Historical Note: Ax Handle Saturday
This book is a work of fiction. However, the Ax Handle Saturday riots did occur in Jacksonville, Florida, on August 27, 1960. Ralph’s description is obviously my invention, but it was inspired by accounts of the actual incident. The bombing of the student’s home and murder of the mother of ten are also real events that occurred in Jacksonville in 1964. The man who confessed to shooting Johnnie Mae Chappell was convicted of manslaughter and served three years in prison; all charges against the other three men in the car at the time of the shooting were dropped.
