An unspeakable crime : the prosecution and persecution of Leo Frank

In this “true crime” historical case study, Elaine Alphin details the almost century-old murder trial of Leo Frank, who, in a chain of events largely motivated by anti-Semitism, was wrongly accused of the murder of a young girl in his employ, railroaded through the justice system, and ultimately lynched in 1913 Atlanta. Armed with in-depth research, a compelling voice, and well-chosen graphics, Alphin brings a fresh perspective to the story, not merely providing the reader with facts, but prompting him or her to consider questions of truth, justice, prejudice, and groupthink.

    I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone, not simply the older teens at whom it is aimed, especially anyone interested in history or the American justice system. The book would be a great companion for teens learning about the turn of the last century, Southern history, American government, or even journalism - Frank was found guilty in the court of public opinion largely because of the salacious and unrelenting newspaper coverage. Furthermore, I think it’s extremely important that people be made aware of the trial of Leo Frank, because despite being a landmark moment in the shaping of the 20th century (the case led to both the creation of the Jewish Anti-Defamation League and the revival of the KKK), and one of the most grievous miscarriages of justice in American history, it often goes unmentioned. 

    This book in particular succeeds because of the depths of Alphin’s research and the care with which she lays out her case. She also made excellent decisions about the book’s design by creating a “ ripped from the headlines” look for the pages, evoking police procedural dramas on television and in the movies, which allows the book to make the events of a century ago to remain relevant to today’s teens.  

This is yet another poorly written book propagandizing and spinning the subject of Leo Frank and Mary Phagan. 'An Unspeakable Crime, by Elaine Marie Alphin' leaves out a large volume of facts about 'The Leo Frank Case' and tells only part of the story. The book idealizes the sexual predator Leo Frank and makes him out to be an innocent hero unjustly murdered for strangling a little girl named Mary Phagan.

The book is prejudiced and dishonors the State of Georgia, Southerners and the entire legal system of the United States. Elaine Marie Alphin plays the race card turning the Police and Detectives in Atlanta, Georgia into evil incompetent racists and says very little about how the Jewish Community turned this into a race baiting circus. If the purpose of this books is to create a false sense of racial guilt in children, then it makes an excellent propaganda piece. I would not recommend this book to children. This book is racial propaganda and garbage.