The Price of Borrowed Coffee

For those who’ve read By Hands Now Known, dive into a singular case of hidden injustice after eighty years of silence from the Jim Crow South.

In the summer of 1945, the law in Cooktown, Georgia, didn’t seek the truth—it sought a scapegoat.

When “Mae” Cook was found murdered, the town’s rage fell onto Charlie Lee Price, a young Black man whose speech disorder left him defenseless against a mob. He was accused, hunted, and killed without trial after already enduring a lifetime of abuse.

This is his story, decades later. His family refuses to let his name be forgotten.

Inside The Price of Borrowed Coffee, join his family in shattering the silence with a blend of oral history, archival research, and personal testimony. The true events of the murder behind “Mae” Cook unravel within the pages in more than just a true crime story.

Uncover and confront the legacy of Jim Crow, explore the effects of generational and racial trauma, and give honor to the man who was unable to speak for himself.