A Lynching in the Heartland: Race and Memory in America

James H. Madison has provided us with a book about an incident that no one wants to know about - a bit of ugly history that we would rather not think, much less READ, about. A LYNCHING IN THE HEARTLAND: Race and Memory in America is a brilliant investigation and commentary on the heinous incident on August 7, 1930 in Marion, Indiana. On that quiet night in the quiet heartland of America, far removed from the South with... Read Full Review

In August of 1930, a lynching took place. It would not be uncommon for one to assume that the lynching took place in the deep south, but in this instance, the assumption would be incorrect. The lynchings of Tom Shipp and Abe Smith took place in Marion, Indiana, America's Heartland. This event is responsible for one of the most famous photographs of an American lynching.The author demonstrates how stereotypes and fear contributed... Read Full Review

I just finished James Madison's book about race and memory in Indiana and heartily recommend it. I grew up in Indiana and though I was a couple generations removed from this 1930 event, my parents were not. My childhood experiences and those noted by Dr. Madison were indeed similar. "Knowing their place" was a phrase I heard repeatedly growing up in the midwest though I never quite understood it. This book finally explained... Read Full Review

Little was known on this topic before I bought the book - honestly the cover caught my attention first. The author starts out by telling the gripping and true tale of the lynching of 2 black teenagers in a small Indiana town in 1930. I live near this town and never ever heard of anything ever happening like this. History we are ashamed of apparently gets swept under the rug. This book opened my eyes to race-relations in Indiana... Read Full Review

Emotional is an understatment in reading this non-fiction account of a lynching in Marion, Indiana. All kinds of emotions come to mind as I read through it - anger, disbelief, sadness, shame. I think that much of it can be summed up by gazing at the front cover for awhile - the cover photograph is a timeless statement on race-relations in Indiana in the early 20th century. This work reads like a gripping movie-script, a drama... Read Full Review