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noahbw's review against another edition
4.0
I started reading this at the same time as I was listening to the White Lies podcast, and they feel like they're a little bit in the same genre -- a white man/men reinvestigating a civil rights-era murder in the south with pretty clear purposes that history is not past. In both cases, it is worth reading/listening purely to learn the forgotten and written-over histories.
The thing that I also found useful (and somewhat unusual) about this book is the way that it places southern and northern histories alongside each other. Because Emmett Till was from Chicago and died in Mississippi, Tyson tells the stories of both places and the highway that connected them for black people (like Till and his family) who continued to move back and forth. I'm not sure that I've encountered other historical or sociological works that so clearly bring together these histories as part of the same narrative -- and that feels like perhaps the most important scholarly contribution that Tyson makes, in addition to the importance of his telling of the life and death of Emmett Till.
The thing that I also found useful (and somewhat unusual) about this book is the way that it places southern and northern histories alongside each other. Because Emmett Till was from Chicago and died in Mississippi, Tyson tells the stories of both places and the highway that connected them for black people (like Till and his family) who continued to move back and forth. I'm not sure that I've encountered other historical or sociological works that so clearly bring together these histories as part of the same narrative -- and that feels like perhaps the most important scholarly contribution that Tyson makes, in addition to the importance of his telling of the life and death of Emmett Till.
rebeccanotbecky's review against another edition
5.0
Another excellent book about race in America through the lens of one of the most iconic and discussed racially motivated crimes in our history.
lukaron's review against another edition
5.0
Should be required reading in all US high school history classes.
palindromephd's review against another edition
5.0
Incredible to be in the middle of listening to this harrowing account of a dark outcome of American white supremacy when the case is finally reopened by the FBI. This book is moving, well-researched, and a must-read for modern Americans facing contemporary racial issues. I do recommend the audio book, as it really brings everything to life more than reading a book based around a trial does. I cried at work listening to Mamie Till Mobley's incredible fortitude in the face of her son's murder.
maddischro's review against another edition
5.0
one of the most impactful books I’ve read. definitely one of the best epilogues I’ve read. history repeats itself
txwitch80's review against another edition
5.0
Must read. Every single American must read this book.
"...the lynching of Emmett Till was caused by the nature and history of America itself and by a social system that has changed over the years, but not as much as we pretend."
"America is still killing Emmett Till, but often by means less direct than bludgeons and bullets."
"The glorification of one race and the consequent debasement of another-and others-always has been and always will be a recipe for murder."
"...the lynching of Emmett Till was caused by the nature and history of America itself and by a social system that has changed over the years, but not as much as we pretend."
"America is still killing Emmett Till, but often by means less direct than bludgeons and bullets."
"The glorification of one race and the consequent debasement of another-and others-always has been and always will be a recipe for murder."
rebeccarennerfl's review against another edition
5.0
A must read. Any review of mine could never do this book justice, so here is a quote from the book itself:
We are still killing black youth because we have not yet killed white supremacy. As a political program white supremacy avers that white people have a right to rule. That is obviously morally unacceptable, and few of its devotees will speak its name. But that enfeebled faith is not nearly so insidious and lethal as its robust, covert and often unconscious cousin: the assumption that God has created humanity in a hierarchy of moral, cultural and intellectual worth, with lighter-skinned people at the top and darker-skinned people at the bottom...
To see beyond the ghosts, all of us must develop the moral vision and political will to crush white supremacy — both the political program and the concealed assumptions. We have to come to grips with our own history — not only genocide, slavery, exploitation and systems of oppression, but also the legacies of those who resisted and fought back and still fight back. We must find what Dr. King called the “strength to love.” New social movements must confront head-on the racial chasm in American life. “Not everything that is faced can be changed,” Baldwin instructs, “but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
You can read a longer excerpt in the Atlanta Journal Constitution: http://specials.myajc.com/emmett-till/
We are still killing black youth because we have not yet killed white supremacy. As a political program white supremacy avers that white people have a right to rule. That is obviously morally unacceptable, and few of its devotees will speak its name. But that enfeebled faith is not nearly so insidious and lethal as its robust, covert and often unconscious cousin: the assumption that God has created humanity in a hierarchy of moral, cultural and intellectual worth, with lighter-skinned people at the top and darker-skinned people at the bottom...
To see beyond the ghosts, all of us must develop the moral vision and political will to crush white supremacy — both the political program and the concealed assumptions. We have to come to grips with our own history — not only genocide, slavery, exploitation and systems of oppression, but also the legacies of those who resisted and fought back and still fight back. We must find what Dr. King called the “strength to love.” New social movements must confront head-on the racial chasm in American life. “Not everything that is faced can be changed,” Baldwin instructs, “but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
You can read a longer excerpt in the Atlanta Journal Constitution: http://specials.myajc.com/emmett-till/
hollireads's review against another edition
3.0
This is such a difficult book to read, but such an important part of US history to know about. This book laid out the historical context of events, explaining the events surrounding this even in the south, and also giving the history of some of the main people involved. It was heart breaking to hear all of the information pieced together about what we do know about what happened to Emmett. It made my head want to explode to hear about the attitude of his murderers, and of those who let them off the hook. The trial was a joke. Emmett's mother was so brave, and so intent on making sure that this murder was not swept under the rug. It made a huge difference in the Civil Rights movement. The things he quoted the accusing woman, Caroline, as saying were so exasperating, and I wish she could at least have the decency to show remorse. I think she probably felt some level of relief in admitting the lies, but she also was clearly not wanting to take any responsibility or admit to her part in this horrific crime. This is a book I will be revisiting in the future, because there's so much important history included.
slider9499's review against another edition
4.0
I don't even know where to begin. The USA has come so far since 1955. But over the course of the past year, all the deaths, pain, hurt, protests, legislation have seemed to be for naught. We have a leader who yearns for the time so deftly described in this book. I am embarrassed for our country, for how our government and its citizens treated African-Americans in our past. And to a lesser extent, today.
This country owes a tremendous debt to Miss Mamie. For if she had not decided to let the world ”see what they did", I truly believe the Civil Rights Movement in this country would never have progressed as quickly as it did, although, not quickly enough IMHO.
I implore everyone to read this book.
This country owes a tremendous debt to Miss Mamie. For if she had not decided to let the world ”see what they did", I truly believe the Civil Rights Movement in this country would never have progressed as quickly as it did, although, not quickly enough IMHO.
I implore everyone to read this book.