The Past Is Never Dead
The Trial of James Ford Seale and Mississippi's Struggle for Redemption
-
-
4.0 • 4 Ratings
-
-
- $3.99
-
- $3.99
Publisher Description
In 2007 James Ford Seale was indicted for the murder of two black youths in southwest Mississippi in 2007. This book covers the trial and conviction of Seale for the crimes, and explores the ongoing attempt of Mississippi to atone for its bloody racial past and the possibility of redemption through the prosecution of former Klansman for crimes of the sixties. This books was shortlisted for the William Saroyan Prize, offered by Stanford University.
In January 2007 the federal government charged James Ford Seale with conspiracy and kidnapping in the 1964 murder of two young black men. In May of 2007 Seale was tried for these crimes in Jackson, Mississippi. The book tells the story of the trial from beginning to end, and in the telling recreates the crime itself. The case has all the problems truly cold cases have: missing evidence, deceased or ancient witnesses, and decayed memories. The key evidence against Seale is the testimony of Charles Edwards, a fellow Klansman who was himself involved in the crime.
The book is about much more than the trial. The title is from William Faulkner in his book "Requiem For A Nun," and the full quote is: "The Past Is Never Dead. It's not even past." The story of the trial is woven together with the story of Mississippi, its past and its ongoing struggle for redemption.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In the summer of 1964, James Ford Seale and six fellow Klansmen tortured and drowned two black teenagers, Charles Moore and Henry Dee, in the Mississippi River. This study of the crime which took 43 years to come to trial and racism in Mississippi, past and present, is slightly hobbled by its sloppy structure. The book careens between the 1964 murder and the 2007 trial, but develops into a compelling courtroom drama. Despite a penchant for melodrama and hackneyed plot devices, lawyer MacLean (In Broad Daylight) recounts the story with momentum, clear legal explanations and stirring empathy for each character from Charles Moore's grieving brother, Thomas, to Charles Edwards, a Klansman and the key to Seale's conviction. Most masterful is his treatment of Seale himself. Without ever telling the story from Seale's point of view, but instead describing how the defendant is seen through the eyes of others, MacLean accomplishes the tricky task of giving a monster pathos of his own.
