In her Fire in a Canebrake, Laura Wexler describes an important event in mid-20th century American race relations, long relegated to the closet of the American consciousness. In doing so, Wexler not only skillfully describes the event – ​​Ford's lynching of Moore in 1946 – but incorporates it into our understanding of the present and past world by retaining the complexities of doubt and deception that surrounded the event when it occurred, and which are still present. confuse it in historical documents. By skillfully navigating these currents of deception, Wexler is not only able to present them to the reader in their entirety, but also to historicize this confusing narrative in the context of some larger historical truths. In this way, and by refusing to give in to a desire for closure by drawing facile but inherently flawed conclusions regarding the individuals directly responsible for the 1946 lynching, Wexler demonstrates that she is more interested in the larger historical picture than in the single event to which she referred. dedicates his text to him. And, in doing so, she quells the doubts of those who question the importance of "evoking" lynching, giving her writing a powerful motivation and purpose that sustains her narrative and the audience's attention within it. scope. This motivation and this goal are the most important. evident in the quality of Wexler's writing, made remarkable by his careful awareness throughout the text, firstly, of such fundamental things as setting and character introduction, and, secondly, of the plot threads, e.g. of national and state politics, which set the stage for history. In his text, Wexler briefly mentions a prominent NAACP figure, Walter White, noting his biting statements regarding lynching and... middle of paper ... delusions - not just regarding who the lynchers are. were, but also with regard to the identity of the victims (230) and, worse, whether or not the central issues in the lynching of Moore's Ford have been settled and have passed. In this sense, being conclusive on these issues encourages lying, excludes justice, and forces the public to abandon things that should not be abandoned – and that, aside from lynching itself, is one of the biggest possible harm (244). It is therefore in refusing to conclude that Laura Wexler achieves the greatest success in her exceptional narrative and is able to successfully navigate the lies and deception of a confusing historical event by skillfully presenting them in the context of more historical truths. vast. , Laura. 2003. Canebrake Fire: America's Last Mass Lynching. Scribner; 2004. Print