One Man's Castle: Clarence Darrow in Defense of the American Dream

by Phyllis Vine

Documents the events surrounding the racially charged court case involving the Southern Exodus, the KKK, and the Sweet family, tracing the prejudice that targeted 1925 Detroit's first African-Americans and the unprecedented hiring of attorney Clarence Darrow by the NAACP. By the author of Families in Pain. 40,000 first printing.

Genres: History, African American, Nonfiction

352 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2004

Reviews

[David Swartzlander · Rating 5 out of 5]

"One Man's Castle" is the story of a Black physician who had the temerity to buy a house in a white neighborhood in Detroit in 1925. A riot ensues and the doctor and his friends are charged with murder. Vine chronicles the rise of the Ku Klux Klan in Michigan as hordes of people, Black and white, streamed into Detroit with the promise of good jobs in the burgeoning automobile industry. She also paints the picture of Dr. Ossian Sweet - his childhood in Bartow, Fla., where he witnessed a lynching; his college years at Wilberforce; his study overseas at the best European medical schools. But the book takes off when she brings famed attorney Clarence Darrow into the picture. Darrow, having just finished the Scopes trial, was at first reluctant to take on the Sweet case, but he eventually agreed. His sterling defense of Sweet, who was on trial for murder, and the American Dream are the hallmarks of this book. While the case is 95 years old, it resonates today during the Black Lives Matter movement. I cannot recommend this book strongly enough.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chances are you know Clarence Darrow for his defense of evolution in the Scopes Monkey Trial and/or of the killers Leopold and Loeb. His work in the 1925 murder trial of Ossian Sweet and his brothers has received less historical fanfare but is just as important in the context of history - and just as relevant today.

Does a man, black or white, have the right to defend the home he owns with deadly force? With the Trayvon Martin / George Zimmerman case and "stand your ground" on the lips of news pundits everywhere, it's an issue that has still not been completely resolved. This book offers a concise depiction of race relations, Jim Crow laws, and lynching in the 1920's North, culminating in a murder trial seemingly ripped from today's headlines. The fact that it seems so topical in 2013 reminds us that we have a long way to go.

[James Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was jammed pact with historical facts which were great however there was just too much. Pages 170-271 were the best and I believed the book to be about. I understand the need for historical references and facts preceding a court case, but this book contained an ample amount. A very dry read until page 170ish.

[Leonard Pierce · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's always more to be written about the incredible Clarence Darrow, and here, Phyllis Vine writes a book that is slightly dull, but still sheds light on the little-discussed role he played in the early history of the civil rights movement.

[RUSA CODES · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the 2005 RUSA Notable Books winners. For the complete list, go to http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/rus...

[Bill Sleeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good.

[Nancy Conley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't write reviews but this book is a must read for everyone young and old!