read of the life of someone almost diametrically opposite of me suddenly felt personal. King writes of his addiction very honestly and, by doing so, allows others with substance abuse issues to really connect with his story. While few - if any - of us have gone through the extreme experience that he did, we can all relate to his struggles in the years before and following.

In Chapter Eight, King takes us through his time on the Celebrity Rehab show. When he discusses talking about the beating that happened so many years ago, his feelings and reactions ring so true with what I have heard time and again from women discussing abuse they have suffered that I found it hard not to cry. This chapter alone would be worth the price of the book; I reread it several times for no other reason than it resonated so strongly with me that I wanted to really grasp each word.

There is another chapter after this, in which King wraps up his story and discusses the impact of that night in 1991 and how much further society needs to come in racial equality. For the general reader, this ending is quite satisfactory. As a person in recovery, while I understand and agree with his sentiments, this chapter was almost unnecessary. After Chapter Eight, I felt a kinship with this man, so diametrically opposite to myself, that I can't explain. I didn't need more.

The Riot Within is a well-written, honest, and compelling story of one man's struggle with personal demons and his journey from the depths of hell to the heights of peace. The subtitle, My Journey from Rebellion to Redemption, is completely accurate. I would recommend it to anyone in recovery for many reasons, the strongest being that it shows how addiction brings us all to the same level no matter where we came from, and how important it is to recognize and deal with our own demons if we want our recovery to succeed.

[Kimberly Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rodney's memoir evoked several emotions within me. What was so sad is the fact that he had a heart made of gold, and given the right opportunities and circumstances, he would have had a completely different life. His story is truly one that demonstrates the dangers of what can happen when you have parents that do not guide you down the correct path. I'm not saying he had bad parents, but they certainly contributed to much of the trials and tribulations Rodney later faced in life--of course, with the most infamous, the police brutality case back in 1991. Anyone who was anybody had to have seen that horrific 83 second video of four police officers beating Rodney King for all of their worth. It was one of the most heinous acts caught on video to date.

And, it was because of Rodney King that I have forever changed my views on Lady Justice and our alleged great legal system. I suppose compared to other countries, the U.S. has the best system in place, but after the not guilty verdict in the Rodney King trial, that forever changed something within myself. I said it then, and I'll say it again, I don't give a damn what Rodney had done, it did not warrant him being beat the way he was. What those police officers did went far beyond the call of duty in subduing a potential criminal.

One of the things that struck me as odd, as it did Rodney was the fact of how the defendants continually said he was "resisting arrest" and "attempting to flee." Hmm, if someone beat the be-jesus out of you with batons and their feet, would you be able to sit still through the ordeal? Having your skull cracked and fractured, your testicles stomped and beat. Hearing bones cracking, choking on your own blood, hearing your jaw snap, praying for death because what was happening to you was surreal, but real -- thinking you've urinated on yourself only to discover your body was soaked with your own blood--to hearing racial words spit at you while the beating that took seconds seemed like an eternity to Rodney, but he was supposed to sit still through all of that! Hmmm, really?

Yeah, that video not only changed his life, but it changed mine as well. I learned that even though there was video of a horrific event that took place within my lifetime that "what I saw, wasn't what I saw!" OMG, I will never forget the rage I felt when those police officers were found not guilty. And if you thought that was bad enough, wait until you delve further into Mr. King's life and see the other terrible injustices bestowed upon him. He wasn't just victimized once on that fateful night in March of 1991--oooh no, he had other terrible things happen to him through our great legal system.

Sure, Rodney is not without blame and I'm glad that he realized that. He caused a lot of his own problems, but as with most things, those demons began to fester when he was a child--hence, where the parents lack of guidance formed Rodney.

This was a really good book! So sad knowing he's no longer with us, but at least he got to tell his story from his own words and not the media spin-Gods. I learned a great deal about Rodney King, and I'm glad he was able to find a little peace before his untimely death.

[Noel نوال · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rodney King's story is unfortunately not uncommon in regards to police brutality against black people. However, what sets his story apart is that he survived to be able to tell his story, albeit not the least bit unscathed. It would only be a few years later that Clinton would militarize the police giving them more lethal weapons.
Unfortunately, not much has changed since that night in 1992. Police brutality against black people is still very much alive, and more often than not it ends in murder without legal consequence. Our society has so much more growing to do beyond being anti-racist and holding police accountable for their actions and crimes. Victim-shaming is just as prevalent today as it was back when Rodney was being beaten near death on a street by four cops. Chanel Miller put it perfectly in her memoir "Know My Name" when she was discussing society seeking the immaculate victim with a perfect past;
"How do you come after me, when it is all of us? One of the greatest dangers of victimhood is the singling out; all of your attributes and anecdotes assigned blame. In court they’ll try to make you believe you are unlike the others, you are different, an exception. You are dirtier, more stupid, more promiscuous. But it’s a trick. The assault is never personal, the blaming is."
Victim-shaming is always used to justify the crime, even in cases where police have murdered young black children society tries to make excuses for the police's actions and try to believe the delusional racist lies they tell themselves to somehow justify what is inherently wrong.
This autobiography is filled with Rodney's childhood stories, battles with addiction, the incident and the aftermath, the various legal battles, the LA riots, his ongoing PTSD, and other raw and vulnerable moments he shares with us to see him as a person. A person far beyond "the poster child of police brutality." Rodney describes his thoughts and sadness of how his name is forever immortalized in topics of racism and police brutality by saying "I'm a permanent part of this country's baggage." He delves into his constant struggle with society and the media about how although he was a victim of police brutality it was not all that he was.
It wasn't until I was nearing the end of this autobiography that I was looking up a celebrity that Rodney had mentioned in a later chapter that I realized he had died in 2012 of an accidental drowning and overdose. Reading the article was gutting and heartbreaking for so many reasons. Rodney was determined to live longer than his father's 42 years, and was 47 when he passed away himself. Addiction is a really difficult thing to endure and battle, especially when someone's addiction stems from and is triggered by traumatic events. That terrible night affected Rodney's life for decades physically, mentally, and emotionally. Although the police didn't kill Rodney that night back in 1992, the trauma they inflicted may very well have been what killed him in his final days while battling for his sobriety and mental and emotional health. I'm glad that just before his death Rodney got to tell his story in his own words for a world that knows nothing of him other than he was a young black man brutalized by white police.

[Gambrinous · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this book after a couple of years dealing with my personal interest for what happened in Los Angeles back in 1992. I wanted to read an essay about what was going on from an inside perspective.

I watched some footage about the riots in YouTube a long time ago, and decided I wanted to know more about how a society can end in such a terrible way. Last year, the LA Times created a complete project remembering the 25th anniversary of the riots (which I think can be found online, but is unavailable to European countries).

So I ended up owning three books. This one, written by Rodney King (the victim), Presumed Guilty: The Tragedy of the Rodney King Affair by Officer Stacey Koon and Official Negligence: How Rodney King and the Riots Changed Los Angeles and the LAPD, by Lou Cannon. Last one was a little long for me right now (720 pages), so I jumped into Rodney's book.

Then I realized this wasn't only a book about the Riots, but also a book about Rodney himself. About the city of LA. About racism, inequality, and the underlying causes of what really happened those terrible years. This book is easy to read, and Rodney is not a writer, just a plain man exposing his view of what happened, and his opinion about the American society (a quite optimistic opinion, I think). Furthermore, the ending is priceless.

Near the end of the book, Rodney turns a little blueish and writes: We're just as close-minded and violent as we were twenty years ago when I was brutally beaten and Tasered by police.

Then I read on the news that Thurman Blevins was killed by police in Minneapolis on Sunday. No judge. No trial. Just shots fired. Same as Freddie Gray. Same as Michael Brown. Same as many, many others whose names won't be never, ever known.

At the moment of writing these lines, tension is rising in Minnesota following Blevins death. Maybe, if this book was read by everyone, we could someday... Just get along. Together.

[Meranda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Where to begin? This book is the autobiography of Rodney King, and chronicles his early life, the near death beating by LAPD officers, the L.A. riots, the subsequent legal proceedings, and the ups and downs in his life both before and after.

What I appreciated about the book was simply his story and the telling of what happened that night as well as what Mr. King went through with the legal cases against the officers and the City of Los Angeles. There was a lot I didn't know or realize because I was only a teen when all of this occurred. I still firmly believe that justice was not served in his case.

While the book was a quick read, I found myself getting frustrated with the frequent repetition, poor overall fluidity of the story, and somewhat jumbled timeline. There were several times where I found myself completely confused and flustered about incongruent story lines and starting off new chapters with some unnecessary jaunt back in time, which then did not flow or set up the rest of the chapter.

Overall I found myself disappointed.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this book made me even more sad about Rodney King's untimely death. You sort of wanted the book to make everything turn out all right in the end, but it wasn't a made for TV miniseries. He had a lot of problems before and after his beating, and he didn't want that one incident to define his life. He rose above what had happened to him and made his famous appeal for peace during the riots. And it choked me up inside to hear how he had thought about slaves being beaten in order to live through his ordeal. RIP.

[AFAMAST · Rating 4 out of 5]

This historically event that opened the eyes of thousands of people to the police brutality and racism that existed back in the 19th century. In the the book, The Riot Within, Rodney King states "I have been asked what I recommend when it comes to us building a less racist, more peace-loving world, and the one thing Id promote over any other is greater integration"(pg.103). What Rodney King wanted is for all humans to grow together and not be separated just because of the color of our skin. To not stereotype other races, but grow closer and understand one another.

Johnny Goodloe

[Peyton Watts · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Riot Within is an autobiography written by the notorious Rodney King. King is famous for the tragic acts that fortook on the night of April 2, 1991. That night King was brutally beaten by four LAPD officers until he had to be sent to the emergency room. This is an autobiography of the events in King’s life before and after the beatings. The novel starts in King’s hometown of Sacramento. Here it goes in depth about the struggle he was put through, being born into a poor family and having an abusive father. Later on it jumps straight into the night of the beatings. The book details the beatings down to every last hit and it really describes the two times King was tased. It then hops to the court cases that followed the beatings. These cases were primarily judged by a white jury and were picked so King would not win. The result was 12 of the 16 officers on scene were not guilty because they only watched the other four beat King. The other four however were tried in a separate case where two got off scotch free and the other two were sentenced to 30 months in prison. The book then turns to King’s perspective of the L.A. Riots. He was never really a fan of them. Even though they were primarily about his case and how he was done wrong he just wanted peace.
Reading this book really has given me a different perspective on the L.A. Riots and Rodney King. I didn’t know much about the events foretold in this book before reading, but I knew King was beaten, the police officers that beat him got off nearly clean, and that because of this the city of Los Angeles broke out into enormous riots. I really enjoyed King’s personality throughout this book. You would think that what happened to him would make him act like today’s common activist. You know the, “I’m going to stand up for what I believe in and nobody else has a view but me” sort of thing. King really wasn’t happy about the riots. He just wanted everyone to get along. He truly thought that the way to stop hate, is to to stop hating the people who hate. He saw the traumatic events that happened to him as a mistake that he could forgive the officers for. He truly showed what I believe everyone should show these days. Forgiveness in one another, in hopes of a better future. I felt I could relate to King in some parts of the book. Obviously he encountered many problems in his lifetime that I never could endure, but the way he got through them. He looked at the brighter side of things. That is something I’ve tried to do more of.
Reading this book was different than reading most. It’s layed out in a way where there are almost chapters inside chapters. I thought this was really interesting because King, who obviously isn’t a writer, would hop from topic to topic. It wasn’t disorganized I would say but moreso just hard to keep up with. I really enjoyed reading the book because i’ve always found modern day history more interesting than things that happened earlier. I think that this book would be a great find for someone who really enjoys studying the events that have happened from the 1960’s to the present. Overall this was a fascinating and terrific read.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm really glad I read this book. I was a junior in high school when this happened. It was so heartbreaking. I'm glad I finally have the full story. What happened to him was senseless and over excessive. Mr. King was in the wrong but so were the police. I believe in the change he thinks the world needs. Rest in peace sir. Thank you for having the courage to become the verb that opened the eyes of everyone. I hope one day that your dream of peace will be realized. Until then we will continue the fight.

[Rita]

2012, just months before he died, at age 47. Co-written.

Remarkable interview with him on BBC Sounds [World Service] - black Americans series - just before he died.

Readers note the uneven writing, but most value its content highly. About his childhood, the awful beating and aftermath, and after that.

1991 incident, all police acquitted even though long-time police chief said they had done wrong.
Ensuing LA riots 1992.

[Jenae Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you let go of any expectations of a well executed book, I would definitely recommend this book. His story was told in his own voice, and the content really made think and reflect. However the writing style was poor- lack of organization and timeline led to some confusion at times. Yet it feels like this reflected his traumatic experiences.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like the structure of the book. It was a bit all over the place. But I did feel it was an important look into Rodney King's journey.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was reading an article about Rodney King's recent death that mentioned he had recently released his autobiography. I read it out of curiosity and really enjoyed it. It was written in a way that made you feel like Rodney was telling you his story as a friend. The focus was not as much on the beating and riots that followed the acquittal, but on Rodney's life afterwards and his struggle to move past what happened to him and conquer his addictions. The final part of the book was sad to read knowing that he passed away only months after finishing the book.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rodney King explains his life story in this book with a heavy focus on what happened to him and the riots following the brutality. He talks about how his life changed after the beating and the court cases that followed. King also talks about his present life and what he is doing nowadays. I think this was a good story. There were times I was losing interest because I felt that King had poor delivery in some areas of the book.

[Azabu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Do you remember the bloody incident that put Rodney King on our TV screens? Turns out he's evolved since that moment when the LAPD pulverized him and now he's a reality show star. King's intelligence is a surprising element of his memoir. A miracle that he could survive his youth and the beating to become a zillionaire. A fairy tale in its way.

[Maya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heart-wrenching, gut-twisting story. I was vaguely aware of the event growing up, but Mr. King (may he rest in peace) himself put it into some serious perspective. It's unfortunate that he never learned to right his ways. In some parts of the book it seemed like he was on the right track, even writing the book itself. I gave it three stars because of the writing style, I wasn't a fan of it.

[DJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn't as great as I thought it would be, but I felt compelled to finish it. It was interesting to learn how he grew up & how the beating affected him & shaped our world. I was in high school in NY when it happened & I remember the tension it caused on the other side of the country.

[Robert Mason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rodney King will forever have an unwanted place in American infamy. This personal account toucjes on racism, addiction, brutality, and the efforts of one man to overcome hos addiction and come to grips with his place in history.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book-I could not put it down and when I did I couldn't wait to pick it up again and read more.

[Jonathan Helms · Rating 3 out of 5]

King's unheard story in his own plain language.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good read for anyone who remembers 1992 and what came to be known as the LA Riots. I appreciated the honesty in this book.