Arc of Justice

A true life story that is a good reminder that the "good old days" were not all that "good."

This book—winner of the National Book Award in 2004--is the painstakingly researched and detailed story of Ossian Sweet, a young, successful Black doctor who bought an attractive brick bungalow in an all-white neighborhood on Detroit’s east side. Shortly after Sweet, accompanied by his wife (along with several friends and family members for moral support and protection) moved into the house September 1925, a mob gathered outside that evening. Chaos ensued, with stones thrown at the house and shots were fired from an upstairs window. Two people were struck by bullets, one of whom died. 
What unfolds is a kaleidoscopic view of 1920s Detroit, a rapidly growing industrial metropolis, with thousands of people of all races and nationalities flooding the city to work in auto (and auto-related) factories. All of this humming activity and growth made Detroit a tense city.  The Ku Klux Klan staked out Detroit in its strategy of extending white supremacy in the North. 
Against this backdrop, the trial against Ossian Sweet is described in vivid detail. The reader meets colorful characters, including the famous defense attorney Clarence Darrow. At stake were the rights of Black people (or anyone, for that matter) to live wherever they chose, as well as ones right to defend their home.
This book is highly recommended for anyone with an interest in Detroit history, Civil Rights, or legal history. It is also a good reminder for some of us that the “good old days” may have been “old,” but were far from “good.”