Arc of Justice: A Saga of Race, Civil Rights, and Murder in the Jazz Age by Kevin Boyle - 9780805079333 - Compare Prices on New & Used Textbooks, Cheap Textbooks

An electrifying story of the sensational murder trial that divided a city and ignited the civil rights struggle

In 1925, Detroit was a smoky swirl of jazz and speakeasies, assembly lines and fistfights. The advent of automobiles had brought workers from around the globe to compete for manufacturing jobs, and tensions often flared with the KKK in ascendance and violence rising. Ossian Sweet, a proud Negro doctor-grandson of a slave-had made the long climb from the ghetto to a home of his own in a previously all-white 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 an unforgettable tapestry of narrative history that documents the volatile America of the 1920s and movingly re-creates the Sweet family's journey from slavery through the Great Migration to the middle class. Ossian Sweet's story, so richly and poignantly captured here, is an epic tale of one man trapped by the battles of his era's changing times.

		Arc of Justice: A Saga of Race, Civil Rights, and Murder in the Jazz Age by Kevin Boyle ISBN-10: 9780805079333 ISBN-10: 0-8050-7933-5 ISBN-13: 9780805079333 ISBN-13: 978-0-8050-7933-3 Paperback 2005-05-01 Holt Paperbacks Find Lowest Price
Editorials

Product Description An electrifying story of the sensational murder trial that divided a city and ignited the civil rights struggle In 1925, Detroit was a smoky swirl of jazz and speakeasies, assembly lines and fistfights. The advent of automobiles had brought workers from around the globe to compete for manufacturing jobs, and tensions often flared with the KKK in ascendance and violence rising. Ossian Sweet, a proud Negro doctor-grandson of a slave-had made the long climb from the ghetto to a home of his own in a previously all-white 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 an unforgettable tapestry of narrative history that documents the volatile America of the 1920s and movingly re-creates the Sweet family's journey from slavery through the Great Migration to the middle class. Ossian Sweet's story, so richly and poignantly captured here, is an epic tale of one man trapped by the battles of his era's changing times.
Reviews

You won't be dissappointed This book will not disappoint! It was an easy and awesome read. The story of the Ossian Sweet trial is provocative and interesting. Kevin Boyle did a great job with this book, along with the emotional look into the life of Dr. Ossian Sweet but he also touches the themes of the beginning of the formation of the NAACP and the beginning of the push for civil rights. This might be the best historical novel i have read! Make sure you read the end!!! Its mind-blowingly good!!!
GREAT BOOK WITH AMAZING STORY TO TELL!!!! A great book whether for class or pleasure read. The story of Ossian Sweet is not shared with enough individuals and this book will help spread the compelling tale. Worth every minute it would take to read it!!!
Ossian Sweet Kevin Boyle writes an amazing book about the life of Ossian Sweet and his trial for Justice. Ossian Sweet, being part of the Talented Tenth described by W. E. B. DuBois, strives to be seen and heard as a respectable and educated African American. The set up of the book, beginning with the events of September 8th and 9th 1925 grabs your attention right away and then leads you through Ossian's life before the events. The book then ends with a description of the trial. The book is a phenomenal look into the the Ossian Sweet trial, a part of African American history that seems to sometimes be forgotten.
An Excellent Read!! What an excellent book! It is a wonderfully written historic account of the story of Dr. Ossian Sweet, an African-American Doctor living in Detroit in the 1920's. The account of the trial was done so very well - reading the book was like actually sitting in that courtroom. Well done Kevin Boyle!!
Best book on early 20th century race relations I have read If you live in a major urban area that exhibits pronounced de facto racial segregation I would suggest reading "Arc of Justice". The book explains as well as any straight forward history the context of how segregation, especially in Northern cities, developed it's structural form in the eary 1920's. As a non-fiction work it provides as much drama as any work of fiction I have ever read and is much more that just a courtroom drama. If you were born or have ever lived in Detroit "Arc of Justice" will provide you with insights on the development of the city and it's people that will forever change the way you view your hometown. The cast of characters are a who's who of 1920's Detroit as well as some of the most important legal and civil rights figures of the era.