Book Beginnings & Friday 56: The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap

 The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap by Paulette Mahurin

For Book Beginnings:

In the middle of the night, in the sleepy town of Red River Pass, a lonely telegraph machine clicked away, with no one yet present to receive its message, delivering in Morse code the news of a writer in England who had just made legal history for being the first famous person convicted of committing acts of gross indecency. 

- p. 9

For Friday 56:

Edra looked deep into Mildred’s eyes. They knew each other well and in this moment, like so many that came before, they honed in on what they felt and were thinking without words needing to pass between them. It was times like this, in their hearts’ synchronicity, that they knew the only answer was to continue to love, despite everything.

- p. 56

Synopsis: The year 1895 was filled with memorable historical events: the Dreyfus Affair divided France; Booker T. Washington gave his Atlanta address; Richard Olney, United States Secretary of State, expanded the effects of the Monroe Doctrine in settling a boundary dispute between the United Kingdom and Venezuela; and Oscar Wilde was tried and convicted for gross indecency under Britain’s recently passed law that made sex between males a criminal offense. When news of Wilde’s conviction went out over telegraphs worldwide, it threw a small Nevada town into chaos. This is the story of what happened when the lives of its citizens were impacted by the news of Oscar Wilde’s imprisonment. It is a chronicle of hatred and prejudice with all its unintended and devastating consequences, and how love and friendship bring strength and healing.

I don't know anything about Oscar Wilde other than some of his work as an author. So I wonder about this one. What do you think? Is this something you'd read?

Happy Friday everyone!