Nuremberg, Mississippi
Could you follow a law despite knowing it to be morally wrong? This compelling legal drama unflinchingly considers this question through a case involving sundowner towns in 1965 Mississippi that forced Black people out of town by sundown.
Henry Logan, a Black worker, and Silas Thorn, a White lawyer, join forces to challenge the legality of this enforced behavior. Initially describing the existing system in unemotional ways without naming names, Silas opens the door to the case being heard. Examining the legal written codes governing conduct relating to community norms, Silas and Henry aim to have the proceedings of this case officially recorded regardless of outcome. As the case progresses, Silas starts to learn of its insidious effects on the health and well-being of Henry and his family. Henry controls his anger and endures stress and uncertainty as the case slowly wends its way through the judicial system.
The narrative arc of the story follows a plot line that chronicles conditions before, during, and after the legal quest. The novel begins by establishing what the expected behaviors concerning sundown towns are, then considers aspects of visibility. Escalation then takes place, necessitating endurance, and then the judgment occurs, followed by its aftermath. Along the way, social expectations, tradition, and personal fear of retribution, combined with ignorance and prejudice, remain deeply entrenched. Invoking the legal opinions of the Nuremberg trials after WWII that held Nazis accountable for their own personal actions despite their government’s sanction, parallels in Mississippi seem apparent.
Written in strong, clear language and imbued with persistently believable characters, this novel will undoubtedly attract readers of legal thrillers. This particular story, however, deserves a much wider audience because its historical significance and its social ramifications transcend the boundaries of historical fiction.
