Glibert King's Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America recounts the events leading up to, during, and following the "Florida Terror." Amid increasing racial tension in Florida, a teenage white girl accuses four black men of raping her. Almost instantly the entire state assumes the defendants' guilt because of their skin color. The NAACP comes to their aid by hiring renowned civil rights proponent and highly skilled lawyer Thurgood Marshall for the defense. He takes the case all the way to the supreme court, but it is dismissed and returned to Florida for retrial. Although he loses, Marshall continues to fight for the accused men's innocence even after their death sentencing. He saves them from the death penalty and even eventually secures parole for one of them.
King conducted thorough research in preparing this book. He includes historical documents from the court proceedings as well as quotations from the persons involved in order to accurately paint a picture of the social environment and the individuals' experiences of that time. He emphasizes the corruption he discovers in all the research. From Sheriff Willis to the jury itself, King proves the assumption of guilt if not the desire to convict at any cost. Influenced by the wildly wealthy and successful KKK members in Florida, the entire state seems to have lost its mind. Fear was the motivating factor for most people. The KKK leaders had convinced the people that black men were evil and threatening. The Groveland case simply fell into their laps as a perfect illustration of the picture they were trying to paint of black communities.
Based upon historical events, King writes this book like an archaeologist. He presents his numerous findings about the trials as well as the subsequent violence in Florida as if never before heard. The Groveland Boys were famous nationally during and after the case, but their legacy seems to have faded into the 21st century. King writes to keep their memories alive. This idea is reflected in the 2017 decision to posthumously exonerate the four accused men. Although their specific lives were not saved, these men served a much greater purpose in the story of the nation, a role for which we must remain forever grateful.
