A gripping saga of race and retribution in the Deep South and a story whose haunting details echo the themes of "To Kill a Mockingbird"
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Jan 04, 2011
Irene
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Title: "The Eyes of Willie McGee"
Author: Alex Heard
Publisher: Harper
ISBN, PUB Date: 978-0-06-128415-1, May 2010
Reviewed By: Irene Yeates for Author Exposure (07/10)
THE EYES OF WILLIE McGEE: A TRAGEDY OF RACE, SEX, AND SECRETS IN THE JIM CROW SOUTH by Alex Heard presents more questions than answers. Yet, in so doing, it is an outrageously honest and well-documented vehicle to enlighten those unaware of how one extraordinary judicial argume More...
Author: Alex Heard
Publisher: Harper
ISBN, PUB Date: 978-0-06-128415-1, May 2010
Reviewed By: Irene Yeates for Author Exposure (07/10)
THE EYES OF WILLIE McGEE: A TRAGEDY OF RACE, SEX, AND SECRETS IN THE JIM CROW SOUTH by Alex Heard presents more questions than answers. Yet, in so doing, it is an outrageously honest and well-documented vehicle to enlighten those unaware of how one extraordinary judicial argume More...
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Jan 16, 2012
Bob
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Willie McGee was a black man in Laurel, MS accused and eventually electrocuted for raping a white woman. At the time (late 1940's to early 50's) the case garnered national and international attention. McGee was found guilty in two-and-a-half minutes by an all white jury. There were numerous appeals and retrials and stays and motions before the Supreme Court. In 1946 the Civil Rights Congress, an off-shoot of the Communist Party, hired Bella Abzug to handle the appeal of the case. Interestingly t
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Feb 19, 2011
Paul
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Although this book revolves around the tragedy of Willie McGee, the book is an overview of the plight of the African-American in the South in the 1940's and 1950's.
Willie McGee was arrested and accused of raping a white woman. The incident took place in 1945 and culminated with his electrocution in 1951.
The case againist Willie was circumspect at best. During the trials it was brought out that the sex may have been consensual. There was the fact no African-American was More...
Willie McGee was arrested and accused of raping a white woman. The incident took place in 1945 and culminated with his electrocution in 1951.
The case againist Willie was circumspect at best. During the trials it was brought out that the sex may have been consensual. There was the fact no African-American was More...
Apr 25, 2010
Aarti
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Here's a real-life version of the trial in To Kill a Mockingbird, though it's far murkier and complicated. Willie McGee was an African-American man who, in 1945, was sentenced to death for raping a white housewife, Willette Hawkins. His trial was unfair- he was tried by an all-white jury who debated for only about two minutes before convicting him in a hostile courthouse where he couldn't even put together two words coherently, he was so terrified of being lynched by the mob outside.
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Aug 05, 2010
Katy
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I first heard about this book from Aarti at BookLust. She gave it a great review, and I put it on my wishlist. One of my favorite topics when I was in college was the Civil Rights Movement, and the issues and controversy stirred by this case really caught my interest.
In 1951, Willie McGee was executed in Mississippi for the alleged rape of a white woman in 1945. By the time of his execution, it was difficult to know what was fact and what was fiction. Southern newspapers maintained t More...
In 1951, Willie McGee was executed in Mississippi for the alleged rape of a white woman in 1945. By the time of his execution, it was difficult to know what was fact and what was fiction. Southern newspapers maintained t More...
Jul 21, 2010
Carin
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Willie McGee was a young African American man who was accused of raping a White woman named Willette Hawkins in 1945. He was quickly tried and convicted for the crime despite the evidence being largely circumstantial. The Civil Rights Congress got wind of his conviction and the circumstances surrounding it and decided to take action. A group of attorneys funded through the CRC appealed McGee's conviction not once, but twice in an attempt to free him. Their appeals ultimately failed and McGee was
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Jul 18, 2011
Patricia
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I expected to love this book, as the civil rights era is one that has fascinated me lately, but I didn't. The first part, which dealt with his arrest and trial, was good and held my attention. The appeals process was hard to read, perhaps mostly because you knew that they wouldn't be successful. I think, though, of how hard it must have been for the lawyers to keep it up, to say nothing of what it must have done to McGee and his family. It was also disheartening to read about the rift betwee
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Aug 26, 2010
RM
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Alex Heard has done a terrific job writing this book. His voice reconstructs the facts impartially; never, not even once, readers have the idea that he is taking sides, and that, per se, is remarkable.
But unfortunately that's all Heard does: he describes the terrible events that lead to McGee's death by electrocution; he puts such events in the correct order, the alleged attack on Hawkins, the imprisonment, the three trials and so on.. However, I was left mistified because Heard fai More...
But unfortunately that's all Heard does: he describes the terrible events that lead to McGee's death by electrocution; he puts such events in the correct order, the alleged attack on Hawkins, the imprisonment, the three trials and so on.. However, I was left mistified because Heard fai More...
Oct 27, 2010
Julie
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This review first appeared on my blog: http://jewelknits.blogspot.com/2010/10/e...
I am always interested in reading about events that really happened, especially if they have historical significance.
This book centers around Willie McGee, a young black man accused in the 1940's South, of raping a white woman named Willette Hawkins. The evidence was circumstantial; the trials were rushed, and the outcome was inevitable, based on the time period.
Willie McGee became s More...
I am always interested in reading about events that really happened, especially if they have historical significance.
This book centers around Willie McGee, a young black man accused in the 1940's South, of raping a white woman named Willette Hawkins. The evidence was circumstantial; the trials were rushed, and the outcome was inevitable, based on the time period.
Willie McGee became s More...
Jul 22, 2010
Kara
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This is an extremely powerful read. The parts of the book that focus on Willie McGee are riveting as Alex Heard dives into the history of a trail that once captivated the entire world – and now has been almost entirely forgotten.
However, there are large sections where the author gets into a more general history of mid-twentieth century America, droning on for pages about different political parties, legislation, and statistics, and really kind of lost me.
Overall, More...
Jul 21, 2010
Mykl
rated it:
First of all it is clear the author put in a significant amount of time doing research with primary and secondary sources. An annoyance is an overabundance of information that is not relevant. Such as one person he contacts who never does research he asks for but the author details the medical procedure that she went under. Also his analysis of the dynamics of current family members from both sides is not as strong as the historical analysis.
Very good job detailing how McGee re More...
Very good job detailing how McGee re More...
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Nov 08, 2011
Matt
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In general, I think, Americans are pretty pumped about being Americans. We’re proud, and rightfully so, of many of our national accomplishments.
[Cue Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the USA]
Our Revolution was extraordinary (especially when compared to the French, who screw everything up yet manage to remain condescending). Our mid-20th century foreign interventions, both forced (World War II) and voluntary (Korea) undoubtedly helped save many innocent lives. And we went to the More...
[Cue Lee Greenwood’s God Bless the USA]
Our Revolution was extraordinary (especially when compared to the French, who screw everything up yet manage to remain condescending). Our mid-20th century foreign interventions, both forced (World War II) and voluntary (Korea) undoubtedly helped save many innocent lives. And we went to the More...
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Oct 18, 2011
SweetPea
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This book covered much more than the Willie McGee case, and while some of the additions related to the case (similar issues or examples of the racial environment at the time) and helped provide a picture of how things were at the time the alleged crime occurred, some of the other details seemed extraneous and not linked in a meaningful way to advance the story. Another run-through by an editor could have made this story much more powerful.
Oct 01, 2010
Lisa
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The set up is strong and the ending is inconclusive and therefore very disappointing. The author meanders through the rise of the communist party in mid 20th-century America and mires down in the details of people, places and insignificant events. Throughout the book the author goes off on tangents of other racial atrocities too many times. This book follows the search for answers, but in the end, gives none.
May 21, 2010
W.
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An amazing piece of reporting and historical scholarship. Before reading this book, I only knew the story of Willie McGee vaguely, since it was whispered about rather than discussed openly. While much will never be known about Willie McGee's guilt or innocence, I think this book provides much for the reader to decide on their own.
Mar 17, 2011
Tamara
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Very fascinating yet troubling read, its amazing that this happened in the last 70 years.
Jun 02, 2010
Heidi
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This was a very interesting novel one that I won't soon forget! Rarely has a book ever grabbed my attention as this book did I have read some of the chapters more then once just to make sure I got every detail out of it. Alex Heard deserves much praise for the in-depth research into this fascinating case.
Sep 30, 2011
Laura
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Didn't read it cover to cover, but after the first 200 pages, you get the point. Overall interesting topic, though I wish Heard's approach had been less about telling his own story of his research and more just relating his discoveries. I guess since so much of his information is based on interviews, those experiences with "witnesses" telling their stories.
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