Harold Schechter is a professor of American literature and culture. Renowed for his true-crime writing, he is the author of the nonfiction books Fatal, Fiend, Bestial, Deviant, Deranged, Depraved, and, with David Everitt, The A to Z Encyclopedia of Serial Killers. He is also the author of Nevermore and The Hum Bug, the acclaimed historical novels featuring Edgar Ellen Poe. He lives in New York State and is the father of YA novelist, Lauren Oliver. — Mostly from Depraved
The Brick Slayer
The Brick Slayer
Synopsis
A series of brutal home invasions terrified Los Angeles in 1937. They ended in Chicago a year later with the arrest of African American teenager Robert Nixon, igniting racial tensions in an already appallingly divided city.
Tortured in custody and portrayed by the press in the most lurid and flagrantly racist terms, Nixon faced an all-white jury. It would be the fastest conviction in the history of Cook County.
Used as inspiration for Richard Wright's classic social protest novel Native Son, the case against Nixon is a still-relevant examination of bigotry, suppressed rage, and the making of a murderer. The Brick Slayer is part of Bloodlands, a collection of short historical narratives from true-crime writer Harold Schechter.
Vibe
Genres
Characters
Robert NixonProtagonist
The African American teenager arrested in 1938, tortured in custody and convicted by an all-white jury.
Places
Edition
No cover available
The Brick SlayerKindle, 2018
58 pages
Amazon Original Stories
