A Calamity of Souls by David Baldacci 5

 

"Real change is built on one person at a time doing something different. Something they might have been scared to do before. Like a white lawyer who'd never thought of defending a Black man in court. Then another person and another person comes along and does something different, too. Hell, before you know it, Desiree, you've got yourself that 'United States of America' you talk about."

                   -Jack Lee, from the novel

I finished this novel in record time. With a compelling story and short chapters, it was definitely a page turner! The rating is 5. It reminded me of Grisham's legal thrillers, particularly A Time to Kill and also To Kill a Mockingbird, one of my all-time favorites.

In 1968 Freeman County, Virginia, a black man and his wife, Jerome and Pearl Washington are charged with the brutal murders of an elderly white couple. When white attorney Jack Lee is asked by a relative of the accused to represent them, he is reluctant at first. After he is joined by a black female lawyer, Desiree DuBose, of the Legal Defense Fund, he becomes more and more determined to stay on the case and give his all to save Jerome and Pearl from what could likely be the death penalty, even risking his own safety in the process. Although Desiree faces prejudice and violence, she and Jack are able to work as a team, earning each other's respect. Of course I won't spoil the ending.

I was struck by the similarity of this era of hatred and division in America some 60 years ago to the current state of the U.S. The quote I began with is one of several that hints of that likeness.