Devil in the Grove

Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America

By: Gilbert King

Narrated by: Peter Francis James

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

History not to be ignored

One of the most terrifying books I’ve ever read. And, insight into one of America’s greatest justices, Thurgood Marshall.

How could this have happened

Where does Devil in the Grove rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book is right up there with the best...

What did you like best about this story?

It's history, it's true, and most of all I learned about injustes to human beings.

What does Peter Francis James bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Love his voice

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

WOW, there were several, no there were many..

Any additional comments?

Great Book

A very powerful book!

What and incredible book this is. In those terrible times, the African Americans suffered so much. This book really puts their struggles out there for all to see. Anyone who still thinks like a majority of the whites in those southern states did in the era that this book is written about, should be firmly put back in their place! An epic book

A seminal book

It’s not often that you read a book, rather listen as I did with this, that rattled you. The facts of this story shocked me as I knew the stain of racism was deep and violent but not like this book told. Worse, one man was the root of all that evil. The narration was exceptional, simply exceptional.

Heartbreaking

Devil is a grove shows the many sacrifices that Thurgood Marshall went through, while helping to change America for the better.

Most of the stories are heartbreaking and you may need to listen in small doses.

Engaging and well told

Some nonfiction books are so dry, it can be easy to zone out. That is 100% not the case here. King - and the narrator - did a great job of weaving the narrative together and shedding light on not only the little details, but why they mattered. This is a hard book to listen to because so much of the subject matter is horrifying and ugly, but it should also be mandatory for anyone trying to dismiss the impact of our past on our present.

The best audiobook I have listened to

The narrator, the gripping story and the fact that it sheds light on some of the most obscure years of America post world war II makes this an incredible listening experience. The most exciting part is sometimes forgetting that it is a non-fiction narrative, because of the authors ability to bring the characters to life and make this narrative even more relevant today. It is an amazing read for any American, and non American alike to understand the essence of the reasons behind the civil rights movement. My library primarily consists of sci-fi and science books, but this book is by far THE BEST BOOK that I have listened to in 3 years on Audible. I can only wish to find more wonderful writings like this in the future

Compelling reading

Outstanding, the best book I have read in months. I was thinking about moving to Florida before I read this book, not anymore!!

A little close to home

Being a 6th generation Central Floridian, this hit pretty close to home. I recognized all of the towns mentioned as places my family members have lived. I was relieved not to hear them mentioned as members of any of the bigoted mobs.

This is a really interesting story and a well written and performed one as well. I only held off of 5 stars due to the same thing being covered more than once and the ending seemed to be wrapped up in a rush.

The Rot at the Heart

It seems that I keep accidentally reading books that deal with racism in Florida orange grove country (“A Land Remembered” and “The Warmth of Other Suns”) at least in a tangential way, and now here is another. 

I knew Thurgood Marshall as the first African-American Supreme Court Justice. I didn’t know anything about what he had done before he got there. This is just one part but is a good start. Marshall made a name first for his work with the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund where he refused to allow them to take on any case unless they were absolutely convinced that the accused was innocent, that there was evidence to support that, and where the case would set a precedent. And, his winning record was good. 

The KKK ruled in central Florida where blacks were taught “their place” and anyone who dared to try to test the boundaries was dealt with cruelly and viciously. “Justice” for a black man was to be allowed to live and the mere accusation of a crime was equivalent to a guilty verdict. A trial was a formality that was seldom needed. In 1949, when a 17-year old explained her all-night absence by accusing 4 young black men (who became known as “the Groveland Boys”) of rape, the local sheriff quickly had a list of names to pursue and the Klan was mobilizing to lynch them and when that failed, burned an entire black neighborhood. By the time of the trial, the number had already been reduced to 3 as one was killed while fleeing an armed posse of hundreds of men, shot multiple times while unarmed, and leaning against a tree.  

The first trial was appealed to the Supreme Court which declared that the trial was fundamentally flawed and demanded a retrial. By the final chapter the three were reduced to two as Sheriff McCall tried to stage an “attempted escape” of two of the three while taking them to the courthouse for trial and shot both. Unknown to him, when the coroner arrived, one was still alive and recovered and the FBI discovered clear evidence that the shots were fired from above as the two men lay on the ground. The sheriff was never charged, claiming self-defense, and remained as sheriff until 1972. And, the trial was still unfair and still brought forth guilty verdicts, but at least not the death penalty. Four died including two of the defendants. There was no evidence against them. There was no evidence that the girl had even been raped. Marshall’s life was threatened on multiple occasions and the local NAACP leader died when his house was blown up by a bomb planted by the Klan. 

This case was a turning point in civil rights history and in the career of Thurgood Marshall. Reading the book was not easy. It was hard to believe that this could happen in America, not hidden but out in the open, and the “devil” could get away with it and I grew up in the south. We think of Florida as somehow different. It’s the land of sun, beaches, and orange groves. "The state of Florida, despite recording a higher number of lynchings and registering more members of the Ku Klux Klan than any other state in the South, inexplicably remained in the shadows of Dixieland in the 1940s.” You can’t read this if you’re looking for a light and uplifting read. This will upset you and may bring some tears to some eyes, but it’s needed reading especially in today’s racially tense climate. It makes it easier to understand why a young black man’s first instinct would be to run instead of surrendering to a police officer. But, it won’t make you feel good about yourself, about Florida, and about mankind. But, I wish I could give it to everyone I know.