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Emmett Till: The Murder That Shocked the World and Propelled the Civil Rights Movement (Race, Rhetoric, and Media Series)

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Emmett Till: The Murder That Shocked the World and Propelled the Civil Rights Movement offers the first, and as of 2018, only comprehensive account of the 1955 murder, the trial, and the 2004-2007 FBI investigation into the case and Mississippi grand jury decision. By all accounts, it is the definitive account of the case. It tells the story of Emmett Till, the fourteen-year-old African American boy from Chicago brutally lynched for a harmless flirtation at a country store in the Mississippi Delta. Anderson utilizes documents that had never been available to previous researchers, such as the trial transcript, long-hidden depositions by key players in the case, and interviews given by Carolyn Bryant to the FBI in 2004 (her first in fifty years), as well as other recently revealed FBI documents. Anderson also interviewed family members of the accused killers, most of whom agreed to talk for the first time, as well as several journalists who covered the murder trial in 1955.

Till's murder and the acquittal of his killers by an all-white jury set off a firestorm of protests that reverberated all over the world and spurred on the civil rights movement. Like no other event in modern history, the death of Emmett Till provoked people all over the United States to seek social change. Anderson's exhaustively researched book was also the basis for the ABC miniseries Women of the Movement, which was written/executive-produced by Marissa Jo Cerar; directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, Tina Mabry, Julie Dash, and Kasi Lemmons; and executive-produced by Jay-Z, Jay Brown, Tyran “Ty Ty” Smith, Will Smith, James Lassiter, Aaron Kaplan, Dana Honor, Michael Lohmann, Rosanna Grace, Alex Foster, John Powers Middleton, and David Clark.

For over six decades the Till story has continued to haunt the South as the lingering injustice of Till's murder and the aftermath altered many lives. Fifty years after the murder, renewed interest in the case led the Justice Department to open an investigation into identifying and possibly prosecuting accomplices of the two men originally tried. Between 2004 and 2005, the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the first real probe into the killing and turned up important information that had been lost for decades. Anderson covers the events that led up to this probe in great detail, as well as the investigation itself.

This book will stand as the definitive work on Emmett Till for years to come. Incorporating much new information, the book demonstrates how the Emmett Till murder exemplifies the Jim Crow South at its nadir. The author accessed a wealth of new evidence. Anderson made a dozen trips to Mississippi and Chicago over a ten-year period to conduct research and interview witnesses and reporters who covered the trial. In Emmett Till, Anderson corrects the historical record and presents this critical saga in its entirety.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Devery S. Anderson's Emmett Till: The Murder That Shocked the World and Propelled the Civil Rights Movement provides a full and detailed picture of the murder of Emmett Till and its legacy. While there have been numerous books and several documentaries on Till's murder, trial, and its aftermath―including the posthumously published Death of Innocence: The Story of the Hate Crime That Changed America by Till's mother―Mr. Anderson's book takes readers deep inside the political psyche and cultural mindset of Mississippi at the time. Emmett Till is masterfully researched, drawing on public archives and public collections to present the most detailed account of this horrific story. -- W. Ralph Eubanks ― Wall Street Journal

Drawing on new evidence and interviews with Till's family members, witnesses to the murder, and reporters who covered the trial that exonerated the accused killers, Anderson offers a very detailed examination of the murder and its significance in the long history of racial abuses in the South under Jim Crow. He details the lives of Emmett and Mamie Till, his mother, in Chicago; the fateful trip to Mississippi; and the aftermath. In a separate section, Anderson looks at how the story of Till's death reemerged after fifty years and sparked an intense investigation, including the exhumation of Till's body. He concludes with his own theory about the case and its legacy, a fund to investigate cold cases of civil rights murders prior to 1970. Photographs enhance this very thorough and compelling look at the murder that galvanized the civil rights movement and continues to act as a rallying call for racial justice. -- Vanessa Bush ― Booklist

Anderson's essential book―written as a compelling unfolding narrative―is clearly the product of exhaustive research. The book digs deep and offers a richness of information that is always meticulous and often new in its intricate specifics, background, and follow-up. Anderson combs historical documents, conducts major archival research, and interviews witnesses and others still living who knew Emmett Till, had some involvement, or covered the trial. As a result, this book is recommended for those coming to the topic for the first time, but also for those who have long studied the case. For those informed readers, Anderson treats the history with a detail that has not before been available. -- Harriet Pollack ― American Historical Review

You may think, as I did, that you know the totality of this tale, but you will learn much that is new, as I did. That is because Anderson has tracked down every source; read every testimony, description, and transcript; interviewed every living witness; and read the memories of the departed. He has searched every newspaper and magazine story, including the most obscure, and gathered every conflicting version. Where witnesses conflict, he offers the likeliest version and acknowledges the disagreement. He places this horrendous crime where it belongs: centrally in the civil rights movement. . . . This is a book that covers its subject magnificently. -- from the foreword by Julian Bond, chairman emeritus, NAACP

Devery S. Anderson has written the definitive account of the heinous lynching of Emmett Till in 1955, a crime that galvanized the American civil rights movement. Emmett Till explores the case inside and out, presenting information, evidence, and testimonies that have never been acknowledged publicly in sixty years. With over a decade of industrious research into the case, Anderson leaves no stone unturned. Thanks to him, this unforgettable book will allow readers of all generations to reflect on and learn of the true story of a fourteen-year-old youth from Chicago, murdered in Mississippi over a wolf whistle. Just when you thought you knew everything about the case, this book will unequivocally change your mind. -- Ryan M. Jones, museum historian, National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel

Anderson grapples with the Rashomon-like quality of Till's murder through consistently careful research and thoughtful analysis. This compelling narrative will hold the attention of readers who are otherwise unfamiliar with the case, and it is likely to be the definitive work on this subject for decades to come. -- David T. Beito, professor of history, University of Alabama; coauthor of Black Maverick: T. R. M. Howard's Fight for Civil Rights and Economic Power

No one knows more about this brutal murder and its contested legacy than Devery Anderson. In his long-anticipated and meticulously researched study, he has delivered, as we all expected, the definitive account of this case. Anderson has read every source, tracked every lead, assessed every claim, and weighed every piece of evidence in his passionate quest to know the truth. This is the Emmett Till book that historians have been waiting for, and it is the book that Emmett Till's legacy deserves. -- Christopher Metress, associate provost for academics, Samford University; editor of The Lynching of Emmett Till: A Documentary Narrative

Review

You may think, as I did, that you know the totality of this tale, but you will learn much that is new, as I did. That is because Anderson has tracked down every source; read every testimony, description, and transcript; interviewed every living witness; and read the memories of the departed. He has searched every newspaper and magazine story, including the most obscure, and gathered every conflicting version. Where witnesses conflict, he offers the likeliest version and acknowledges the disagreement. He places this horrendous crime where it belongs: centrally in the civil rights movement. . . . This is a book that covers its subject magnificently. -- from the foreword by Julian Bond, chairman emeritus, NAACP

Review:

4.8 out of 5

96.67% of customers are satisfied

5.0 out of 5 stars The Ultimate Book on The Till Case

C.S. · October 17, 2015

I have read many books on the Emmett Till lynching-murder and this one is by far the best. It is well written, extensively researched, and sensitively impartial. Mr. Anderson does not sugarcoat things. Unfortunately, Emmett Till, who was a mere child and not schooled in the nuances of race relations in the South as his cousins were, thought he could joke around and get a laugh out of his young relatives by wolf whistling at Carolyn Bryant. Little did he know that this act, the behavior of a child, would lead to his brutal death and become one of the founding stones of the Civil Rights Movement the way no other death of a Negro, as we were then called, at the hands of racist Southern Whites hell-bent on preserving their way of life, did. I grew up and still reside in the South, and race relations are better but not by much. There are today pockets of my home state where minorities simply are not welcome and are made to feel uncomfortable when they go there. Still, it is difficult for me to fathom how one group of people could treat another so badly for dozens of years, and how grown men could beat, torture, and shoot to death a juvenile just because he was 'Negro' and stepped out of line with a White woman. I first learned of Emmett Till from a book on the Civil Rights Movement many years ago, when I was a teenager myself, and the shock I felt when I read about his lynching death was so powerful that it never completely left my mind. I am sorry to say that I don't feel at ease even now with Southern Whites due to Till's murder, among others - not to mention that I happen to live in an area that is very redneck though I'm sure many people here would claim that they are not 'that way'. Mamie Till-Mobley's memoir was excellent too, but she kept insisting that her son whistled to get his words out as a result of the stutter he had after suffering from a bout of polio. Even his cousin Simeon Wright admitted that it was a 'wolf whistle'. At any rate, Mr. Anderson's book is the definitive one on the Till case and cleared up some confusion for me, such as the verdict not being an all out acquittal as others had written, there were 2 hold outs but they were not for convicting Milam and Bryant (of course), and also Juanita Milam's true feelings towards her sister-in-law (I always assumed that they were close). It was interesting to learn what had happened to those associated with the case, including the attorneys; I was quite sad for the prosecution team dying so young, though the defense I could care less about (I truly believed that Breland was a die-hard racist). Till's death has become a legacy of the Civil Rights Movement and this book tells the incredibly tragic story in a manner that is informative yet compassionate. How anyone could give this book 1 star is beyond me but everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion.

5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting!

B.B. · July 14, 2023

I have read many books and articles about the murder of Emmett Till over the years, but this book is by far the best account of what happened to him that I have ever read! This book is well researched, containing hundreds of references and quoted material from other books, magazines and first hand account interviews. The author obviously took careful consideration to write a book that accurately tells Emmett's tragic story. He includes details of Emmett's birth and upbringing, to his fateful trip to Mississippi, down to a very detailed account of what happened to Emmett the day that he died. This book is excellent for anyone wanting to learn more about young Emmett Till.

5.0 out of 5 stars likely more remote perspective I felt the need to study the issue more in depth to understand it better, intellectually and emotionally

M.F. · November 14, 2017

Don't put of reading this book.The spring of 2017 when I listened to this book found me emotionally very frayed, pondering the issue of racism in US politics and society. I am a white European, so from my, likely more remote perspective I felt the need to study the issue more in depth to understand it better, intellectually and emotionally. Racism, of course affects all countries, mine included, and needs be faced and dissected time and again.The book, Emmett Till: The Murder That Shocked the World and Propelled the Civil Rights Movement by historian Devery S Anderson had been on my ‘to-read-list’ for quite some time when I finally picked it up. I had felt definite dread, fearing that it might be difficult «to face» a horrific murder, preceded by torture. I did NOT at all look forward to «stepping into that barn» alongside Emmet and his tormentors. The author however took a long path, spending a good portion getting to know all the people of that book, including Emmet and his family, also explaining cultural and economic circumstances of people described. I was put much more at ease, and felt I was viewing the historical puzzle both in detail and from miles high.The book in many ways reads as a detective-story, driving the reader forward with genuine empathy and curiosity. Piecing the events together with first-hand sources such as trial transcripts, interviews and articles. The absolute absurdity of the grotesque «punishment» visited on Emmet for a tiny infraction on cultural behavioral codes was, I felt, put in as much context as historically possible. Many people, among them relatives of Emmet are portrayed as courageous, tenacious while still human, not fictional characters. Journalists covering the case play a significant role. All law enforcement officials are neither just nor heroic, (to understate it) but the portrayals seem impartial and are significant to our understanding."The truth will often incarcerate the guilty, but it will always set the rest of society free" (Devery S Anderson) is a sentence that conveys the hope with which this book is presented to the world. If I had seen this glimmer of hope beforehand, I might not have put of reading this book for as long as I did. I had no trouble focusing on, and finishing this book. It is compellingly written. It is important and is seeking to be fair and truthful in its descriptions. It is a tour-de-force.I listened to the book via Audible. In the beginning I took some issue with the narrators’, B. Church’s habit to inflect his voice much higher when reading Mamie, Tills mothers’, «parts». - I felt this was portraying her more infantile than called for. In time worked better as I realized he also inflected his voice this way for some of the males. Overall, I felt the narration was very good, allowing me to be submerged in the tapestry of life in Money, Mississippi, Chicago and elsewhere.A personal aha-moment: I realized that Emmet was born the same year as my mother (who is very much alive). Emmet should have been among us today, watching children and grand-children grow up. Mamie did certainly not deserve losing her only child. Nothing will rectify what happened in 1955, but we can – and should – learn from the events, carving a better human path. I am glad I read this book. I highly recommend it!

4.0 out of 5 stars I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book

A.C. · December 12, 2015

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The author did a wonderful job of uncovering all the sources related to this murder. I believe this book will serve an important role in anyone else that is interested in learning about the whole story, although, it has taken 60 years to come to light. The criminal justice system in the 50s failed The Till family, and the system continued to fail the Till family (and everyone else involved). At the very least, the most comprehensive attempt at the truth can be found in this book. If I may borrow a statement from the book, "The truth will often incarcerate the guilty, but it will always set the rest of society free."A good read. But one that you will have to pay close attention to. There are a lot of names that circular around, and sometimes it may be hard to follow the whose who, and such. But that's history, and is at no fault of the author -- who is merely reporting on the historical record.

Good book

A.B. · November 6, 2023

This is a good book for people looking for the story of Emmett Till. I would recommend this book.

How Low Can People Go

P.B. · May 26, 2016

It pains me down to my soul after reading what they did to this child. I am white but, you do not have to be black to feel the emotional pain and hatred that this story bring out. How can two individuals do what they did and not get punished. My sympathies to Emmett's family and all blacks who have been treaty badly then and now. I am sorry, we are not all animals like these two #$&%*%RGY!!!!!

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Emmett Till: The Murder That Shocked the World and Propelled the Civil Rights Movement (Race, Rhetoric, and Media Series)

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