Jesus Tree

A Black man wrongly convicted of murder attempts to rebuild his life and bring the real killer to justice, in this historical novel based on a true story.

In the summer of 1932, Ben Jordan was wrongfully accused of killing a white pastor in Georgia. After a hasty trial, he was sentenced to a life of grueling labor on a chain gang and abuse at the hands of brutal wardens. But now, with his forty-year prison sentence completed, Ben is finally returning home.

As he struggles to understand the profound changes the world has undergone, some things remain painfully the same—including the hateful animosity towards Black people and the fact that the real murderer is still living the life of a genteel southerner. Working to rebuild his life and see justice served, Ben faces one confrontation after another—with friend, foe, and a daughter who thinks he is dead.

In this novel based on a real Depression Era murder case, author and Georgia historian Stephen Doster presents a vividly accurate depiction of Jim Crow’s long and painful legacy.

Writer and oral historian Stephen Doster was born in Kingston-on-Thames, England, and raised on St. Simons Island, Georgia. He is the author of both fiction and nonfiction, including two oral histories. Doster’s literary works are focused on Georgia and its coast. He holds degrees from the University of Georgia and Vanderbilt University and currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife, Anne.