1st selection of 2022 - Wilmington's Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy by David Zucchino

WINNER OF THE 2021 PULITZER PRIZE FOR GENERAL NONFICTION. From Pulitzer Prize-winner David Zucchino comes a searing account of the Wilmington riot and coup of 1898, an extraordinary event unknown to most Americans.

Jan. 26 at 6:45 pm  

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Zucchino delivers a searing chronicle of the November 1898 white supremacist uprising in Wilmington, N.C., that overthrew the municipal government...Drawing on a wealth of primary sources, Zucchino paints a disturbing portrait of the massacre and how it was covered up by being described as a "race riot" sparked by African-Americans. This masterful account reveals a shameful chapter in American history."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Zucchino shines his reporter's spotlight on what he aptly calls a murderous coup as well as exploring its background and long-term consequences...The result is both a page-turner and a sobering reminder of democracy's fragility."--Booklist

"A searing and still-relevant tale of racial injustice at the turn of the 20th century... A book that does history a service by uncovering a shameful episode, one that resonates strongly today."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"A gripping account of the overthrow of the elected government of a Black-majority North Carolina city after Reconstruction that untangles a complicated set of power dynamics cutting across race, class and gender." --2021 General Nonfiction Pulitzer Prize Committee

"A judicious and riveting new history...The publication of a book like Zucchino's, [is] a sign that, however late and reluctantly, America is becoming conscious of the racial violence that insured white supremacy after Reconstruction."--New Yorker

"Brilliant...Zucchino, a contributing writer for the New York Times, does not overwrite the scenes. His moral judgment stands at a distance. He simply describes what happened and the lies told to justify it all...The details contained in the last part of the book are heart-wrenching. With economy and a cinematic touch, Zucchino recounts the brutal assault on black Wilmington."--New York Times