Scottsboro: A Tragedy of the American South (Jules and Frances Landry Award) Review
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Scottsboro: A Tragedy of the American South (Jules and Frances Landry Award) Feature
With a New Introduction
Scottsboro tells the riveting story of one of this country's most famous and controversial court cases and a tragic and revealing chapter in the history of the American South. In 1931, two white girls claimed they were savagely raped by nine young black men aboard a freight train moving across northeastern Alabama. The young men-ranging in age from twelve to nineteen-were quickly tried, and eight were sentenced to death. The age of the defendants, the stunning rapidity of their trials, and the harsh sentences they received sparked waves of protest and attracted national attention during the 1930s. Originally published in 1970, Scottsboro triggered a new interest in the case, sparking two film documentaries, several Hollywood docudramas, two autobiographies, and numerous popular and scholarly articles on the case. In his new introduction, Dan T. Carter looks back more than thirty-five years after he first wrote about the case, asking what we have learned that is new about it and what relevance the story of Scottsboro still has in the twenty-first century.
PRAISE FOR THE BOOK
"This detailed, unembellished, utterly engrossing history is a work of clarification, and the author's ability to make the reader aware of so much . . . is remarkable."--New Yorker
"Carter has written the whole sorry story in vigorous narrative style, wisely using excerpts from the trials which to this day evoke a sense of horror at what can pass for justice in America."--Publishers Weekly
"Carter brilliantly traces the celebrated case from its beginnings. . . . His thorough research, careful organization of the findings, clear appraisals presented in readable prose, all combine to make this the definitive study of what was a tragedy for the entire nation and not merely for the South."--Choice
"Carter is to be congratulated on his effort, both historically and stylistically. It's a triumph of proper research and should remain the definitive study of the affair."--Nation
"Not only a well-documented piece of research, but a spine-tingling story as well."--Library Journal
"[Carter's] research is meticulous and exhaustive, his material well organized, and he leaves few questions about the subject unanswered."--Georgia Historical Quarterly
"An extraordinary book about one of the most celebrated legal contests in the annals of American jurisprudence. . . . Shorn of muckraking and partisan preaching, his volume is historical writing at its best. Indeed, it has all the attributes of a prize-winning book."--Georgia Review
"In parts, Scottsboro is exciting courtroom drama; in other sections the tension is reminiscent of swiftly paced detective fiction. It is always good history."--Journal of American History
"A scholarly work is seldom put in the book-you-can't-put-down category, but Scottsboro is just such a volume. [Carter] is to be congratulated for producing a scholarly volume, objectively written, presented so as to convey a sense of drama and excitement throughout."--North Carolina Historical Review
528 pages, 32 Halftones, 6.125 x 9.25
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