Devil In The Grove: Thurgood Marshall, The Groveland Boys, And The Dawn Of A New America (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
I love fiction because even though it represents truth, it is still not the truth. I can’t handle the truth. What happened in Devil in the Grove embarrasses me to be a legacy of such a country that allowed that kind of mistreatment. The fact is I had no idea about all the back stories and court trials that eventually lead to Brown vs Board of Education. I felt cheated of historical context when reading this book. How could I not know Thurgood Marshall was so much more than what I have read previously? Between the lynchings, the KKK, the shady town officials, and the death threats, Thurgood Marshall epitomizes courage. I want to say that nonfiction is the worst however; nonfiction can rock your world and change your perspectives. This book utilizes many literary elements that you could teach in the classroom, while also educating the reader about significant history. Teaching nonfiction has the potential to “kill two birds with one stone” however, getting students to read the text could be more of task than teaching the book. Devil in the Grove is about 400 pages thick of tiny print and only a few pictures. “High school Hannah” would not stand to read this text. Even as an English Education major I found that motivating myself to read nonfiction was hard. How am I expected to get my students to read nonfiction if I am groaning at the idea of reading such texts? I wish I could claim that Devil in the Grove is an exception to rule that nonfiction is boring and uneventful. However, the only reason I would say that is the fact that I found it interesting; my interests are not everyone’s. We have all read nonfiction books assigned by teachers that tell us that they are different and fun, but the reality is that is all comes down to the reader. So, if and when I choose to read nonfiction in the classroom, I need to make sure that it appeases student interest. Maybe nonfiction is best taught in small reading groups. Things that I learned from this book:In the height of the Jim Crow era, Florida had more lynchings that Alabama and Mississippi. (Who knew?)Green Books were a travel guides for Blacks in the Jim Crow era that gave direction on safe havens when traveling across the U.S.Thurgood Marshall had a working relationship with J. Edgar Hoover and the FBIOn the whole this was a great read, but utterly disturbing. The blatant racism in all facets of law enforcement and the judicial system were infuriating. Cops ignored the law and murdered people, cops allowed the KKK to go unchecked...this all seems all too familiar to recent events involving black male youth.Great read.
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