I just finished this and have some thoughts. I think he does a fantastic job of laying out the history of the Delta and tying together so many storylines from MS to Chicago and even abroad. The research is top-notch and I’m certain Thompson’s Delta heritage, and overall national reputation, earned him trust and access that few others (if any) would have been granted in order to tell the story in such depth. It truly does a great job telling the full story of Emmet Till, the evil men who committed his murder, and those people adjacent to the murder that had a connection - for better or worse.
BUT…. My goodness can Thompson be insufferable. His white guilt oozes off the page to the point of being a distraction at times. I found myself rolling my eyes quite a few times at the bootlicking.
Overall, I do recommend the book. My knowledge of the murder was basically “Till whistled at a white woman and was murdered”, and now I’m not sure how much more informed I could be on the subject.
BUT…. My goodness can Thompson be insufferable. His white guilt oozes off the page to the point of being a distraction at times. I found myself rolling my eyes quite a few times at the bootlicking.
Overall, I do recommend the book. My knowledge of the murder was basically “Till whistled at a white woman and was murdered”, and now I’m not sure how much more informed I could be on the subject.
