Hanged! Mary Surratt and the Plot to Assassinate Abraham Lincoln. 2022. [November] 352 pages. [Source: Review copy]
First sentence: It was two or three o'clock in the morning when the bell of Marry Surratt's boardinghouse at 541 H Street rang "very violently."
Premise/plot: Narrative nonfiction. Sarah Miller's newest [nonfiction] book is a dream for all #lawnerds. Her book focuses on Mary Surratt--a woman charged and tried for her [alleged] involvement in the plot to assassinate President Lincoln. She was the only woman charged, but there were plenty of other men also facing trial. Though the war was over and the courts were open again, I believe, it was decided--for better or worse--to hold a military tribunal instead. The book focuses on the crime, the arrest[s], the trials, and the sentences. It was packed with information, with details. It is not a definitive narrative; Miller cannot know--no one can actually actually know whether or not she was guilty or innocent. But she can recount how it all unfolded at a very turbulent time in American history. She can discuss the legal arguments and presentations.
My thoughts: I found this one to be so thought-provoking! The story is interesting and bittersweet. Whether she is guilty or innocent, the crime--the assassination of the President--was tragic no matter how you look at it. The book asks--as many have done, I assume--if a fair trial in this circumstance could have happened. In a country so torn apart, so polarized, so weary and burdened, could Mary have received a fair trial when she was facing such serious charges? But could those accusing her have had ulterior motives? Was the evidence all circumstantial? Was there actual evidence at all? Other than the boardinghouse that connected them all...
There is no "taking sides" in a meaningful way. There are legal arguments presented, questions asked. Again, there is no way to know a hundred plus years later if she *was* guilty or if she *was* innocent. We just know that she was found guilty in this trial and sentenced to death.
The book was GREAT.
© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment