Scottsboro, Alabama - A Story in Linoleum Cuts (Paperback)

"Scotsboro, Alabama still has the power to inspire anger and outrage--and to remind us of a political legacy that still has relevance for the 21st century."
-- "Against the Current"

"This extraordinary graphic book from 1935 reproduces 118 linocuts illustrating the history of African Americans up to and including the Scottsboro trialsa]. A highly charged political indictment and work of art.a] highly recommended."
--"Library Journal," starred review

aA unique, visually stunning worka]. Using a simple and striking visual style to link the struggles of black America and the working class, the book preserves the Scottsboro trial as a powerful symbol of oppression, and a stark reminder of the central and horrifying struggles of American history.a
--"Ruminator Review"

"The prints have tremendous visual power...they constitute a progenitor of the contemporary graphic novel that artistically outclasses most current examples of the genre."
--"Booklist"

aA disturbing if visually stunning record of an episode that should not be forgotten. To document history, it suggests, is to bear witness, however painfully, to the evil within some human souls--and to the redemptive power that being aware of that ominous energy it can bring.a
--"Black Issues Book Review"

"Visually powerfula] a great historical find--and a provocative way to think about the episode."
--"Chicago Tribune" (Editor's Choice)

"An unusual cultural treasure that deserves a wide public audience. Highly recommended."
--"MultiCultural Review"

"Wow! This is political art at its most powerful. These evocative images outrage and provoke, leaving an indelibleimpression of an unjust world at an unjust time. Scottsboro, Alabama will incite you to join the struggle for racial equality and justice."
--Alan Dershowitz, author of "Supreme Injustice"

"A stunning artifact, Scottsboro, Alabama's narrative and images capture the tragedy of race in the American South. I haven't seen anything this tersely powerful in years."
-- Nell Irvin Painter, author of "Sojourner Truth: A Life, A Symbol"

"Lee's careful introduction gives readers a special understanding of the symbolism and subtlety of these powerful and evocative graphics."
-- "VOYA"

In 1931, nine black youths were falsely accused of raping two white women on a freight train traveling through northern Alabama. They were arrested and tried in four days, convicted of rape, and eight of them were sentenced to death. The ensuing legal battle spanned six years and involved two landmark decisions by the Supreme Court. One of the most well known and controversial legal decisions of our time, the Scottsboro case ignited the collective emotions of the country, which was still struggling to come to terms with fundamental issues of racial equality.

Scottsboro, Alabama, which consists of 118 exceptionally powerful linoleum prints, provides a unique graphic history of one of the most infamous, racially-charged episodes in the annals of the American judicial system, and of the racial and class struggle of the time. Originally printed in Seattle in 1935, this hitherto unknown document, of which no other known copies exist, is presented here for the first time. It includes a foreword by Robin D.G. Kelley and an introduction by Andrew H. Lee. Mr. Lee discovered the book as part of a gift tothe Tamiment Library by the family of Joe North, an important figure in the Communist Party-USA, and an editor at the seminal left-wing journal, the "New Masses,"

A true historical find and an excellent tool for teaching the case itself and the period which it so indelibly marked, this book allows us to see the Scottsboro case through a unique and highly provocative lens.