The Past Is Never Dead: The Trial of James Ford Seale and Mississippi’s Struggle for Redemption

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In 2007 James Ford Seale was indicted for the murder of two black youths in southwest Mississippi in 2007. This book covers the trial and conviction of Seale for the crimes, and explores the ongoing attempt of Mississippi to atone for its bloody racial past and the possibility of redemption through the prosecution of former Klansman for crimes of the sixties. This books was shortlisted for the William Saroyan Prize, offered by Stanford University.

In January 2007 the federal government charged James Ford Seale with conspiracy and kidnapping in the 1964 murder of two young black men. In May of 2007 Seale was tried for these crimes in Jackson, Mississippi. The book tells the story of the trial from beginning to end, and in the telling recreates the crime itself. The case has all the problems truly cold cases have: missing evidence, deceased or ancient witnesses, and decayed memories. The key evidence against Seale is the testimony of Charles Edwards, a fellow Klansman who was himself involved in the crime.

The book is about much more than the trial. The title is from William Faulkner in his book Requiem For A Nun, and the full quote is: The Past Is Never Dead. It’s not even past. The story of the trial is woven together with the story of Mississippi, its past and its ongoing struggle for redemption.