Laura Wexler's Fire In A Canebrake

In Fire in a Canebrake, Laura Wexler describes a truly infamous event in mid-twentieth century American history. Wexler does not simply stop at describing the Moore’s Ford lynching of 1946 though, she goes so far as to incorporate it into our understanding of the world at the time by carefully unraveling the various complexities that surrounded the event itself. Furthermore, she is able to make sense of an otherwise very disorganized collection of accounts and shape it all together to reveal larger historical context. As the novel progresses, it is easy to see that Wexler is more interested in painting a broad historical picture for the reader than she is in merely outlining the horrible quadruple killing of George W. Dorsey, Mae Murray Dorsey,

Her awareness throughout the text in regards to setting, character introduction, and even overarching themes such as national and state-level politics is exceptional. These are the elements that build the backbone of Fire in a Canebrake. In the text, Wexler mentions a key NAACP figure by the name of Walter White. She notes his statements regarding the lynching, but then also contextualizes them: “Walter White knew few specifics about the lynching victims . . . but specifics [to him] didn’t matter because the victims were now symbols of injustice: a NAACP cause” (Wexler, 78). In contrast, Wexler’s goal, as expressed through her writing, is much more gripping than this. She, is fully invested in specifics. She even mentions in the author’s note that she tried to bring the lynching victims to life (Wexler, 266). She definitely exceeds expectations in that aspect by including in-depth biographies for each character. Additionally, Wexler includes explanations of characters’ relationships to one another and even provides a look into the actions of the characters before / leading up to the actual lynching. This information allows the reader to really connect with the characters and understand the context of the situation they