Published by Little, Brown and Company Genres: History, Nonfiction, True Crime
Format: ARC, eBook
The amount of research that went into the writing of this book is impressive. If you go into this book thinking the author is only going to address her grandfather’s involvement of the lynching of a black man in 1947 while he was sheriff, you will be mistaken. You will learn much, much, more.
Grace Elizabeth Hale grew up believing that her beloved grandfather prevented a lynch mob from killing a man accused of raping a white woman. Over the years, her family’s version of the event began to concern her. It was through her research that she learned the truth, that her grandfather was involved in the man’s death. Not only does she address this in the book, but she also provides a history of the area over a wide span of years.
I was not expecting all the history that was provided and I must admit, I felt as if I was reading a history book (which I was), and not the story of her uncovering the lie that was told in her family. I was hoping for more of her personal reaction, how it affected her, the outrage, and her family members reaction upon learning the truth. The author does provide as much information as she could about what she learned about the murdered man and his family’s history. What happened to this man, and so many others, is heartbreaking and tragic. Racial violence, lies, coverup, and murder evoke strong emotions and are a tragic, horrific, and brutal part of our nation’s history.
A lot of information was given in this book which ends around the 80% mark with the rest being footnotes. I so wanted to feel the heart and soul of this book. Everything is told in a very matter of fact way and at times this book lacked emotion and often came across to me as cold and detached.
As I mentioned, this book felt too much like a school history book. But I do appreciate the research the author put into the writing of this book.
Others are enjoying this book more than I did, so please read their reviews as well.
Thank you to Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.