Mississippi Trial, 1955

by Chris Crowe

Paperback, 2003

Status

Available

Call number

F Cro

Call number

F Cro

Barcode

553

Publication

Speak (2003), 231 pages

Description

In Mississippi in 1955, a sixteen-year-old finds himself at odds with his grandfather over issues surrounding the kidnapping and murder of a fourteen-year-old African American from Chicago.

User reviews

LibraryThing member Whisper1
Like his newfound friend Emmett Till, Hiram hails from the north and is visiting relatives who live in small-town Mississippi. It is through his interactions with Emmett that Hiram is able to see the difference between how he is treated as a white person, and Emmett is treated so very differently
Show More
because of his skin color. Surprised at the bigotry, this young man will soon experience a life-changing event.

In particular, Hiram is ashamed to observe that his grandfather is also racist, noting that blacks need to "know their place. " This story is told from the perspective of Hiram who is confused about why the hatred of blacks is so embedded in the southern culture.

Emmett Till perhaps made a mistake in touching the hand of a white woman when he paid for his purchases at the Bryant small store. Perhaps he whistled at her to showing off to his southern cousins. But, Emmett was a stutter, and to stop stuttering, Emmett whistled.

Emmett is new to the ways of the south. Living in Chicago is far less bigoted. No one was in the store to observe Emmett's actions with Carolyn Bryant. The boys with Emmett may have heard a whistle, but even they were not sure if it was intentionally given to Mrs. Bryant.

The depth of the story lies with the ethics of Hirim, who was concerned when Emmett Till went missing. And then, days later, boys fishing found Emmett's dead body. It was floating in the top of the river and a large object was holding him there.

When the sheriff arrives to get the body, he sees a bloated, severely beaten young boy who was so battered his eye was not in the socket, he could only be identified by a ring he wore.

The dilemma that Hirim faces is trying to find the culprit who so brutally killed his friend. His journey to find who did this takes Hirim to the deep bigotry of the town, and the price Emmett had to pay for not obeying the rules of the south, was that he lost his life.

And now, if Hirim continues to dig into the truth, he too may pay a heavy price, and the information he knows is not easy to carry.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Kristelh
Reason Read; alpha, ROOT
Fiction about nonfiction event. Jim Crow in the south and the distortion of justice by social pressure.

Rating

½ (36 ratings; 3.9)

Pages

231
Page: 0.3772 seconds