Today, our justice system believes that a person is innocent until proven guilty. But apparently, in the late 19th century, an African American person was guilty until proven innocent.
Sandy did nothing wrong, but he was going to suffer a horrific death for a crime committed by a white man. There was evidence mounted against him, but all of it was circumstantial–not to mention intentionally placed/orchestrated by Tom. Had the police done any amount of investigating, they would’ve found the same evidence that Mr. Delamere and Ellis had. But no, Sandy was black and in the wrong place at the wrong time, so he was blamed and immediately said to be guilty.
Tom, on the other hand, was proven guilty, but his skin color and social standing (and the little boys club’s private agenda) allowed him to receive no blame. He was guilty, but he wasn’t blamed. Sandy was blamed, but he wasn’t guilty. Don’t you just love the 19th century justice system?
As for my quarantined reading habits, I haven’t really changed them. I own a lot of books–like, a lot– and there are many that I haven’t read yet, so I rarely venture to the library anyway. When I want something to read, I’ve got an extensive list to choose from within the four walls of my bedroom.
Thankfully, my emotions haven’t fluctuated much during this confinement. I am, I’ll admit, already an emotional person when it comes to reading books or watching movies. I’ve never before had trouble getting angry or upset or excited while reading, and quarantine hasn’t heightened or lowered my emotional experience. Though, I will say that today’s reading was particularly hard to get through emotionally and physically. This whole book has repeatedly made me grimace and cringe and roll my eyes, but today I almost lost my lunch while reading chapter 26. I’m so torn between wanting/needing to learn more about African American history and being too disgusted to stomach it.
And on that cheerful note, I do have some advice for anyone who is easily distracted while reading: if the book or work you’re reading has a free audiobook, listen to it while following along on the page. The Marrow of Tradition has a great audiobook on Youtube, and I’ve been listening to it while reading this. If you’re a fast reader, simply adjust the playback speed. The audiobook has helped me absorb everything that’s happened thus far, and it has made reading the sections written in African-American-servant vernacular infinitely easier.
My Thoughts on African American Literature 
There’s no time like the present to go “shopping” in our own personal library for new reads. Thanks for the audiobook-physical book pairing suggestion! I know a few people who do that, but I’ve never personally done it. I usually opt for one or the other, but I actually have much worse recall when just listening to a book. Maybe if I put them together I’ll get more out of it.
As for your discussion of the 19th century justice system, I agree. It’s hard to read about. The parts leading up to the almost-lynching were the hardest to read. And yet such spectacle wasn’t uncommon in many towns. That’s why it’s important to read about, so we don’t forget the past, bad parts included. But I completely understand what you mean about feeling interested in reading African American literature but taking on the trauma of those stories can be too much at times.
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