Título: Snow-Storm in August
Autor: Jefferson Morley
Sinopse: A gripping narrative history of the explosive events that drew together Francis Scott Key, Andrew Jackson, and an 18-year-old slave on trial for attempted murder. In 1835, the city of Washington pulsed with change. As newly freed African Americans from the South poured in, free blacks outnumbered slaves for the first time. Radical notions of abolishing slavery circulated on the city's streets, and white residents were forced to confront new ideas of what the nation's future might look like. On the night of August 4th, Arthur Bowen, an eighteen-year-old slave, stumbled into the bedroom where his owner, Anna Thornton, slept. He had an ax in the crook of his arm. An alarm was raised, and he ran away. Word of the incident spread rapidly, and within days, Washington's first race riot exploded, as whites fearing a slave rebellion attacked the property of the free blacks. Residents dubbed the event the “Snow-Storm," in reference to the central role of Beverly Snow, a flamboyant former slave turned successful restaurateur, who became the target of the mob's rage. In the wake of the riot came two sensational criminal trials that gripped the city. Prosecuting both cases was none other than Francis Scott Key, a politically ambitious attorney famous for writing the lyrics to “The Star-Spangled Banner,” who few now remember served as the city's district attorney for eight years. Key defended slavery until the twilight's last gleaming, and pandered to racial fears by seeking capital punishment for Arthur Bowen. But in a surprise twist his prosecution was thwarted by Arthur's ostensible victim, Anna Thornton, a respected socialite who sought the help of President Andrew Jackson. Ranging beyond the familiar confines of the White House and the Capitol, Snow-Storm in August delivers readers into an unknown chapter of American history with a textured and absorbing account of the racial secrets and contradictions that coursed beneath the freewheeling capital of a rising world power. "Snow-Storm in August is the sort of book I most love to read: history so fresh it feels alive, yet introducing me to a time and place that I had little known or utterly misunderstood. After reading Jefferson Morley's vibrant account, one can never hear 'The Star-Spangled Banner' the same way again." —David Maraniss, author of Barack Obama: The Story
Contexto da obra
Quando a classificação é mais ampla, o contexto do livro costuma depender ainda mais de autoria, tema e edição. “Snow-Storm in August”, de Jefferson Morley, publicado pela editora Anchor, em 2012 e com 352 páginas, integra a categoria Livros Variados. Por isso, autoria, edição e tema acabam tendo ainda mais peso na forma de apresentar o livro.
Editora: Anchor
Páginas: 352
Ano: 2012
Edição: 5
Linguagem: pt_BR
ISBN: 9780385533386
ISBN13: 9780385533386
Sobre a editora
Os livros da editora Anchor apresentam uma leitura marcada pela diversidade de temas e estilos, onde o cotidiano se mistura a questões profundas e narrativas que oscilam entre o humor irônico e o drama sensível. As histórias frequentemente exploram relações familiares complexas, dilemas pessoais e transformações internas, com personagens que enfrentam conflitos contemporâneos em ambientes urbanos ou históricos. A linguagem tende a ser acessível, mas com nuances que revelam camadas emocionais e sociais, convidando o leitor a refletir sobre identidades, escolhas e o impacto do passado no presente.
