Tennessee - 1896 to 1913

They met at a Christian summer camp, he a counselor and she a guest. Walter Dotson was in his final year of medical school, and Anna Dennis, a bright, inquisitive sixteen-year-old, was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. But camp rules expressly prohibit counselors from fraternizing with their campers. It didn't stop the couple from snatching moments together, although brief. When Anna returned home, she dreamed of the handsome Walter and hoped he'd remember her. It wasn't until she began volunteering at the local hospital as an aide that she discovered that Walter would be interning there for several weeks. During an influenza outbreak where help was scarce, Anna grew closer to Walter, and soon afterwards, he asked for her hand.

During the early years of their marriage, Walter and Anna maintained the passion that had brought them together. After settling in the small town of Gallatin, near Nashville, where Walter could practice in his specialty, in Anna's view, their marriage began to deteriorate. As an intelligent, well-read young woman, Anna could see that the suffragette movement was making some important strides, and she could see how being Walter's wife was safe, but not very good for her self-esteem. The couple drifted apart, mostly because Walter was busy with his practice, his community involvement, and his small band, pretty much leaving Anna at home and out of everything. That was when Anna noticed the man in the black derby sitting on the porch of the hotel across from her house -- and he obviously noticed her.

Charlie Cobb, the new barber, found ways to contact Anna and, eventually, to meet her on the sly. He knew she was lonely and craving attention. Anna knew what she was doing was wrong, but it felt good to have a man look at her the way Charlie did. All good things must come to an end, though, and the end of this tryst was violent and unexpected.

MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE is a novel based on a true event in Tennessee in 1913. It brought into glaring focus the rights of women, particularly their right to vote and to sit on juries. The outcome of the trial, excellently presented in the later part of the book, along with the real newspaper articles, is astounding, and I hesitate to say any more than that! For a riveting, and true, account of one woman's struggle to be seen as a person, do not miss this terrific book.

Jani Brooks