The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi by Wright Thompson
Product details
Web ID: 20312128Powerful!
I purchased this book because Wright Thompson is the best sports writer on the planet because of how his articles are able to peel back the layers of what makes people in sports who they are. He digs into their family history, things going on at the time and he can bring anything to life in a way that literally no one else on the planet can. Truth be told, I didn't learn about Emmitt Till in school and I certainly did not know much about his family or the Delta. The book made a couple of references to Emmitt being used by many people as a symbol instead of a person and I think that Thompson really did a masterful job of highlighting Emmitt and his family as people. He beautifully and honestly highlights the emotions that they went through before, during and after the tragic killing that occurred, and he did an exhaustive amount of research to put everything into local and historical context. He also does a great job of exploring the past but illustrating what has happened since and how the event changed so many things for the families of those who were complicit in the heinous crime and those who found out the level of evil and malevolence that was allowed to fester for years. It is tough to read because of the content covered but it is so well written and is one of the most impactful and powerful books that you will read. Thompson poured his heart and soul into this one and we are all better for him working with the families to help tell a story that needs to be remembered but never repeated.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A History Lesson In Itself
This has to be the most comprehensive telling of the horrible lynching of young Emmett Till which took place in Mississippi in the summer of 1955. This was a haunting yet powerful book. Wright Thompson definitely did his due diligence while writing this book. I don't recall ever learning about this awful event while in U.S. History class in high school. Now it is someone I don't think I can ever forget. Thank you, Mr. Thompson. I hope others will choose to read THE BARN.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Hard Books Are Good To Find
This is an exquisitely researched, movingly expressed book that is equal parts confessional and challenging. It is a good book, but by no means an easy book, as the subject is at times unrelentingly brutal, and the brutality described so raw. Still, it is a book I could not recommend more highly
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com