The Lynching Tree

by Michael Stein

A white man has been lynched two months before 23-year-old Donald Gambell returns to his New Jersey hometown. As the first black member of the police force, Gambell learns the routines of his new work--the traffic stops and domestic quarrels, the bullying and bragging--from his partner Frank Butras who refuses to discuss the murder that has left the town shaken. For Gambell, life near his father and sister is familiar in both its comforts and confusions, but his home has changed in ways he finds difficult to understand.

193 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2000

Reviews

[Sammi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess I don't understand the point of the book. It all works up to a specific event. The ending is not closure. by the end you know what happened during the event. But we never get any real answers and the book just kind of ends.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent book. It only gets 3 stars because the same point is repeated so often. Unfortunately it does need to be repeated because until the 1960's, people in our country considered it a sport to kill and mutilate black people with no repercussions. Mr. Cone ties the lynching image to Christ on the Cross and it is a good analogy. However, I doubt this book is selling where it would do some good. We liberals agree in the equality of man, women regardless of color, religion or orientation, but unfortunately still so many don't. Sad but true. Worth reading? I'd say yes, but for me, it repeated what I already know and hate even thinking about.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

This could have been a great book. Except the last 15 pages ruined what the story was building to. I was totally into the story and was interested in it from the beginning until the end of it approached. It was almost like it built up and then there was no climax in the story. It kept skirting the climax and that is what ruined the greatness of the book and brought it down to mediocre.