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  • Devil in the Grove

  • Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America
  • By: Gilbert King
  • Narrated by: Peter Francis James
  • Length: 17 hrs and 53 mins
  • 5.0 out of 5 stars (13 ratings)

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Devil in the Grove

By: Gilbert King
Narrated by: Peter Francis James
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Publisher's Summary

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize

“A must-read, cannot-put-down history.” (Thomas Friedman, New York Times)

Arguably the most important American lawyer of the 20th century, Thurgood Marshall was on the verge of bringing the landmark suit Brown v. Board of Education before the US Supreme Court when he became embroiled in a case that threatened to change the course of the civil rights movement and to cost him his life. 

In 1949, Florida's orange industry was booming, and citrus barons got rich on the backs of cheap Jim Crow labor with the help of Sheriff Willis V. McCall, who ruled Lake County with murderous resolve. When a White 17-year-old girl cried rape, McCall pursued four young Black men who dared envision a future for themselves beyond the groves. The Ku Klux Klan joined the hunt, hell-bent on lynching the men who came to be known as "the Groveland Boys". 

Associates thought it was suicidal for Marshall to wade into the "Florida Terror", but the young lawyer would not shrink from the fight despite continuous death threats against him. 

Drawing on a wealth of never-before-published material, including the FBI's unredacted Groveland case files, as well as unprecedented access to the NAACP's Legal Defense Fund files, Gilbert King shines new light on this remarkable civil rights crusader.

©2012 Gilbert King (P)2013 HarperCollinsPublishers

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  • 01-12-2015

Compelling

As a newcomer to the story of the Groveland Boys and Thurgood Marshall I found this a compelling listen. Beautifully narrated by Peter Francis James, the disturbing recount of Florida's racial history is ultimately a triumph of humanity and courage. Comprehensive, detailed and entertaining this book is wonderful truthful storytelling.

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