Contents:
The People of the Sagas. The fugitives' plan, the investigation, the capture. Captivating Stories of the Gods, Sagas and Heroes. Learn about Norse Mythology through this book with captivating stories of the Gods, Sagas, and Heroes. The dramatic true story of a forgotten moment in American History. Readers call it gripping, like they were sitting on the train themselves. The page-turning true story of mental illness and mass murder at a military hospital.
Written by the Air Force cop who ended the killing spree. Holt Paperbacks; 1st edition May 1, Language: Related Video Shorts 0 Upload your video. From Boom to Bust and Back Again. Learn about the history of Detroit and the city's highs and lows.
The Dark Humor of Police Officers. Sometimes, having a sense of humour is the only weapon a police officer possesses The Life of Franklin D. This book profiles the life and political career of the 20th century's most popular president, from his upbringing to his impact on the country. Common Sense Bantam Classic. Try the Kindle edition and experience these great reading features: Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review. Read reviews that mention detroit sweet ossian boyle darrow clarence trial racial kevin american mob historical naacp events america movement drama americans era neighborhood.
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. Kevin Boyle presents a very respectful and vivid history of a single episode of absolute prejudice in the early to mids. Our book club was blown away by the horror of the time when hatred blew across our country like a plague. The biggest horror is that this shameful part of U. We knew so little of the struggles of the era and virtually nothing of specific incidents.
A very interesting thing to me is that the central figure in the book, Dr. Ossian Sweet, is not particularly likeable by the reader or, seemingly, by Kevin Boyle and so our empathy for Sweet is secondary to those others who stood with him and for him. Thank goodness for the giant minds and hearts of this striving for civil rights, and that finally justice began to gain a foothold. It seems almost miraculous that any movement forward was possible. There remains much to be done. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. In Arc of Justice, Kevin Boyle examines the volatile nature of race relations in early twentieth century Detroit through the lens of the experiences of Dr.
The majority of readers are most likely unaware of Dr. Sweet and his life. This narrative provides a unique and personal perspective on race relations and the infiltration of the Ku Klux Klan into a northern city, especially when people consider the Klan as a southern affectation. Boyle took the reader on a literal and figurative journey from Bartow, Florida, to Detroit, Michigan, with stops along the way in Xenia, Ohio, and Washington, D. Early on, the Sweets knew they wanted more for their children than sharecropping in the South. In his early teens Ossian began attending Wilberforce University in Xenia.
While at Wilberforce, Ossian spent summers working in Detroit and, after graduating from Howard, opted to return to Detroit to start practicing medicine. Gladys fell in love with a house on Garland Avenue, a house in a traditionally white part of town. The legal plight of the Sweet brothers compels readers to examine a wide variety of issues urban areas had to deal with after the Civil War.
Migration and integration are at the forefront of the changes Detroit and many other northern cities dealt with in the early s. African Americans from the former Confederate states continued to migrate north with hopes of earning money and respect. At the same time, southern Europeans migrated into the United States looking for a better life than they experienced. Both groups lured by stories of fortunes being made in the automobile industry and tried to integrate themselves into life in the city.
People need places to live, and those migrating to Detroit were no exception. Unfortunately, especially for African Americans, there were few options. Although not mandated by law, segregation was enforced by tradition and more often by violence. It was through these Improvement Associations that the Ku Klux Klan made their inroads into northern cities.
Not surprisingly, the Sweets did not escape this violence when they moved to Garland Avenue. Ossian Sweet, filled with memories of violence at the hands of southern white supremacists, organized a group of men to help him defend his home. This group included friends, former classmates, and his brothers. Once the white mob began throwing stones and inflicting damage to the Sweet house, the men opened fire, killing one white man and injuring another.
That same night, the Sweets and their friends were arrested and their plight became national news, even attracting the attention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People NAACP and renowned attorney Clarence Darrow. Boyle used the Epilogue to describe the affects the Sweet cases had on the plight of urban race relations. Frank Murphy propelled himself from judge to mayor and eventually to the Supreme Court as well. Some attorneys went back to their usual practices, others continued to fight for justice.
The Sweet brothers endured their share of ups and downs. Gladys contracted tuberculosis while incarcerated and later infected their daughter, who died shortly after her second birthday. Gladys also passed away at a young age. Henry earned his law degree and worked with the NAACP, but also died early from tuberculosis contracted in prison. Ossian became the financial success he always dreamed. However, that success did not last and he never really had a satisfying personal life again either. On the eve of the Civil Rights movement in , Ossian committed suicide.
The story of the Sweets' struggles in Detroit contributes to the historiography of urban race relations in both the North and the South. However, Boyle could have provided more analysis of the influences this trial had on race relations both in Detroit as well as other northern cities. One person found this helpful 2 people found this helpful. I am not a history reader.
This reads like a novel, with a story propelling the narrative forward. It starts after slavery, with migration to Detroit to work in the factories, and the racially segregated real estate policies of the day that made it almost impossible for African Americans to live in Detroit. This is all to set up a legal battle with a famous lawyer fighting for justice.
Truly a great book, and a must for anyone in the Detroit area or interested in the history of race in the United States. As a native Michigander, I was embarrassed and disheartened to have not been familiar with it. One person found this helpful. Kevin Boyle, Arc of Justice, is a magnificent re-living of the tensions and explosions of Detroit's painful struggle with housing integration in the era.
Even more importantly I found the historical account captivating in its character development, its attention to plot, and its call for justice. The biographical material on Clarence Darrow is the best I've read. The pivotal figure, Dr. Ossian Sweet is sensitively portrayed, conveyed as a "believable" figure, caught up in a quest for justice but remaining a human, fallible being. The reading left me with an ongoing desire to continue working for racial, indeed more broadly, human justice. The book kindles my hope! Detroit was a pressure cooker, boiling and ready to explode. Rapid change was the order of the day.
Attracted by the fool's gold of the nascent auto industry, Southerners and Europeans flocked to Detroit to pursue their dreams of a better life.
A black physician dared to move himself and his family into an all white neighborhood. Gunfire lit this power keg. Every aspect of them - the picking of the juries, the prosecutor, the witnesses, i. The book is thorough, well researched and unbiased. You are given not half but all details of relevance.
Ossian's youth, marriage and struggles to become a doctor are meticulously detailed; to understand his actions you need to understand his personality. I do not think any of the details provided were extraneous; however it is important to know before you pick the book up that the book is detailed and is not for those who want merely a quick summary.
What happened later was very interesting. The audiobook is narrated by Lizan Mitchell. She gives an absolutely perfect presentation. It can be hard to listen to trials details and court proceedings in an audiobook. There are so many individuals to follow. The book gives just enough repetition, allowing the listener to easily keep track of all involved. There are memorable quotes from the proceedings; they are moving told. This book is excellently executed. I cannot give it anything but four stars, but if you want merely a quick summary, then I would not recommend it.
Oct 09, Kirby rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: A long, slow, excellent read. Each dense levelthe personal story of Dr. Ossian Sweet, the organizational maturation of the early civil rights movement, the rugged, violent, ethnic-based politics of Detroit in the s, the Sweet trial itselfdelivers the same contemporary truth in different ways: Boyle uses the murder trial of Sweet, his wife, and a dozen oth A long, slow, excellent read.
Boyle uses the murder trial of Sweet, his wife, and a dozen other friends who helped defend the Sweet home against mob violence in a white working-class neighborhood as a starting point for a much broader examination of Detroit's political and racial tensions. My frustration not with the book, but with the social reality of then and now is how racism not only perverts critical questions of the common good, but over time erodes any interest in even asking them.
The Great Migration swept tens of thousands 5, Black folks in Detroit in ; 81, by into the Black Bottom. High demand and a limited number of places where new Black arrivals could live allowed landlords to leave properties unrepaired yet filled well beyond capacity. Landlords shamelessly rented out the tops of pool tables and outhouses as the city refused to install sewer lines or deliver services, causing waves of public health crises. Instead of thinking through adequate planning in a city that was bursting at the seams everywhere due to rapid industrialization, the question became why 'they' Southern migrants chose to live in such squalid areas and ended with blaming poor neighborhood conditions on their mere arrival.
An examination of present-day Detroit bears the mark of a decades-old unwillingness to address persistent systemic issues. Homebuying efforts demonstrated the same concept. In the mids, housing appraisers in Detroit made it official practice to downgrade the value of any neighborhood that had a single Black resident. This happened at the same time that the city's real estate developers raised home prices and prevented families from building their own homes on purchased plots, necessitating mortgages with exorbitant interest rates for working-class whites.
A black family moving into a white neighborhood was not only a blow to white pride, but also had a measurable and often disastrous economic effect. The combination was lethal and by the time this and other related practices restrictive covenants, steering were made illegal, the psychological damage was done. The question of whether to regulate real estate developers in order to prevent financial exploitation was subsumed by the effort to keep neighborhoods as white as possible.
Broader economic issues go unexamined; segregation is accepted as preference rather than design. I appreciated the meticulous research throughout, especially with respect to the painstaking strategy behind the establishment and funding of LDF under Walter White, James Weldon Johnson, and others via the high profile of the Sweet trial; Gladys Sweet's gumption; the homage to HBCUs and Black social organizations in creating a safety net where none existed.
Recently though, I end up casting a side-eye to the genre of narrative nonfiction odd considering I'm still working on the Glass compilation. Seems like Boyle's effort could be categorized in the same manner that he casts the trial itself--an attempt to shoehorn an uneven, sprawling event into a symbol.
It works well here, but I'm generally skeptical. It all ends up feeling too sitcom-neat, but I'm still working through what type of rendering would seem more authentic. Dec 13, Elizabeth Sulzby rated it it was amazing Shelves: Such an important book for understanding complex and often hidden parts of race relations in the USA.
Arc of Justice: A Saga of Race, Civil Rights, and Murder in the Jazz Age [Kevin Boyle] on donnsboatshop.com *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. An electrifying story. donnsboatshop.com: Arc of Justice: A Saga of Race, Civil Rights, and Murder in the Jazz Age (Audible Audio Edition): Kevin Boyle, Lizan Mitchell, Recorded Books.
Boyle starts with the Civil War and the immediate aftermath when our national parties were the opposite of their stances today. The Republicans were for Civil Rights and "reconstructing" the renegade South. The Democrats were for conserving isn't that a cute play on the word conservative the idealized myth of life on the plantations with slaves and masters in loving relationships, economic sec Such an important book for understanding complex and often hidden parts of race relations in the USA. The Democrats were for conserving isn't that a cute play on the word conservative the idealized myth of life on the plantations with slaves and masters in loving relationships, economic security or wealth, everything and everything in its place, with God at the helm.
Boyle's is such an expansion on what I had studied, read, learned before. The switch between Republican and Democrats has always amazed me, but Boyle documents many more intricate aspects most of which I won't go into here. This is a book that I have been reading for the past 3 or so weeks, not because of lack of interest. This is one of those non-fiction books that I have to stop and digest, talk to my friends about, Facebook about, but mostly cogitate on. It is a story of Jim Crow as it existed in the South and then the North. Nothing about Joe Turner, as in August Wilson's play: Joe Turner's been here and gone, about slave bounty hunters and enforcers.
The Talented Tenth in Detroit were a group of elite black activists that I had never heard of. He includes the strains and rivalry between James Weldon Johnson and W. And much more, all played out around the story of the life of Ossian Sweet, a black boy whose poor but aspiring family sent him "up North" to get a real education.
I learned about the reputation of different "Negro colleges," when Ossian's choice of school included remedial education at the high school level and college life in a poor, struggling midwest Negro college, but with mentors who opened his mind and aspirations to medical school at prestigious Howard University. I may add more here later. Skip to the chase: The second night after moving in the white "gangs" move in, override the police guards, and start yelling and throwing rocks at the Sweet house.
Inside the house, Sweet and 9 other men were prepared to defend the home, with guns and ammunition. Some one or ones shoot at the crowd, probably in panic, killing one white man and badly wounding another. This book held me till then end yet I did not read much at a time or race to finish it. The ending just now came upon me suddenly. The book has a good chunk of reference notes, bibliography, subject index, etc. Without going into the trial and its aftermath, I will conclude that the author described inner-workings of the organizations, the proponents and antagonists, and Ossian and Gladys Sweet's conflicts with the skill of storytelling he carried throughout.
But the ending is, like our nation's trip through de-segregation and Civil Rights, bittersweet, one step forward, two back, two to three sideways, then maybe three forward and on and on. In we have been seeing and hearing the horrible racists comments, actions, and even laws that we thought no one would utter in public any more.
But boldly are they stated. Now we see the re-emergence of the poll tax and educational testing for voting.
You have just bought a house for your young family and on the second night five hundred angry people gather outside and want only one thing: Amazon Restaurants Food delivery from local restaurants. I was asked to read this book and like it. Finally, reading this book in brought other modern issues to light. From there, Boyle interweaves the history of African-Americans with the history of Ossian Sweet, and builds up the tension until we get to the Sweet trial, handled by none other than Clarence Darrow.
View all 7 comments. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. A fine history of a case I knew absolutely nothing about, but now am off in search of more info.
I recommend it very highly, but keep in mind that this is not a novel, but a history, and that as such, even though it moves quickly, there are times when the author doesn't go from point A to point B as in a novel but stops to present factors that led up to this period in time.
The case in question begins in in Detroit, when Dr. Ossian Sweet and his wife move into a house that is outside the bou A fine history of a case I knew absolutely nothing about, but now am off in search of more info. Ossian Sweet and his wife move into a house that is outside the boundaries of the "colored" area I'm just using the terminology in the book here which was appropriate to the time period. They prepared themselves for the worst, but nothing more happened.
On the second night, Ossian was ready. Eventually the group was put into prison, awaiting trial, and were ultimately defended by Clarence Darrow. That's the central case; what this book does is to examine the factors behind the allegations, and to examine the motivation of Ossian's neighbors as they worked themselves into mob frenzy. It also looks at racial attitudes on both sides of the coin prevalent at the time, politics both locally in Detroit and nationally, the use of this case by the NAACP, among other issues.
In telling Ossian's story, the author also goes into Ossian's family history, as well as that of his wife Gladys from slavery onward, and the history of racial attitudes both North and South. For example, Boyle goes into great detail about the southern migration of blacks to the north and their attempts to escape Jim Crow only to find themselves victims of the same types of prejudices.
I definitely think if you are interested in the topics of segregation, civil rights, racial attitudes or the workings of the NAACP, you will not want to miss this book. Apr 10, BookishStitcher rated it really liked it. It took me almost two months to finish this book. The subject was heartbreaking and interesting, but the writing style just never pulled me in. I learned so many new things while reading this. The one that I most hope to explore some more is about the lawyer Clarence Darrow. I hadn't heard of him before partly because it was so much before my time and mainly because I was never a law student.
I imagine that he is often held up as an example to students studying law. I would love to read more abo It took me almost two months to finish this book.
I would love to read more about him. The very end of this book meaning exactly the last sentence was so sad. To have accomplished so much, but have ended his life with nothing left but hopelessness. Oct 15, Benjamin Israel rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: Boyle may be an academic historian but he writes like a novelist. It takes a great story--African Americans asserting their rights and defending them with guns--and puts it into historical context. There are no saintly heroes in this book but real sometimes conflicted people. Basically it's about a young African American physician in Detroit in the early s who wants to move out of his all-black overcrowded neighborhood and buys a house in a white neighborhood.
After numerous threats and while Boyle may be an academic historian but he writes like a novelist. After numerous threats and while holed up in his house surrounded by a menacing rock-throwing crowd, he organizes a group of friends to defend his home. One of his friends fires into the crowd and kills a teenager.
He and his friends are tried for murder, and the NAACP mobilizes support for him nationally while Clarence Darrow defends him in court. The book debunks several widespread myths: Jul 21, Brian rated it it was amazing. This book won the National Book Award for Nonfiction, and for good reason. I consider this to be the best example of historical storytelling I've read.
The first part of the book is a riveting, meticulously researched account of an incident between an angry white mob and black physician Ossian Sweet, who recently purchased a home in a white neighborhood in 's Detroit. The second part of the book details the ensuing trial, led by legendary trial attorney and my idol Clarence Darrow. The events this book recounts are not well known considering their importance in galvanizing the very beginnings of black civil rights leadership in America. An extremely well-written book about the Ossian Sweet case, about which I knew nothing.
Dr Sweet, an African-American, moved into a home in a white neighborhood of Detroit in A mob gathered to force him out. He and some friends fired into the mob, in self-defense, and killed a white man. They were arrested and tried for murder. Author Kevin Boyle told this story in a fascin An extremely well-written book about the Ossian Sweet case, about which I knew nothing.
Author Kevin Boyle told this story in a fascinating way that kept me eagerly turning pages to see how it would all turn out. I found the book especially interesting because of its attention to the history and growth of Detroit at this time. My grandfather was a first generation American of Slovak descent, living in Detroit at the time of the Sweet Case. He had come to the rapidly growing Detroit a few years before the Great Migration that brought so many blacks north.
The book made me wonder what prejudices he faced himself, and what prejudices he might have had. He was an autoworker who never spoke of his Slovak roots and always "passed" as an American. He and my grandmother were longtime subscribers to the Detroit Free Press, described here as the newspaper of the working class, and very racist. Arc of Justice would have fascinated me in any case, but the family history connection made it more personally relevant.
It would be nice to think that the acquittal of Dr. Sweet and his friends ushered in a new era of justice, but the later history of Detroit and our current racist administration certainly don't bear that out. We still have a long way to go Mar 28, Sam rated it it was amazing. Overall, a thoughtful expose into racial tensions within Detroit, MI and elsewhere within the United States during the first quarter of the 20th century.
Kevin Boyle's style of writing remains consistently smooth even when transitioning between "academia" style history lessons of the far past, and the more heavily stylized and "dramatic" court scenes involving Clarence Darrow. The lawyer famously known for the evolutionary "Scopes Trial" of My only complaint of the book is that at certai Overall, a thoughtful expose into racial tensions within Detroit, MI and elsewhere within the United States during the first quarter of the 20th century.
My only complaint of the book is that at certain moments the author will dwell a little too deeply into certain events of the present moment, and how they came to be in a long series of events that can sometimes drag the book to a crawl. However, the court scenes elaborated in the later chapters would prove to be highly entertaining for anyone who is even remotely interested in law. In terms of its actual practice by lawyers, the politics behind case trials, and the theatrical flair needed.
Also an interesting read because of the author's unique ability to weave together issues surrounding murder, segregation both in the North and South, Black history, culture, and its influence on the Jazz age of America, the formation of the NAACP, and ultimately how the results of Dr. Ossian Sweet's trail had a major influence later on for the Civil Rights Movement. Sep 28, Janet rated it it was amazing. This book is a non-fictional telling of the history of race relations in Detroit, which are only marginally better now than in the 's. Parts of it are as chilling as any piece of horror fiction, doubling the effect by knowing the truth of it.
This is the story of what a devastating tool fear is and how it is so expertly used to control others. Fear must certainly be the worst enemy society faces. Instead of working to trample the fears in other countries, what would happen if our leadership spent all that money to teach people how to accept each other and celebrate the differences?
Yes, I'm still a hippie at heart The Ossian Sweet House still stands on the east side near where my grandmother's family used to reside. When I finished the book and went to reread the quote in the front about the long arc of justice , I found the copy I was reading another book group choice. When I finished the book and went to reread the quote in the front about the long arc of justice , I found the copy I was reading was a first edition signed by the author with an inscription to my local library branch as "his library".
Aug 14, Robert Intriago rated it really liked it Shelves: A very good historical book. It traces the migration of African Americans from the south to the industrial north after the end of WWI.
Sadly they encountered more segregation and violence in cities like Detroit and Chicago. The author does a very good job of detailing particular events in the city of Detroit with particular attention the attempts attempts by African Americans to move into A very good historical book. The author does a very good job of detailing particular events in the city of Detroit with particular attention the attempts attempts by African Americans to move into white neighborhoods. The narrative tends to be repetitive in parts but overall it is quite informative. Apr 22, Brian rated it it was amazing. I was assigned this novel in my African-American History course at Augusta University and it quickly became one of those books that demanded a thorough rereading.
This incredibly detailed recounting of a moment in history that is just shy of a year anniversary must be read by those who want to learn from history You are a black man in Detroit, You have just bought a house for your young family and on the second night five hundred angry people gather ou I was assigned this novel in my African-American History course at Augusta University and it quickly became one of those books that demanded a thorough rereading.
You have just bought a house for your young family and on the second night five hundred angry people gather outside and want only one thing: When the first stones are thrown, what happens next changes history. Names you should always remember: Read this book today! Jan 29, Caleb rated it really liked it.
In the trial of Dr. Ossian Sweet, historian Kevin Boyle found a story that encapsulates so much of the history of US race relations and traverses the major fault lines of early 20th century America. Boyle skillfully blends broader historical context, illuminating biographical details, and a dramatic court case that reads, at times, like a thrilling courtroom drama. Equal parts biographical tapestry, incisive social history, and personal tragedy, Arc of Justice is a remarkable accomplishment. Aug 04, Scott rated it liked it.
I thought this was a solid, if unspectacular book about a mostly-forgotten landmark trial concerning civil rights in America. Ossian Sweet was a child of the Jim Crow South at the beginning of the 20th century. After being sent away to be educated up north as a young boy, he ultimately became a doctor and settled in Detroit. He married, had a daughter, and then decided to move in to an all-white neighborhood. That's when the drama begins, as a mob threatened him and his family, leading to a deadl I thought this was a solid, if unspectacular book about a mostly-forgotten landmark trial concerning civil rights in America.
That's when the drama begins, as a mob threatened him and his family, leading to a deadly confrontation. The trial that ensued caught the attention of the newly-founded NAACP organization, and became a national spectacle. At stake was the right of people of color to live where they chose, and the elimination of restrictive real estate practices. Sweet and his co-defendants. Darrow was the ultimate free-thinker, choosing to spend his time representing the under-privileged and down-trodden.
In the Sweet case he found a perfect platform to make a statement about race relations. The book details the battle lines drawn in the 's America.