Defender of the Angels : A Black Policeman in Old Los Angeles [Hardcover]

Jesse Kimbrough (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2001

Defender of the Angels is Jesse Kimbrough's fictionalized account of his years as a LAPD policeman during the early decades of the last century. The book provides amazing insight into the period, police work and the inner thoughts of a black man struggling to reconcile his duty to serve and uphold laws in a society that restrains him based on the color of his skin

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...an honest and interesting document that tells a lot about...the LAPD in the early years of the last century." -- Joseph Wambaugh, author of the classic novels, The Onion Field and The New Centurions

"An important, powerful work... Defender of the Angels provides invaluable insight into early black Los Angeles and the LAPD." -- LAPD Sgt. John Thomas, historian, lecturer and researcher for the Blacks in Blue 2001 Calendar

About the Author

Jesse Kimbrough joined the Los Angeles Police Department as a reserve officer in 1915. He received his official appointment a year later in 1916 and retired from the department in 1939 as a Detective Lieutenant.

Noted among his many activities within the department was Kimbrough's role as the coach and catcher for the LAPD's black baseball team, the Lawmen. The popular Lawmen competed against local teams and visiting Negro League Baseball squads throughout the Depression in a series of charity ball games. The celebrated Lawmen raised over $10,000 for charity in 1929 alone.

A prolific writer, Kimbrough authored two published books - Defender of the Angels, which chronicled his career as a Los Angeles police officer, and Brown Doughboy, a World War I tome written from the perspective of a black soldier. Defender of the Angels was originally published by The Macmillan Company in 1969 on Jesse Kimbrough's 77th birthday. He continued to write until his death in 1988.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 308 pages
• Publisher: Blue Line Press, Inc. (May 2001)
• ISBN-10: 0970644825
• ISBN-13: 978-0970644824
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,020,934 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)