The Trials of the Scottsboro Boys: Lies, Prejudice, and the Fourteenth Amendment
by Larry Dane Brimner
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Readers' rating:
Published Oct 2019
192 pages
Genre: True Crime
Publication Information
This chilling and harrowing account tells the story of the Scottsboro Boys, nine African-American teenagers who, when riding the rails during the Great Depression, found their lives destroyed after two white women falsely accused them of rape. Award-winning author Larry Dane Brimner explains how it took more than eighty years for their wrongful convictions to be overturned.
In 1931, nine teenagers were arrested as they traveled on a train through Scottsboro, Alabama. The youngest was thirteen, and all had been hoping to find something better at the end of their journey. But they never arrived. Instead, two white women falsely accused them of rape. The effects were catastrophic for the young men, who came to be known as the Scottsboro Boys. Being accused of raping a white woman in the Jim Crow south almost certainly meant death, either by a lynch mob or the electric chair. The Scottsboro boys found themselves facing one prejudiced trial after another, in one of the worst miscarriages of justice in U.S. history. They also faced a racist legal system, all-white juries, and the death penalty. Noted Sibert Medalist Larry Dane Brimner uncovers how the Scottsboro Boys spent years in Alabama's prison system, enduring inhumane conditions and torture. The extensive back matter includes an author's note, bibliography, index, and further resources and source notes.
"Engaging and historically accurate; highly recommended." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Brimner has his work cut out for himself in telling this complicated story... (and) gives the narrative both heft and heart. The book's design uses black-and-white photos to good advantage. A solid look at a noteworthy event that touched upon many aspects of U.S. society." - Booklist (starred review)
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Larry Dane Brimner is the award-winning author of a number of civil rights and social justice titles for Calkins Creek, including Blacklisted!: Hollywood, the Cold War, and the First Amendment; Twelve Days in May, the 2018 Robert F. Sibert Medal Winner; STRIKE! The Farm Workers' Fight for Their Rights; Black & White: The Confrontation between Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth and Eugene "Bull" Connor, the 2012 Robert F. Sibert Honor Winner; Birmingham Sunday, and We Are One: The Story of Bayard Rustin.
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