The Tragedy and the Triumph of Phenix City, Alabama [Hardcover]

Margaret Anne Barnes (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0865546134 | ISBN-13: 978-0865546134 | Publication Date: January 1, 1999 | Edition: 1st

Hardback book.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 388 pages
• Publisher: Mercer University Press; 1st edition (January 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865546134
• ISBN-13: 978-0865546134
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #472,786 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Stunning., April 9, 2000

By 

Joseph T. Reeves - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tragedy and the Triumph of Phenix City, Alabama (Hardcover)

"The Tragedy and Triumph of Phenix City, Alabama" almost tests the limits of credulity. It weren't for the fact that I've heard of some of these events from other sources, I would have been hard-pressed to believe it. As it were, the book reads like a fictional screenplay of a small town in the complete grip of a criminal syndicate. The crooks own the cops, the courts and everything in between. The author, Margaret Anne Barnes, details efforts by local citizens to stop the lawlessness, but things come to a head when the state attorney general-elect is assassinated and a variation of martial law is declared. These events make for fascinating reading, and it makes me wonder why this story isn't better known. However, the book does suffer from some rather florid writing and improbable dialogue used to recreate conversations that were held a long time ago. Barnes' use of language in recapturing these dialogues weakens the book to the point that, at times, it sounds like an old pulp novel where there are only purely good people and purely evil people. Despite this simplistic weakness, however, the book does stand as a good example of local history.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars True story of one of the most bizarre crimes in U.S. history, November 24, 1999

By 

Jack Patterson (Stafford, Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tragedy and the Triumph of Phenix City, Alabama (Hardcover)

The book is a true story of an American city controlled by racketeers and the efforts of a few courageous citizens in restoring law and order. Anyone unfamiliar with Phenix City's past will be amazed to read about one of the most bizarre crimes in American history - the assasination of a candidate for Alabama Attorney General by State and local officials. As a result, Phenix City became the only American city placed under martial law since Reconstruction. The book should be read by anyone interested in State and local government. Although the events in the book occurred many years ago, the lessons of Phenix City's story are timeless. The reader will learn how public apathy toward crime and corrupt politics can lead to the deprivation of the most basic civil rights. Moreover, the reader will learn of the extreme price that good citizens may have to pay to restore those rights.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very informative, "eye- opener" book, November 25, 1999

By 

Kristy McMahan (Phenix City, Alabama) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tragedy and the Triumph of Phenix City, Alabama (Hardcover)

Margaret Anne Barnes book- The Tragedy and the Triumph of Phenix City, Alabama was an "eye- opener" for me. I have lived in Phenix City, Alabama, all of my life, and have only heard about the history of Phenix City. I was not alive during this period of time,and none of my relatives were living in Phenix City during this time,so, I am grateful that Margaret Anne Barnes has written a very factual, detailed book on political corruption, gambling, and murder. I would recommend this book to people who are interested in the history of Phenix City, Alabama, who are interested in Criminal Justice, politics, or somebody who wants to read a nonfiction book on the suffrage, and resiliency of a small little town, that I call home.