Customer Reviews

Stories of Scottsboro

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One of the more controversial events of the 1930's took place near Paint Rock, Alabama when nine Negro youths were arrested for the rape of two white women on a freight train. The nine were quickly tried and found guilty. Before the death penalty could be administered, appeals were filed with the aid of the US Communist Party. Thence ensued a lengthy series of trials and appeals that lasted from 1931 until well into the forties. It was a legal battle between White and Black as well as North and South with the battlefield always under the control of the White Southerners. Today it is an incident lergely forgotten by succeeding generations. Yet it is an excellent example of the the state of race relations in the South (not that there are too many surprises there), the role of moderate judges in reconciling racial injustice, the influence of the Communist/Socialist Parties in the 1930's as well as a number of other splinter stories. Therein lies the excellence of this book.

The author attempts to relate the story of the "Scottsboro Boys" through various perspectives without really indicating a particular bias. As the story goes on these perspectives seem to roll into one but even that one perspective takes a middle road approach to the story. For example, we are told of all the difficulties that the main characters suffer while imprisoned. Simultaneously we are made to understand that these same characters have serious flaws of their own.

The book follows the story of all the principals from their entry into the story until their death. There were few successes to come out of this event and the author lets us see the failures of the "Scottsboro Boys" as they each eventually realized their freedom.

This is an extremely readable work of non-fiction. It may seem occasionally that the story is stuck at one particular point but it generally moves along, giving the reader a rare insight into a very American event in history.

I started reading this book with very little knowledge about the Scottsboro incident. This book does an amazing job of portraying the different sides to this tragic story. The chapters are short enough for those of us with short attention spans. However, each chapter grips you with why those particular people feel and think the way they do.
A must read if you want to know what really happened, and more importantly why it happened.

James Goodman is a consumate historian and storyteller. Stories of Scottsboro almost reinvents historical writing. Shifting perspectives give a full picture of these important events in America's racial history, and Goodman's unique literary style grips the reader and will not let go. Solid, reliable history that reads like a dream.

I had to read this for a school assignment and wasn't particularly looking forward to it, but I am so glad I did. This book is amazing. It chronicles the famous Scottsboro trial, from the initial incident all the way through to many years after the trial. The book is written very convincingly in that it tries to present the different perspectives of relevant parties/persons. This made me feel like Goodman wasn't trying to push his own agenda but was instead simply presenting as best he could an accurate historical account of the facts surrounding Scottsboro. The book itself is written like a story, but you can tell from its presentation that the "story" was very historically driven and all facts mentioned were well-documented. A fascinating account of Scottsboro. I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about it. I'm not sure a better resource exists on this topic.

Jim Goodman makes a beautiful mosaic composed of the the many views on the Scottsboro trials. From the way it's written, you lose fact that it's a work of nonfiction. Truly makes you think about the strides we've made in justice over the past sixty or so years. Hopefully, society has reached the point were it can no longer legally lynch an individual.

I find it astonishing that so many (Whites) really believe this did not happen.It would be nice if this entire series of books could be republished.

Having already read Dan T. Carter's masterful Scottsboro: A Tragedy of the American South, I already knew the story of the Scottsboro boys and the miscarriage of justice that happened to them. I hoped to get more insight with this book. Unfortunately, its unclear style got in the way. I would guess that someone who was unaware of this case might love this book--but if you are looking for more than narrative, get Carter's book instead.