On May 3, 1946, in St. Martinsville, Louisiana, a seventeen-year-old Black boy named Willie Francis was scheduled to die in the electric chair. He had been charged with murder; his trial was brief, and the outcome—a death sentence—was never in doubt. When the switch was flipped, Willie screamed and convulsed as electricity surged through his body. But he did not die.
Miraculously surviving the attempt, Willie was told the state would try to execute him again within the week. The legal battle that followed went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, raising a harrowing question: Can the state electrocute someone twice?
A gripping account of a brutal crime and its extraordinary aftermath, The Execution of Willie Francis tells the heroic story of a young Cajun lawyer fighting for justice in a nation still blinded by race.
Reviews
“The Execution of Willie Francis is almost certainly the best book on capital punishment in America since Mailer’s The Executioner’s Song.“—CounterPunch Magazine
“Drawing on extensive research and interviews, King offers a compelling page-turner that examines American racism and justice…”—Booklist (February 2008)
“From the first page to the last, King holds our attention with gripping and disturbing details. Highly recommended.”—Library Journal (Starred Review and Editor’s Choice, February, 2008)
“King’s masterful applications of Bayou color set this book apart…Injustice, inhumanity and death, all made strangely charming and unforgettable.”—Kirkus (Starred Review, January, 2008)
“King’s masterful applications of Bayou state color set this book apart…Injustice, inhumanity and death all made strangely charming and unforgettable.”—Kirkus (Starred Review)
“Marvelous storytelling…reads like a terrific thriller.”—Bookgasm
“a wrenching, breathtaking true story of murder.” —Tucson Citizen –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.