Your House Will Pay

Two weeks after four LAPD officers were caught on camera “arresting” Rodney King, 15 year old Latasha Harlins is shot at point blank range by Korean store owner Soon Ja Du, her death captured on grainy convenience store footage.

It's the inspiration for what Steph Cha calls her social crime novel. Here, Ava Matthew is likewise shot by a Korean shopkeeper. 30 years later, Ava's brother Shawn is trying to move past the tragedy and lives a quiet live in Palmdale working as a mover. Their cousin Ray is just out of prison after a 10 year stint for armed robbery with a toy gun. Their lives are about to collide with Grace Park.

It's a story about processing grief and the possibility of grace. How people work through a tragedy in the moments after and how it lingers decades later. Even now one can see it preface #BlackLiveMatter and echo the LA riots in Watts almost 30 years prior. A powerful read. If you're looking for context, the National Geographic documentary “LA 92”, that is comprised completely of footage from that era, is incredibly good. As well, the YouTube documentary “Sa I Gu” that focuses on the Korean women whose lives were irrevocably changed in the aftermath of the riots is equally wrenching.

Full review here: https://youtu.be/OMZOBskPA4c