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The Eyes Of Willie McGee: A Tragedy Of Race, Sex, And Secrets In The Jim Crow South (2010)

by Alex Heard(Favorite Author)

3.71 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0061284157 (ISBN13: 9780061284151)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Harper

review 1: This book covered much more than the Willie McGee case, and while some of the additions related to the case (similar issues or examples of the racial environment at the time) and helped provide a picture of how things were at the time the alleged crime occurred, some of the other details seemed extraneous and not linked in a meaningful way to advance the story. Another run-through by an editor could have made this story much more powerful.
review 2: Although this book revolves around the tragedy of Willie McGee, the book is an overview of the plight of the African-American in the South in the 1940's and 1950's.Willie McGee was arrested and accused of raping a white woman. The incident took place in 1945 and culminated with his electrocution in 1951.The case ag... moreainist Willie was circumspect at best. During the trials it was brought out that the sex may have been consensual. There was the fact no African-American was ever called to jury duty in this county or the much larger area of the Deep South. Willie was continually sentenced to death by all white and all male jurors.The case became more prominent in Europe than in the United States. Many foreign countries called upon America to stop the execution and free Willie. Some of the more prominent Americans who petitioned the Government for clemency were; Albert Einstein, William Faulkner, Josephine Baker, and many others.The biggers story, however, is that this was just one case in one state. The author briefly brings out the cases of the Scottsboro Boys and the Martinsville Seven. There are other cases mentioned in the book, and Mississippi was certainly not the only state that practiced this kind of justice.Vigilange justice waas not unheard of and there are stories of men being taken out of their cells and brutalized before being hanged. This was all done in the name of justice.This book is definately one that will be of major interest to those who enjoy history and lawyers who want to learn about how the law can be twisted and formulated to bring about a decision based on circumstantial evidence. less

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