Devil in the Grove

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

By: Gilbert King

Narrated by: Peter Francis James

Length: 17 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

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

Stunning history of the Jim Crow south. Essential

Would you listen to Devil in the Grove again? Why?

Yes! The book deservedly won the Pulitzer Prize and it was a riveting listen.

What other book might you compare Devil in the Grove to and why?

No book compares. The story was unbelievable. A combination of true crime and courtroom thriller.

Which character – as performed by Peter Francis James – was your favorite?

Thurgood Marshall.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Too long for that.

Any additional comments?

This book deserves to become a classic. It is riveting and proves that truth is stranger than fiction. The story will frighten you, anger you and make you ashamed at the cruel treatment of African Americans by law enforcement personnel.

Essential to Understanding America

Any additional comments?

Having been born in 1952, this book helped me better understand the turmoil of the 1960s. Devil in the Grove was a chilling account of an America that had to change. It read like a real-life "To Kill a Mockingbird."

The KKK in the 50's, in the South

Very good book. It tells the horrors and mind set of the time. Everyone was corrupt, even the law. Breakthrough from Marshall was hard fought.

Americans as Domestic Terrorists

Shocking stories of culture in the deep south. As a very white blonde female (nickname was Casper) I myself have been afraid of white people below the Mason Dixon line. I myself experienced blatant discrimination when traveling and working down south. Even two assaults for being a "city slicker". Many of these states now have poverty rates that cost the United States taxpayers more than third world countries in relief. A Senator from Kentucky, Rand Paul, stood in the United States Senate last year and voted "No" on anti-slavery legislation (SESTA and FOSTA). The KKK and their enablers were wallowing in domestic terrorism decades before 9/11. A and E television, which has been leading the anti-religion movement, was actually going to air a documentary to normalize the KKK just recently until protests drove them to cancel. What is wrong with these people that wallow in sadism? Sadistic Personality Disorder. Why is it prevalent in certain tribes? Is it genetic? Bigots and racists are sadists that are easily triggered. The anti-religion megaphone mouths are sadists. Churches are burning across the northeast, one mass shooting in Pittsburg. Domestic terrorism is rampant among Americans on Americans. These people are criminals that can not think with laws and policy, they can not think with the constitution, they are anti-social. This book puts your face right in the ugly ill-willed, mean spirited soul like nothing else. This is valuable information about social intercourse in America and it has not gone away, we read about it every day. Some people can not evolve and they are dangerous liabilities to everyone around them. Instigators, bullies, witch hunters are in fact, domestic terrorists. Beware of invitations to hate. This is a cautionary tale every good-willed human should read. Brilliant writing and superb narration. I was riveted. A series of stories about two serial killers that terrorized and murdered for decades under the banner of the "KKK". And they were enabled by everyone up to the governor. Two serial killers with a badge and a gun.

HORRIFYING true story that is a must read

This book is an emotional roller coaster and hard to put down. It slowly draws you in from many different angles with riveting anecdotes which leaves you on the edge of your seat to the very end.
The narrator did a great job emoting each character.
This was extremely educational!

#MyNonFictionAddiction

Such a well told and accurately researched, poignant account of a historically ladden tragedy that we can only pray about now. The narration was stellar! The linguistical-dialects only made it increasingly authentic!!! You can almost feel what it might have been like actually being there!
I'm sure to read this one again!
A "5-GLOWING- Stars" Recommendation! 📕

M9ving story

Sad and troubling story. How things were so recently is without excuse. May we never look back on those aspects as the good ole days.

an eye opening piece of history.

The appalling injustices perpetrated against african-americans in the american south of the mid-twentieth century still have the power to shock and the courage it took for the NAACP to confront these injustices reminds us that every advancement came only with unending struggle.

A great read.

I have read many civil rights books and the brutality and violence still shocks me. This is a great book to remind you to fight for what's right even if that means switching sides.

great book!

wow! what a great book! they say history repeats itself. and in my opinion, the events that took place then continue to happen to this day. maybe not as blatantly obvious, but still happening.