In 1925, a Negro doctor, Ossian Sweet, was accosted at his Detroit home by a mob of angry white citizens. Shots rang out and a man fell dead: Sweet, or one of his defenders, had accidentally killed a member of the group threatening his life and home. Legendary attorney Clarence Darrow was brought into the fray, transforming Sweet into a controversial symbol of equality. Boyle weaves the investigation and courtroom drama of Sweet's murder trial into an unforgettable tapestry of narrative history that documents the volatile America of the 1920s.
Author Biography
Kevin Boyle is a professor of history at Ohio State University.
