Rate this book

Devil In The Grove Thurgood Marshall The Grovelend Boys And (2013)

by Gilbert King(Favorite Author)

4.29 of 5 Votes: 4

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

HarperCollins

review 1: What I discovered in Devil in the Grove was not what I was expecting. I expected a tale of the troubles and dangers Thurgood Marshall faced during the trials of the Groveland Boys. While there was some of that, this book covered more of the events up to the final trials. I found myself floundering a sea of dates, as the novel tended to jump around, providing the back story for almost every character that played a role in the trials. The characters quickly became confusing. I am still unsure of who was born when or where. Is that information relevant to the story? Not entirely. But those somewhat trivial details managed to deter me as a reader.For the use of Devil in the Grove as a classroom text, I would agree that select passages would work best. The graphic nature of tha... moret time period as well as the dense legal terminology make for a difficult and dull read. If I find myself struggling to read it, there is a strong case that my students will abandon it before they finish the first chapter. By providing the necessary background before introducing an except from the novel, I can see myself using this novel in the classroom. Nonfiction does play a valuable role in the classroom. As most nonfiction is historic in context, there is a lot to be learned from it. My students should be well-rounded in the world of literature. By framing the novel within the context of a unit and providing the right scaffolding, I believe I could pique my students' interests about certain eras and events through the use of nonfiction literature.
review 2: To say that I have always been a fan of nonfiction would be to stretch the truth. In a general sense, I enjoy the genre, though I reserve the right to doze off while reading "The Federalist Papers" (despite my love for them). The best nonfiction, to me, is nonfiction that reads like fiction. That is why I so thoroughly enjoyed "Devil in the Grove." With but a few stylistic alterations, this work could have been a national bestseller as a novel (think John Grisham on steroids). Nonetheless, "Devil" was evidently a herculean undertaking for Gilbert King, and the result truly is marvelous -- equal parts disgusting and powerful, horrifying and riveting. To join my collection of stories pertaining to the American Revolution, the Civil War, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln (thanks to my boy Newt Gingrich), King's story of Thurgood Marshall and the fight of his life to ensure civil rights and a more inclusive American landscape will stand proudly on my bookshelf. To me, the true power of "Devil" comes from the irrefutable nature of the information laid out for the reader. It is made evident by the 800 pages of references (kidding) that no expense was spared in the effort to make this piece as factually accurate as possible, which reinforces the reader to read on, to truly be submersed in the history -- ugly or not -- of what made our nation what it is today. If that doesn't serve as an incentive to read for you, you need to check your pulse. As a brief defense for the reading of nonfiction, I raise the question, Why should texts that are based on historically backed events be deemed as more boring than their fictional counterparts? Before the literary trolls start bashing me, I know that a good majority of fiction is in some way paralleled or otherwise structured around historical happenings. I get it; I can read too. But there's just something liberating about becoming enthralled with what preceded you in order to alter the way you look at the present. "Devil" accomplishes that feat. I will never look at this subset of American history the same. I apologize for whipping a dead horse, but I think that this text, similarly to other texts I have reviewed on here, may be of a length that deters students. Also, it seems that introducing nonfiction into the English classroom may be a surefire way to pushing students away from the normative center that every teacher strive to achieve. Sure, I may have loved reading "Devil," may have lost myself in revising my perceptions of certain moments of the civil rights movement, may have been excruciatingly seized by the horrors and triumphs depicted across its pages, but can I honestly anticipate students to feel the same? I would be head-over-heels in love with a group of students who exhibited excitement to study "Devil in the Grove" with me, or even another equally enthralling nonfiction text for that matter. For, while reading historical fiction does lend itself to the inquiry of peoples, nations, cultures, and everything in between, there's nothing quite like being introduced to every excruciating detail of a historical occurrence. If you love nonfiction, "Devil in the Grove" is your book of the year. If, like me, you wish to someday teach nonfiction, "Devil" may be your getting the genre through to your students. less

Download links for: Devil in the Grove Thurgood Marshall the Grovelend Boys and

Advertising