Hannah Mary Tabbs and the Disembodied Torso by Kali Nicole Gross
Publisher: Oxford University Press (December 2015)
230 pages, eBook (provided by the publisher for review)
Book Rating: 4 Stars
This is the story of a murder that took place in Philadelphia in 1887, and the disembodied torso that was found afterwards leading to an investigation and the arrest of two people. The story is largely told through newspaper articles and police reports from the time. It is likely that no one will ever really know what took place here, but you get enough of the story to speculate, and maybe even make an educated guess (the author relays their own opinion of the events at the end of the text). Interesting analysis of the effects of race on the outcome of the investigation and criminal trial of the two suspects, focusing quite extensively on the degree to which the ability to “pass” as white helped or hindered those involved (the conclusions not being what I would have expected). Interesting, but perhaps a bit dry at times.
No comments:
Post a Comment