hollireads's review against another edition
5.0
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.
jcpdiesel21's review against another edition
4.0
An important yet often difficult and at times enraging read. Tyson has clearly done an impressive amount of research, presenting all aspects associated with Till: his background, the alleged incident, his kidnapping and murder, the sham trial and and its wide-reaching aftermath. I had only been introduced to Till himself a few years ago via the short film My Nephew Emmett, so it was equal parts informative and heartbreaking to learn all of the details about what happened to him. This audiobook is another recent listen where a narrator uses varying vocal inflections to portray different individuals, and the pitch-perfect Southern drawl adopted for the defense lawyers made my skin crawl. I found Mose and Mamie's bravery displayed after the murder and during the trial to be particularly admirable within the face of such deep-seated systemic racism.
gnatie's review
4.0
Holy shit this book makes me mad and upset. It's really good writing and the narrator even does accents for a lot of the quotes (which sometimes makes them hard to understand, but it's fun to listen to) I hadnt known about Emmett Till prior to reading Ghost Boys, so I picked this up to learn more and boy oh boy was I shocked and appalled. Even if you already know the story, this is a good read. Even better and more jaw-dropping if you dont know about Emmett Till.
hkiley22's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.75
dstnbrwr's review against another edition
3.0
It’s disappointing to see how little things have changed from the time of Emmett’s death til now. The last chapter features Tyson mentioning some of the innocent black men & children murdered in the name of racism and the fact that now just 4 years after this book was published, there are plenty more examples of needlessly murdered black people just goes to show that this country is certainly not everything it thinks it is.
As for the book itself, I’d probably give it 3.5 stars. It’s a very well researched and clinical look at the systems & infrastructure that allowed Emmett’s murder to happen and go unpunished but it’s almost too focused on the infrastructure and institutions. It’s at it’s best when showing the ripple effects of the murder on things like the NAACP & national media and when discussing the unbelievable bravery of Emmett’s mother Mamie Till-Mobley.
As for the book itself, I’d probably give it 3.5 stars. It’s a very well researched and clinical look at the systems & infrastructure that allowed Emmett’s murder to happen and go unpunished but it’s almost too focused on the infrastructure and institutions. It’s at it’s best when showing the ripple effects of the murder on things like the NAACP & national media and when discussing the unbelievable bravery of Emmett’s mother Mamie Till-Mobley.
nicolemhill's review against another edition
4.0
"America is still killing Emmett Till."
I knew the basics of Till's murder. I knew the context. But to see the details up close and in sequence is gutting. All the more gutting considering that we are, in fact, still killing Emmett Till every day in this country.
I knew the basics of Till's murder. I knew the context. But to see the details up close and in sequence is gutting. All the more gutting considering that we are, in fact, still killing Emmett Till every day in this country.