Obviously a really heavy topic, but the author does a good job of adapting the story for younger readers.

What a wild ride of justice. I was immediately drawn into the drama and terror experienced by each of the men documented in this telling. The race against time kept a steady thread of added tension to narrative. The fact this is a little known true story makes this book even more incredible. The authors’ deliver a book with historical accuracy at a level that will generate curiosity to learn more.

I had some knowledge of the Elaine Massacre, but only because I listen to podcasts. It's certainly not something that was ever addressed in my history classes. The facts of the case are laid out in this text in a clear and concise manner. We learn about the initial incident, the arrests, and the years long fight to see justice done. Obviously, we get a fair amount of information about Scipio Jones, more about him than an of the victims. The most interesting part to me was the compromises. The results of the legal battles were far from ideal but Jones knew he had to accept these compromises to keep the men alive. There's no satisfaction in reading this book, no sense that good was done. But that's as important as a story of triumph. We need to learn about failures to help prevent their repetition.

A story that hasn't had enough light shined down upon it, Race Against Time, is the event and following court case that sparked the civil rights movement. An in-depth look at the event, its participants, outcome and its impact on the south.

This book chronicles a tragic and forgotten episode of the African American experience during the Red Summer of 1919 - the Elaine massacre of hundreds of African Americans in the village of Hoop Spur, Arkansas (near Elaine) at the hands of angry white citizens. Award-winning authors and investigative journalists, Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace, have written a gripping well-researched account of the massacre as well as the years-long battle to save the lives of 12 Arkansan men wrongly convicted of murder during this so-called "race riot" and sentenced to death. Self-taught African American lawyer, Scipio Jones took on this gargantuan task and never gave up until every man was free, including taking the case all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States. Most suitable for teens, this book includes essential black and white photographs and document images throughout the 13 chapters. In addition, you will find an introduction, epilogue, detailed author's note, extensive bibliography, carefully cited source notes, an index, picture credits, and more information about the authors. Wow! This book is a treasure trove for teens and young adults wanting to further investigate this grim time in our nation's history. I highly recommend it as essential reading in any high school classroom.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy. All opinions are my own.

What a great piece of history that obviously is missing in our education systems. Why is this not taught in high school government classes at the least? This book would make a great lesson in history classes these days.
The book is well written and easy for middle grades/high school ages to follow. I was quickly sucked into the story and full of emotions. Scipio Jones was a black, self-taught attorney in the early 1900s. He came upon the case of the Elaine Twelve in Arkansas where 12 black men were tried for an alleged race riot against whites in the town. Mr. Jones quickly took on the case and was the only hope for the 12 accused men to stay alive. Scipio Jones exhausts all his resources and wits to try to overturn their convictions and get them released from prison. His case made way for other wrongfully accused black men to get their cases heard and appealed at the federal level when local and state court systems were biased and being unlawful.
Thank you to Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace for investigating and reporting on the hard stuff in history.
Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced read of this book.

I want to first say that this book belongs in all libraries, both public, private, and school. It is an important story from our history that I am sure many were and are unaware of, and its importance to Civil Rights.
Written by authors Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace, Race Against Time is a researched historical story about Scipio Africanus Jones, a Black lawyer from Little Rock who made it a mission to save twelve Black sharecroppers from death.
In October of 1919, Black sharecroppers wanted a union to guarantee fair prices for their harvests and met at the Hoop Spur Church in Elaine, Arkansas. While the sharecroppers were meeting, carloads of white men showed up, not only to intimidate this meeting which contained Black men, women, and children, but also to massacre them. As the massacre occurred, five white men died (as a result of their own doing) and because of this, law enforcement arrested twelve Black men stating they were involved in the deaths of the white men, and thereby calling them the Elaine Twelve.
Scipio faced a lot of challenges and hurdles trying to save these men. During this time, Black lawyers could not present their own cases, and were forced to have a white lawyer present and to do the presentation of the case. He also faced numerous amounts of intimidation, threats and more causing him to bounce from place to place to stay while he was trying to save the men. Despite all these obstacles, Scipio did not stop.
Eventually the Elaine Twelve turned into two separate groups of Black men (six in each group): The Ware Six (those convicted of murder without degree) and the Moore Six (those convicted of first degree murder) and Scipio represented them all.
Many battles in court ensued and Scipio finally got his appeals sent for the Moore Six to the U.S. Supreme Court in the famous “Moore V. Dempsey” case. He won and all the original Elaine Twelve were released to live out their lives. Most moved far away for fear that they would be killed and never returned.
“Moore V. Dempsey” ended up ensuring the integrity of the Fourteenth Amendment. It was used for decades to defend constitutional rights in Civil Rights cases.
Two-hundred and thirty-seven Black Americans died in the massacre, but the full count will never be known. No one was charged with the murder of any of these murdered Black Arkansans.
Race Against Time is a must read for all adults, young adults and anyone interested in learning more about an especially important figure from early Civil Rights who is important to American and Black American history.
I gave this book five stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Expect this book to be released around January 5, 2021.

Incredible story. I'm glad someone wrote a book about Scipio Jones; his story needed to be told, as did the event of the Elaine Massacre. So many so called "race wars" blamed on Blacks, but actually committed by white society. It's shameful. Jones was an amazing attorney, who had a fascinating life. He worked hard to change the laws and society with the truth. I'm shocked I've never heard of him in any classroom. I've never seen a book about him on a shelf either. This book really isn't very long and could be read fairly quickly. It's a intense read, to be sure, but compelling. Good research authors!