The Ballad of Tom Dooley is
a literary triumph—what began as a fictional re-telling of the
historical account of one of the most famous mountain ballads of all
time became an astonishing revelation of the real culprit responsible
for the murder of Laura Foster
Hang down your head, Tom
Dooley…The folk song, made famous by the Kingston Trio,
recounts a tragedy in the North Carolina mountains after the Civil War.
Laura Foster, a simple country girl, was murdered and her lover Tom Dula
was hanged for the crime. The sensational elements in the case
attracted national attention: a man and his beautiful, married lover
accused of murdering the other-woman; the former governor of North
Carolina spearheading the defense; and a noble gesture from the prisoner
on the eve of his execution, saving the woman he really loved.
With the help of historians,
lawyers, and researchers, Sharyn McCrumb visited the actual sites,
studied the legal evidence, and uncovered a missing piece of the story
that will shock those who think they already know what happened—and may
also bring belated justice to an innocent man. What seemed at first to
be a sordid tale of adultery and betrayal was transformed by the new
discoveries into an Appalachian Wuthering Heights. Tom Dula and Ann
Melton had a profound romance spoiled by the machinations of their
servant, Pauline Foster.
Bringing to life the star-crossed
lovers of this mountain tragedy, Sharyn McCrumb gifts understanding and
compassion to her compelling tales of Appalachia, and solidifies her
status as one of today's great Southern writers.
More information about Capitol Reads selections can be found on the WVLC website.
