Zora Hurston And The Strange Case Of Ruby McCollum

Amazon.com Price: $24.95 (as of 02/05/2019 10:02 PST- Details)

Categories: , , , , , , , , ,

Description

Premiering on November 18 in the 2014 season of the Discovery Channel’s A Crime to Take into account that, this murder stole the headlines of every newspaper in 1952. It is the sordid tale of an African-American wife who murdered her white lover on a hot August Sunday in 1952, and the ensuring trial that shook the foundations of the Segregationist South. The murder was a crime of passion, as Ruby McCollum burst through the “colored” entrance of Dr. Adams’ office and shot him 4 times throughout a heated argument, shortly after he was elected to the Florida State Senate. Rumors spread that the murder was over a doctor bill, yet the McCollums were wealthy operators of the illegal gambling operation referred to as “bolita,” and were at all times known for paying their bills. It was only later that “outsiders” were to discover the true motive for the murder, and rip through the thin veneer of Southern civility to expose the sordid world of liquor, gambling, drugs, sex and illicit dealings between “whites” and “coloreds” that lay beneath the surface. The ensuing high profile trial in Live Oak, Florida hit the headlines of the entire major newspapers of the time, and marked the first time that a woman of color was allowed to take the stand and witness against a white man who forced her to have his children. Now readers can review the full testimony allowed Ruby McCollum throughout her trial. Zora Hurston covered the trial for the Pittsburgh Courier, the newspaper with the largest circulation to African-Americans at that time. Largely lost to history, this landmark trial was given new life when Dr. C. Arthur Ellis, Jr., who knew the entire characters in the story, published the first edition of this work in print, proving to the world that McCollum if truth be told testified throughout her trial even as all other sources deny that she did (Full transcript in State of Florida vs. Ruby McCollum, Defendant, available on Amazon). Now, readers can enjoy the wonderful thing about this color illustrated Kindle Fire edition, and download it free through the Kindle Matchbook program if they have up to now purchased the print edition on Amazon. Drawing on Hurston’s newspaper coverage of the trial and interviews with town residents, Ellis-a Live Oak resident himself-recounts the sensational trial. He alternates between the first-person voice of Hurston herself and a narrative of the backstory of the love affair and fortunes made in a small town on illegal gambling and drugs. –Vanessa Bush Booklist (American Library Association)

Related products

Home » Shop » Books » Subjects » Arts and Photography » History and Criticism » History » Americas » United States » State and Local » Zora Hurston And The Strange Case Of Ruby McCollum

Recent Products