I ordered this book to try to understand this controversy and I am anti death penalty also. First, unless you are a civil rights law professor, this book was not an interesting read.I gathered these men were completely guilty, hard to sympathize with them from how this book is written.Might have helped if the accuser families, victim's family, towns people or politicians were interviewed for this book. There is much mystery around the victim Mrs. Floyd. I can understand not wanting to be the poster girl for rape especially in the 1950's but a more sympathetic look at her life would have enriched the book from a literary standpoint.