About this title: This investigative report looks into the events around the 1925 murder trial of an African-American doctor who had bought a home in what was considered a whites-only neighborhood of Detroit. A mob attacked his home, shots were fired, a man lay dead, and Dr. Ossian Sweet, homeowner, was charged with the killing. This account explores Dr. Sweet's ...
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Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Very Good. Great condition for a used book! Minimal wear. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Very Good. Great condition for a used book! Minimal wear. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Acceptable. Shows definite wear, and perhaps considerable marking on inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780805071450ISBN:0805071458
Description: Very Good in Good jacket. Very nice clean ex-library copy with dust jacket! Pages are clean and the binding is tight! Some books may be ex-library books. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Holt Paperbacks
Date Published: 2005-05-01
ISBN-13:9780805079333ISBN:0805079335
Description: New. BRAND NEW. May have small remainder mark. SUPER-FAST shipping! BUY EXTRA copies! EXPEDITED ship available. *Real-person* customer service. 100% satisfaction guaranteed. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Holt Paperbacks
Date Published: 2005-05-01
ISBN-13:9780805079333ISBN:0805079335
Description: Like New. Excellent-condition NEVER-READ copy. May have small remainder mark. CHRISTMAS special! SUPER-FAST shipping! BUY EXTRA copies! EXPEDITED ship available. *Real-person* customer service. 100% satisfaction guaranteed. read more
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9780805079333ISBN:0805079335
Description: Fine. This book is in fine condition. The binding is tight and pages are clean. It appears to have not had use. The cover has minor bumps and scuffs. There is no creasing on the spine. read more
"A magnificent account of the trial for murder of 11 African Americans who were defending the home of a couple who had moved into a white neighborhood in Detroit in 1925 (at the height of the KKK's power) when one or more of them fired into the mob outside the house, killing one pystander & injuring another. It's a dramatic story that Boyle tells very well, sets in context expertly & accessibly, & fills with a colorful cast of characters, including the insecure & unlikely heroes, Dr. Ossia Sweet & his self-assured young wife, NAACP execs James Weldon Johnson & ____ White, Clarence Darrow, Frank Murphy, & (to a lesser extent) Reinhold Niebuhr. We had a really good discussion of the book among our "salon" group of historians, & we were unanimous in admiring the book."
"Vivid and fascinating look at racism and race relations in America through the lens of a particular incident in 1927 Detroit. The author's compassion for the subjects, and the details and context of the story make this a truly compelling read."
"Fabulous history of a true-life incident and trial that happened in Detroit in the 1920s. If every history writer could write like Boyle, we'd all be reading history! Oh, if only we could have all learned US history from books like this. The subtitle, "a saga of race, civil rights, and murder in the Jazz Age," really tells it all. The book reminded of the novel "Ragtime" (also made into one of my favorite movies) by EL Doctorow. Only imagine if the firefighters in the novel had taken Coalhouse Walker to court & Clarence Darrow had shown up to defend him! In Arc of Justice, Ossian Sweet, grandson of a slave, works his way up to being a doctor. He marries Gladys, a step up from him in the hierarchy of black families, & takes her to Vienna & Paris for a year so he can study the latest medical advances. Given what happens, you wish they'd been able to just stay in lovely Europe! Instead they have a baby & return to the US. Ossian buys a house in a "white section" of Detroit & one hot summer night as they try to move in, a white mob attacks the home, & in the confusion, one of Ossian's friends or relatives accidentally shoots & kills a man in the crowd outside. The case ultimately goes to trial & yes, Clarence Darrow is one of the defense attorneys! The story of the legal machinations including the early days of the NAACP, & story of the trial, are fascinating reading. An interesting outcome - & if it were a novel, it couldn't have been put together any better for a heart-wrenching ending. I can totally see this book as a movie. Screenwriter, anyone?"
"Really intersting story of racial injustice in early Detroit - touches on black culture and history around the turn of the century as well as some historical inequality in the housing market and the early years of the NAACP"
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