Discussion questions for Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America by Gilbert King

1. By interspersing the events that led to the trial and what Marshall was doing to get where he was, did King make the narrative too complicated?  Were you able to keep the characters and details straight?  If you couldn’t, were there any particular characters or events that jumped out for you?
2. Was this book too dramatic for non-fiction?  Or not dramatic enough, given the events that it describes?  Or just right?  The New York Public Library’s reviewer thinks it “reads like a crime thriller”.  What do you think?
3. How much did you know about Thurgood Marshall prior to reading this book, particularly about his time as a lawyer, before being named to the Supreme Court?  Was there anything that made you think about Marshall differently in terms of his role in American history based on what you read in this book?
4. So much of the history we read about the Civil Rights era takes place in Georgia and Alabama, but not much is about Florida.  Were you surprised by the description of Florida in the pre-Civil Rights era?  Recall the author’s description of Florida as the “south of the south”.
5. Talk about Sheriff McCall’s motivations.  Don’t forget that he also prevented a mob from storming the jail) and why do you think he was able to remain in office for 28 years?
6. Publisher’s Weekly‘s reviewer praised the author’s “evenhanded treatment of the villains”.  Do you agree that the author was fair in his portrayal of all the characters?  If you agree that he was “evenhanded” do you think that’s appropriate for this type of book on this subject?
7. Walter Irvin spent nearly 20 years in jail and was beaten and shot 3 times.  Four people were killed during this case, yet Marshall still saw it as a victory.  Why do you think that was so?  What do you think?
8. Devil in the Grove won the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 2013.  The other finalists were Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo and The Forest Unseen: A Year’s Watch in Nature by David George Haskell.  Have you read either of these other two books?  Which book would you have given the Pulitzer to?

For more questions, check out the Evanston Public Library’s History Book Club.

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