A University Press of Kentucky book examining Kentucky's infamous last public execution has received the 2026 Kentucky History Award, according to the university's announcement Thursday.

"American Bloodlines: Reckoning with Lynch Culture" by Sonya Lea won the award in the University Press category from the Kentucky Historical Society. The book, published in 2025, combines personal memoir with cultural history to explore the enduring legacy of lynching in America, focusing on Rainey Bethea, who in 1936 became the last person publicly executed in the United States.

Lea, an Owensboro native, discovered a troubling family connection while researching the case. Her grandparents attended Bethea's hanging as newlyweds, and she is related to the prosecuting attorney responsible for the execution. More than 20,000 people gathered near the Ohio River in Owensboro on August 14, 1936, to witness the execution of the 22-year-old Black man, who had been convicted of rape.

Lea's investigation into Bethea's case reveals what she argues was weak evidence presented against him. Bethea's five confessions were given without legal counsel, a practice that would later be restricted by law. The book examines how historical narratives, institutional silence, and generational memory shape communities, while interrogating white complicity in racial violence.

The Kentucky History Awards recognize outstanding achievements in preserving, interpreting, and promoting Kentucky history across multiple categories including education, publications, public service, and community projects. Lea will receive the award at the Kentucky Historical Society in Frankfort on Saturday, June 6, kicking off Kentucky History Day. The awards ceremony begins at 9:30 a.m., preceded by breakfast and networking at 9 a.m., with a full day of programming to follow.

The University Press of Kentucky, the state's nonprofit scholarly publisher, serves all Kentucky state-sponsored institutions of higher learning and nine private colleges, with a dual mission of publishing academic works and significant books about Kentucky, the Ohio Valley region, the Upper South, and Appalachia.