Devil in the Grove

Book cover of Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America

Book description

* Winner of the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction
* Nominated for a 2013 Edgar Award
* Book of the Year (Non-fiction, 2012) The Boston Globe, Christian Science Monitor

In 1949, Florida's orange industry was booming, and citrus barons got rich on the backs of cheap Jim Crow labor.…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked Devil in the Grove as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Mary Shanklin

Author

When I read Gilbert King’s story of the ruination of four Black men based on charges they raped a white woman in the 1950s, I had to check King’s background. He won my admiration for going from small-town newspapers and photography work to tell this epic story of Thurgood Marshall-style justice.

The story itself will rip you apart as the Southern sheriff “interrogates” these men in inhumane ways. I live just an hour’s drive from where this all went down and I am so grateful to King for helping me better understand the depths of our warped system of justice.…

From Mary's list on nonfiction with fantastic storytelling.

Elie Honig

Author

Thurgood Marshall is most remembered for being the first Black person to serve as a Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

But his career before he took the bench is astonishing. He went right into the heart of the racist South in the 1950s, fought against bone-chilling injustice, and nearly was lynched himself. You’ll be horrified (by what Marshall encountered) and inspired (by his work) at the same time.

From Elie's list on making the law come to life.