BLOOD JUSTICE: The Lynching of Mack Charles Parker

by Howard Smead

Based on previously unreleased FBI and Justice Department documents, extensive interviews with many of the surviving principals involved in the case, and a variety of newspaper accounts, Smead meticulously reconstructs the full story of one of the last lynchings in America, detailing a grim, dramatic, but nearly forgotten episode from the Civil Rights era.
In 1959, a white mob in Poplarville, Mississippi abducted a young black man named Mack Charles Parker--recently charged with the rape of a white woman--from his jail cell, beat him, carried him across state lines, finally shot him, and left his body in the Pearl River. A massive FBI investigation ensued, and two grand juries met to investigate the lynching, yet no arrests were ever made. Smead presents a vivid picture of a small Southern town gripped by racism and distrust of federal authority, and describes the travesty of justice that followed in the wake of the lynching. Ultimately revealing more than an account of a single lynching, he offers what he calls "a glimpse at the tidal forces at work in the South on the eve of the civil rights revolution."

Genres: History, True Crime, Nonfiction

269 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 1984

Reviews

[Jennifer Bowers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating read that everyone should pick up at some point!

[starry · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was genuinely infuriating. Like, genuinely.

[Toni Stark · Rating 5 out of 5]

My dad’s copy of this book has floated around our house for well over a decade. We’ve talked about it time and time again. My dad was born and raised in Poplarville; my grandfather reference in the book. I have so many memories there as a kid, and even some as an adult. It’s sad to know even a drop of the history that runs through that soil and not all that long ago. Some publicized, like the lynching of Mack Charles Parker, but even more not. Much of the history can only be passed down verbally. No records or documentation, no bodies, no proof. Certainly no justice.

[Payton Hull · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to read this book for a course where the author of this book was also my professor. I genuinely enjoyed this accurate depiction of a devastating part of American History that is often looked over. I genuinely enjoyed the book (though I didn’t enjoy the essay I had to write about it)

[Jasmine Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and have easily read it three times or more. The story is riveting, the facts are historically accurate which makes this book a small gem of U.S. history.

[Al Wheat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating History

It was amazingly fascinating to read an in-depth history of my small town that was never taught or talked about growing up.

[Jazzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is good, lots and lots of detail are put into it and I was able to use it nicely for my essay. There were some grammar errors and certain points where the story would go forward but then go back to state more facts of what happened in another area. This made it a bit confusing, but once I finished, I knew the general idea of what

Good informative book of the state of Mississippi, the specific town, and what occurred. It’s a shame this murder was attempted to be forgotten completely, and it has been forgotten by many. This book shows the importance of passing on the story and the knowledge that more lynchings exist that have been nearly/totally forgotten by many.