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Arc Of Justice |
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In 1925, Ossian Sweet, a proud African-American doctor-grandson of a slave-had made the long climb from the ghetto to a home of his own in a previously all-white Detroit neighborhood. Yet just after his arrival, a mob gathered outside his house; suddenly, shots rang out: Sweet, or one of his defenders, had accidentally killed one of the whites threatening their lives and homes. And so it began-a chain of events that brought America's greatest attorney, Clarence Darrow, into the fray and transformed Sweet into a controversial symbol of equality. Historian Kevin Boyle weaves the police investigation and courtroom drama of Sweet's murder trial into a tapestry of narrative history. [Henry Holt]
Henry Holt and Company, 432 pages
09/07/2004
$26.00
ISBN: 0805071458
Nonfiction
History
NOTES:
Winner of the 2004 National Book Award (Nonfiction).
All reviews are classified as one of five grades: Outstanding (4 points), Favorable (3), Mixed (2), Unfavorable (1) and Terrible (0). To calculate the Metascore, we divide total points achieved by the total points possible (i.e., 4 x the number of reviews), with the resulting percentage (multiplied by 100) being the Metascore. Learn more...
The average user rating for this book is 8.5 (out of 10) based on 15 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Sonia B gave it a10:
WonderfulL Anyone who enjoys African American History should read this book! I had to read it for class, but it soon became my pleasure reading!
Angela H gave it a10:
Boyle skillfully narates the historical context of the twentieth century throughout the work. A must read for those interested in the early civi rights struggles.
Elizabeth H gave it a10:
dr boyle is a prose poet holding his audience from introducation to last sentence of book. he is an historian of merit also.
Gerri H gave it a10:
compelling! it changed me from ignorant to knowing and caring.
Charles W gave it a6:
The book started out as a gripping story of racism and real people caught in an unreal situation. By mid-book, it lost its momentum by investigating every facet of race relations to the detriment of the original story. It really lost me.
John E gave it a10:
A riveting powerful story of the racist climate in jazz age Detroit. Woven through the book is the center piece of the story, charges of murder brought against a group of black men, who dared defend the rights of a black doctor and his wife who have moved into a previously all white neighborhood. A prejudicial investigation is undertaken and ensuing trial begins complete with overtones of the KKK, corrupt city politics and angry white residents faced in opposition by Clarence Darrow, NAACP and other prominent legal minds of the day, willing to take up the cause to defend the men. The resulting verdict and narrative history of the participants, after the trial, brings one to tears. A truly remarkable piece of research, drama and insight into civil rights, honor and dishonor among men and justice.
Dan C gave it a9:
An excellent book. What keeps it from being a 10, though, is the early concentration on the light of Dr. Sweet. I would have preferred more information about the legal battles and the court cases
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