Fotografía de autor
5 Obras 34 Miembros 1 Reseña

Sobre El Autor

Cathy D. Knepper has written extensively on the New Deal and works for Amnesty International

Obras de Cathy D. Knepper

Etiquetado

Conocimiento común

Género
female

Miembros

Reseñas

In a well-researched and well-written book, Ms. Knepper dramatically tells the story of the Trenton Six, six black men who were tried and convicted of killing an elderly white man who was murdered in his second-hand store on January 27, 1948. She describes in vivid detail the brutal treatment of the men, all six of whom were framed by the police, who obtained forced confessions from five of them. Throughout the book, Ms. Knepper clearly describes the people involved including their backgrounds and prejudices. Of special value is the “List of Principals” at the end of the book which gives brief biographical information about the key people arranged in the following categories: The Trenton Six and their Families; The Victim and his Associates; Defense Team; Prosecution and Police, and Judges. In the section on the Trenton Six, the levels of reading and writing are given for each; they were all poorly educated, and three were illiterate. Moreover, one had a damaged heart and two had speech defects.

In telling the story, Ms.Knepper extensively uses the typescript of William Reuben, a journalist who closely followed the events, and the court transcripts of both trials. In the first trial, all six men were convicted; the judge constantly ruled for the prosecution. Partly due to the efforts of the sister of one of the defendants, the men received a new trial at which a different judge presided. In that trial, four of the six men were acquitted, and were released from jail immediately after their acquittals. The lawyers of the two found guilty immediately started working on appeals; a third trial was going to be held for the last two men. However, one died from his heart condition, and the other surprisedly pleaded “no defense” and was given a light sentence by the judge.

In addition to telling the story, Ms. Knepper evaluates why certain people probably did what they did including the defendant who pleaded “no defense.” She suggests reasons why the case of the Trenton Six is not better known. She also shows that unfortunately this kind of case is still occurring, using the Norfolk Four as an example.

This is an excellent book on an important topic.
… (más)
½
 
Denunciada
sallylou61 | Apr 30, 2012 |

Premios

Estadísticas

Obras
5
Miembros
34
Popularidad
#413,653
Valoración
4.8
Reseñas
1
ISBNs
7