Book Review: Accidental Activist: Justice for the Groveland Four by Josh Venkataraman and Barbara Venkataraman

This reveals that working for a good cause may mean persevering through a frustrating process.
Accidental Activist: Justice for the Groveland Four
by Josh Venkataraman and Barbara Venkataraman

File Size: 1221 KB
Print Length: 101 pages
Publication Date: October 15, 2019
Sold by: Amazon.com Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B07Z5TYNT7
Genre: Civics, Non-Fiction, Social Activist Biographies
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0.

This book will take you through my incredible four year quest for justice for The Groveland Four and teach you how to pursue your own causes, whatever they may be. It is a primer for positive action, a journey through Florida's past as well as its future. Some of the things you will learn: everything takes more time than you think, nothing ever goes according to plan, help can come from unexpected places, time is on your side, everyone is connected to everyone else, you can reach your tipping point for success and not even realize it, your goals can change along the way, and flexibility is key. Let's get started, shall we?
***Proceeds from the sale of this book will be used to establish "The Charles Greenlee Memorial Scholarship" to benefit a child with an incarcerated parent.

Review:
The Groveland Four refers to a 1949 ‘notorious’ case of four young African-American men who were accused of raping a 17-year-old Caucasian woman in Lake County, Florida. One of the accused was shot while fleeing. Charles Greenlee was a 16-year-old who had just arrived in town seeking work. He and the others were taken into custody and beaten until two of them confessed. Evidence that supported their innocence was suppressed and they were found guilty by an all white jury. Greenlee was sentenced to life in prison and the other two were sentenced to death. Thurgood Marshall appealed the convictions which were overturned on the basis the men did not receive a fair trial. Before a new trial could take place two of the men were shot, one killed, by the county sheriff. Later investigations revealed the bigotry and lies that surrounded this travesty of justice.

Josh Venkataraman, as an energetic college student, read a story about the Groveland Four and became determined to do something about this injustice. His interest soon turned into a passionate effort to seek a pardon for these men. Josh learned that pursuing a cause takes a bit of luck getting support by the right people, sometimes hitting the right time, but most of all it takes perseverance. The book describes the long journey and shares the input of many other characters who were involved in the process including a Pulitzer prize-winning author, Greenlee’s daughter, and even two middle-grade students who started with a book report and expanded to active postcard campaigns.

This is a wonderfully inspiring work that shares a frustrating process. I had heard of the Groveland Four but didn’t really know the full story. The cause to seek posthumous pardon, and possible exoneration, was a worthy cause but still it struggled for support to get attention, to get through the bureaucracy of government and to succeed in the even more difficult task of getting on the agenda of the clemency board.

I liked the way the book was presented with concise sections focusing on specific stages of the process and adding the people and events that provided support and encouragement along the way. Josh shares the thoughts of the other participants during the events so the reader feels more engaged in the effort. I recommend this to readers who are interested in history and in learning about the process of promoting a specific cause.

Source: December 2019 received from the Authors. This qualifies for 2020TBR and 2020Alphabet Author title goals.