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The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi
A shocking and revelatory account of the murder of Emmett Till that lays bare how forces from around the world converged on the Mississippi Delta in the long lead-up to the crime, and how the truth was erased for so long. Wright Thompson’s family farm in Mississippi is 23 miles from the site of one of the most notorious and consequential killings in American history, yet he had to leave the state for college before he learned the first thing about it. To this day, fundamental truths about the crime are widely unknown, including where it took place and how many people were involved. This is no the cover-up began at once, and it is ongoing. In August 1955, two men, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, were charged with the torture and murder of the 14-year-old Emmett Till in Money, Mississippi. After their inevitable acquittal in a mockery of justice, they gave a false confession to a journalist, which was misleading about where the long night of hell took place and who was involved. In fact, Wright Thompson reveals, at least nine people can be placed at the scene, which was inside the barn of one of the killers, on a plot of land within the six-square-mile grid whose official name is Township 22 North, Range 4 West, Section 2, West Half, fabled in the Delta of myth as the birthplace of the blues on nearby Dockery Plantation. Even in the context of the brutal caste regime of the time, the four-hour torture and murder of a boy barely in his teens for whistling at a young white woman was acutely depraved; Till’s mother Mamie Till-Mobley’s decision to keep the casket open seared the crime indelibly into American consciousness. Wright Thompson has a deep understanding of this story—the world of the families of both Emmett Till and his killers, and all the forces that aligned to place them together on that spot on the map. As he shows, the full horror of the crime was its inevitability, and how much about it we still need to understand. Ultimately this is a story about property, and money, and power. It implicates all of us. In The Barn, Thompson befriends the few people who have been engaged in the hard, fearful business of bringing the truth to light, people like Wheeler Parker, Emmett Till’s friend, who came down from Chicago with him that summer, and is the last person alive to know him well. Wheeler Parker’s journey to put the killing floor of the barn on the map of Township 22 North, Range 4 West, Section 2, West Half, and the Delta, and America, is a journey we all need to go on if this country is to heal from its oldest, deepest wound.
430 pages, Hardcover
First published September 24, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,211 reviews
September 20, 2024
I really liked this book overall. The idea of the project is needed and telling this moment in American history as such (as opposed to Black history) is extremely powerful. A white Mississippi man owning the violent history of the place is really powerful and makes it make sense why HE of all people should tell this story, which going in, I was unclear about. There is some real craft in this book, but that does get away from Thompson a few times with sentences that try to do too much. The book is too long and loses focus but it does always come back to itself. The ending feels overly optimistic, but I think that tracks a bit with who is telling the story and why. This is a very good work of narrative nonfiction that is taking very big swings.
March 2, 2025
This is the kind of accounting necessary across all US history and US lands that is necessary if we are ever to have true spiritual reconciliation, healing, and compensation in this country.
I was in my 40s before I knew Emmett Till's name. That's a true shame. Schools should be teaching about his murder right alongside Rosa Parks (well, except in Florida where her name was erased from all history textbooks).
When I heard about Till, it was from a magazine article marking the anniversary of his murder. It had an outline of events and some basic facts. It was probably a three- or four-page article that covered only what happened at the time and how it's still an open wound in the US racial identity.
This book takes it much farther than that in both directions. It starts even before the Civil War and ends with a two-day celebration of Till's life in 2023. Thompson identifies the root causes that set up the environment and circumstances leading to the murder (e.g., if the cotton industry hadn't fallen, Till's great-uncle would not have been sharecropping, and Emmett would not have had a place to visit). On the other end of the timeline, Thompson follows what happened to the Milams and Bryants after the trial. Thompson also talks about other key points in Civil Rights and US Black history that continue to cry out in pain, including George Floyd.
Thompson also went into a lot more detail about the trial, the defendants, and their legal strategies (if you can call it that) than I previously knew. Their accusations of Mamie Till-Mobley trying to gaslight the white community, however, was obnoxious, disgusting, and shameful - almost as shameful as the hate crime itself.
I think this is the way history should be taught, because it's never just a point in time. Everything is a result of something, and everything has a lasting impression (however long or short) afterward. And as long as we refuse to learn, we will continue to live in trauma. As a former coach once taught me, what we resist shall persist.
Rounding up to 5.
I was in my 40s before I knew Emmett Till's name. That's a true shame. Schools should be teaching about his murder right alongside Rosa Parks (well, except in Florida where her name was erased from all history textbooks).
When I heard about Till, it was from a magazine article marking the anniversary of his murder. It had an outline of events and some basic facts. It was probably a three- or four-page article that covered only what happened at the time and how it's still an open wound in the US racial identity.
This book takes it much farther than that in both directions. It starts even before the Civil War and ends with a two-day celebration of Till's life in 2023. Thompson identifies the root causes that set up the environment and circumstances leading to the murder (e.g., if the cotton industry hadn't fallen, Till's great-uncle would not have been sharecropping, and Emmett would not have had a place to visit). On the other end of the timeline, Thompson follows what happened to the Milams and Bryants after the trial. Thompson also talks about other key points in Civil Rights and US Black history that continue to cry out in pain, including George Floyd.
Thompson also went into a lot more detail about the trial, the defendants, and their legal strategies (if you can call it that) than I previously knew. Their accusations of Mamie Till-Mobley trying to gaslight the white community, however, was obnoxious, disgusting, and shameful - almost as shameful as the hate crime itself.
I think this is the way history should be taught, because it's never just a point in time. Everything is a result of something, and everything has a lasting impression (however long or short) afterward. And as long as we refuse to learn, we will continue to live in trauma. As a former coach once taught me, what we resist shall persist.
Rounding up to 5.
July 17, 2024
4.5 Admittedly, I typically read for entertainment, but occasionally I run across a book that I know will be a hard but necessary read. Such is the case with The Barn. I first fell in love with Wright Thompson’s writing with Pappyland and was eager to read his deep dive into the Emmett Till lynching that took place close to his family’s farm in the Mississippi Delta. Emmett Till was only 14 years old visiting Mississippi from Chicago when he made the fatal mistake of whistling at a white woman not knowing the unwritten rules that flirting with a white woman was equivalent to a death sentence in Jim Crow Mississippi in 1955. I was familiar with the case but really soaked in the story of abhorrent injustice and resilience of the Black population in both the Mississippi Delta and Chicago. I was DEEPLY moved by this book and I am so thankful to know more about the story. It was only recently that Congress made lynching a federal crime and the bill was named after Emmett.
October 13, 2024
I’d love to give this book another shot in the future, as I love Thompson’s previous works. The Barn’s subject matter is vitally important for everyone to learn more about; however, the manner in which the plethora of names, locations, addresses and historical origins are presented is disjointed at best.
I had a very difficult time finding a “flow” with any kind of narrative. Thompson clearly did a TON of research and reporting, however it often felt like he was forcing all of it into a single paragraph with awkward pacing.
I had a very difficult time finding a “flow” with any kind of narrative. Thompson clearly did a TON of research and reporting, however it often felt like he was forcing all of it into a single paragraph with awkward pacing.
December 24, 2024
I DNF after 90 pages. I was excited to learn about the case and history, but I found that 90 pages in I hadn't learned a single thing, or gotten a single feeling from the book. It is paragraph after paragraph of proper nouns--persons name, name of a place....back and forth, and not making any point. There are tons of vignettes about various people...but why do I care about Till's friend's relative, or the 3rd prior owner of the barn? I have no idea how this hook gets such positive reviews, other than virtue signaling, and people feeling badly about having an opinion on horrible writing and story telling because the topic is one of obscene racism.
Emmett Till's story needs to be told and remembered--but this isn't how to honor him, or teach of America's obsession with racism.
Emmett Till's story needs to be told and remembered--but this isn't how to honor him, or teach of America's obsession with racism.
November 12, 2024
Wright Thompson’s The Barn tackles the history of Emmett Till's murder with a refreshing, if not overdue, attention to detail that draws on deep historiographical insights. The historical exploration is where the book shines; Thompson uncovers perspectives that broaden the reader’s understanding of this brutal turning point in American history, making you confront Till's legacy in a way that feels intimate and powerful. His treatment of the subject itself is both respectful and thorough, showing how this tragic event echoes across generations and communities.
But where The Barn falters is in its structural execution. The constant back-and-forth in the timeline makes it difficult to settle into the narrative and leaves you scrambling to place events chronologically. Just as I felt immersed in one period, the narrative would lurch to another, disrupting the flow and making it hard to stay engaged. This flip-flopping of events feels like an obstacle to absorbing the story’s impact and, frankly, gets in the way of Thompson's otherwise compelling storytelling.
For those unfamiliar with the Till case, the book might be a struggle, as this shifting structure doesn’t make it easy to build a clear, linear picture. The historical content is valuable, but The Barn often feels more like a challenging puzzle than a cohesive narrative. While I appreciate Thompson's dedication to covering the material from multiple angles, I found myself wishing for a more straightforward approach that would have allowed the weight of this history to land more fully.
A well-intentioned two stars. This one’s for those already committed to diving deep into Till’s story, with patience for a narrative that doesn’t always make it easy.
But where The Barn falters is in its structural execution. The constant back-and-forth in the timeline makes it difficult to settle into the narrative and leaves you scrambling to place events chronologically. Just as I felt immersed in one period, the narrative would lurch to another, disrupting the flow and making it hard to stay engaged. This flip-flopping of events feels like an obstacle to absorbing the story’s impact and, frankly, gets in the way of Thompson's otherwise compelling storytelling.
For those unfamiliar with the Till case, the book might be a struggle, as this shifting structure doesn’t make it easy to build a clear, linear picture. The historical content is valuable, but The Barn often feels more like a challenging puzzle than a cohesive narrative. While I appreciate Thompson's dedication to covering the material from multiple angles, I found myself wishing for a more straightforward approach that would have allowed the weight of this history to land more fully.
A well-intentioned two stars. This one’s for those already committed to diving deep into Till’s story, with patience for a narrative that doesn’t always make it easy.
July 14, 2024
"We believe in the goodness of the people we love. We believe our ancestors must have shared our values because of the blood we share, and the land we share. We believe so that we might get up in the morning and walk into the light. But we know. Somewhere we know."
October 18, 2024
3,5/5 stars
I had hopes I would like this book more but the nonetheless it's for sure an unique reading experience. Personally I found Thompson's writing style and structure of the book at times confusing and causing me to get out of the story. He writes very 'novelistic' , which for sure has it charms and at times creates great beauty. But for me it didn't help in making the story clear and if the whole point of the book is to tell the story of the murder of Emmett Till and hoping to raise awareness with a lot of people , this seems to me a bit of negative. I'm a fantasy reader and I'm used to a lot of characters but here I struggles to keep everyone seperate because Thompson doesn't introduce them clear enough imo.
There are a lot of good aspects too. For one the writing is really good at times and creates great atmosphere which at times seems almost a bit Southern Gothic to me. The author also gets a lot of points by placing the murder in a long line of succession of violence in the South against people of color and by understanding that this is a systematic issue.
While It didn't fully live up to my expectations, I do find it a remarkable book.
I had hopes I would like this book more but the nonetheless it's for sure an unique reading experience. Personally I found Thompson's writing style and structure of the book at times confusing and causing me to get out of the story. He writes very 'novelistic' , which for sure has it charms and at times creates great beauty. But for me it didn't help in making the story clear and if the whole point of the book is to tell the story of the murder of Emmett Till and hoping to raise awareness with a lot of people , this seems to me a bit of negative. I'm a fantasy reader and I'm used to a lot of characters but here I struggles to keep everyone seperate because Thompson doesn't introduce them clear enough imo.
There are a lot of good aspects too. For one the writing is really good at times and creates great atmosphere which at times seems almost a bit Southern Gothic to me. The author also gets a lot of points by placing the murder in a long line of succession of violence in the South against people of color and by understanding that this is a systematic issue.
While It didn't fully live up to my expectations, I do find it a remarkable book.
November 18, 2024
The Barn is subtitled “The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi” and it’s brutal. Journalist Wright Thompson investigates the truth about Emmett Till’s murder.
Thompson grew up in Mississippi, not far from where this tragic, evil, fatal crime took place. The Barn is hard to listen to but an important story told in a compelling, narrative nonfiction style. It’s well-researched and though haunting, I appreciate Thompson’s work in sharing real American history rather than a white-washed version southern states are so often eager to present.
Thompson grew up in Mississippi, not far from where this tragic, evil, fatal crime took place. The Barn is hard to listen to but an important story told in a compelling, narrative nonfiction style. It’s well-researched and though haunting, I appreciate Thompson’s work in sharing real American history rather than a white-washed version southern states are so often eager to present.
October 17, 2024
The murder of Emmett Till feels like something out of a horror film or a Faulkner novel; a young Black teenager visiting family in Mississippi one summer who is accused of some transgression against a white woman in town and who must be "held accountable" in turn by the white power structure. His torture and brutal murder were the spark to the modern civil rights movement, but so many of the facts were lost in a confusion over geography, what exactly the inciting incident was, and who exactly participated. What's more, the state of Mississippi and much of the South actively tried (and tries) to suppress the truth of the moment, ascribing it to "a couple of rednecks" when the culpability extends deep into the root of our American original sin, slavery and its aftereffects.
"The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi," by Wright Thompson, is a masterpiece of nonfiction, forcing its readers to confront the brutal truth of the Till murder: justice was denied, and continues to be denied, because in a sense the crime is too large and too all-encompassing to be attributed to one or two measly motives. Tracing the history of the crime leads Thompson to follow it back all the way to the first crimes committed in Mississippi (the theft of native lands by white colonizers) and goes from there to show how the Delta came together to foment an environment where not only the Till murder but countless other acts of racial violence could occur.
This is truly a book with a majestic scope, taking in aspects of American and world culture that helped lead to the moments late on the night of August 28, 1955, when Emmett Till was forced from a bed at Moses Wright's house and taken on a journey from which he did not return. Till's death could've been just another Black murder in the Deep South, a lynching that went unnoticed outside the insular world of the Great Migration and the Black community of former Southerners living north of the Mason-Dixon Line. But in a profound moment of courage in the face of the worst loss a mother could experience, Mamie Till-Mobley held an open-casket funeral, with the damage to her son on full display. Thompson shows how the killers of Till, left off the hook by a corrupt and racist "justice" system in Mississippi, lived the rest of their lives as pariahs in their community and died miserable deaths ravaged by cancer (and hopefully karma). And finally, Thompson ties it all together in the efforts to turn the barn where Emmett was tortured and killed into a national monument, in an effort to ensure that the past is never neglected or ignored again. Because there are an awful lot of Republican lawmakers who want to erase such moments from our history, stories like "The Barn" are essential to keep us honest as a country.
There are tales of bravery and cowardice, kindness and mendacity, love and hate, within this book, and it's the kind of story that needs to be told in 2024, and beyond. Wright Thompson has written the most essential book of 2024, and it should be required reading. Don't let Trump and the Republicans tell you that this aspect of history isn't relevant anymore, because it is. May God damn us all if we let Emmett Till die in vain.
"The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi," by Wright Thompson, is a masterpiece of nonfiction, forcing its readers to confront the brutal truth of the Till murder: justice was denied, and continues to be denied, because in a sense the crime is too large and too all-encompassing to be attributed to one or two measly motives. Tracing the history of the crime leads Thompson to follow it back all the way to the first crimes committed in Mississippi (the theft of native lands by white colonizers) and goes from there to show how the Delta came together to foment an environment where not only the Till murder but countless other acts of racial violence could occur.
This is truly a book with a majestic scope, taking in aspects of American and world culture that helped lead to the moments late on the night of August 28, 1955, when Emmett Till was forced from a bed at Moses Wright's house and taken on a journey from which he did not return. Till's death could've been just another Black murder in the Deep South, a lynching that went unnoticed outside the insular world of the Great Migration and the Black community of former Southerners living north of the Mason-Dixon Line. But in a profound moment of courage in the face of the worst loss a mother could experience, Mamie Till-Mobley held an open-casket funeral, with the damage to her son on full display. Thompson shows how the killers of Till, left off the hook by a corrupt and racist "justice" system in Mississippi, lived the rest of their lives as pariahs in their community and died miserable deaths ravaged by cancer (and hopefully karma). And finally, Thompson ties it all together in the efforts to turn the barn where Emmett was tortured and killed into a national monument, in an effort to ensure that the past is never neglected or ignored again. Because there are an awful lot of Republican lawmakers who want to erase such moments from our history, stories like "The Barn" are essential to keep us honest as a country.
There are tales of bravery and cowardice, kindness and mendacity, love and hate, within this book, and it's the kind of story that needs to be told in 2024, and beyond. Wright Thompson has written the most essential book of 2024, and it should be required reading. Don't let Trump and the Republicans tell you that this aspect of history isn't relevant anymore, because it is. May God damn us all if we let Emmett Till die in vain.
April 20, 2025
I tried to love this book - I felt it was confusing and disjointed as Thompson told it. The truth needs to be faced regarding the murder of Emmet Till, and felt disappointed that this book didn't do it for me. A lot of people have disagreed and rated it highly - just not me.
December 18, 2024
We all should know about this sad story, but a much needed book for the history of America!!! It's 2024, and the racism for Blacks has not changed. There is still so much hate in America!! Why??
October 24, 2024
Stellar writing. Everyone should read this book.
October 15, 2024
We listened to this audiobook as we drove to Montgomery, Alabama. Illuminating, violent, revelatory, and heart-breaking. Truly heart-breaking. The author is brutally honest about his family's unwillingness to acknowledge their participation in systemic racism, as well as his ignorance of how his own actions perpetuated the Mississippi culture of hate and violence.
Southern writers craft exceptional stories - layer upon layer of ideas and narrative threads and explorations of character and behaviors that comprise a people and a community. Wright Thompson is no exception. He weaves a tale of Mississippi that lays bare its historical foundation built on cotton and colonialism and exploitation and suffering and murder. No wonder the 14 year old Emmett Till was tortured and murdered in Mississippi. Because he stepped foot into a living hell and he had no idea that he was doomed to his fate.
While listening, I was compelled to compare the experiences of Emmett's friends and family, to compare the depravity of Emmett's murderers, to the characters in The Trees by Percival Everett. I assert that The Trees is even more profound and necessary than his James, as it tackles how we can find a way out in the present day. How the victimized and brutalized African Americans living in the Mississippi Delta can claw back and reclaim their land and their future. The people who for generations sustained that patch of earth are staking their claim and are taking charge of the remembrance, the reconciliation and the path forward.
Southern writers craft exceptional stories - layer upon layer of ideas and narrative threads and explorations of character and behaviors that comprise a people and a community. Wright Thompson is no exception. He weaves a tale of Mississippi that lays bare its historical foundation built on cotton and colonialism and exploitation and suffering and murder. No wonder the 14 year old Emmett Till was tortured and murdered in Mississippi. Because he stepped foot into a living hell and he had no idea that he was doomed to his fate.
While listening, I was compelled to compare the experiences of Emmett's friends and family, to compare the depravity of Emmett's murderers, to the characters in The Trees by Percival Everett. I assert that The Trees is even more profound and necessary than his James, as it tackles how we can find a way out in the present day. How the victimized and brutalized African Americans living in the Mississippi Delta can claw back and reclaim their land and their future. The people who for generations sustained that patch of earth are staking their claim and are taking charge of the remembrance, the reconciliation and the path forward.
August 26, 2025
Consequential and very painful. This novel not only recounts the horrific murder of Emmett Till, but essentially excavates the truth within the Mississippi Delta. I personally remember learning about Emmett Till in my eighth grade English class that also lies in Mississippi. Thompson forces readers to ask themselves: What is the cost of silence? This book is not an easy read, nor should it ever be.
4.5/5 ⭐️
4.5/5 ⭐️
June 14, 2025
The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder In Mississippi is not the place to look if you’re wanting to learn more about Emmett Till’s story. It was full of superfluous writing that made you want to scream, “get to the point!” - and finally - “can this really be the point?!” If I wasn’t so vehemently opposed to DNF’ing a book (well, it’s more an obsession than opposition) - I 100% would have put this down in the first 20% or so of the book.
”I can draw from memory a detailed road map of the Delta. At Tutwiler, Highway 49 forks, the west route going near where Willie Reed walked in 1955 and the east route cutting down to Greenwood, where Reed was born. Highway 1 follows the river, through Gunnison, and runs parallel to Highway 61. Highway 61, where Bob Dylan sang about God wanting his killing done, connects Clarksdale and Cleveland.”
Most of the book chronicles ultimately meaningless things such as these, as well as lengthy descriptions of drives he goes on with the many names mentioned for unknown purposes.
”Jeff Andrews owns the barn now. His voice sounded real country on the phone. We set a time to meet at his house a few miles outside Drew, where he keeps his dental office. The road into Drew is lined with abandoned and rusted cotton gins. The potholes in town are six inches deep and twice as wide. In Drew, waiting on Andrew, I pulled up on a gray-haired country gentleman shoveling sand into a pothole in the middle of a city street. ‘It’s hell on an old man’, he said and then looked away.”
I certainly understand the importance of building strong imagery to assist in recollecting the main story, but Thompson seemed to be obsessing over land boundary deeds and locations just for the hell of it. It just drones on and on in a similar vein as the quotes I provided. Nothing really of use here. I don’t know what all the high ratings are about, except that perhaps people didn’t feel comfortable rating a book about Emmett Till so low.
But that’s the exact reason why I’m rating it low - because it’s so all over the place, that you learn very little of Emmett Till and his story. Yet I’m providing a star for the simple fact that this subject is important, so maybe another writer will actually tackle it again soon but keep to the topic at hand? I’d love any recommendations for a more comprehensive book on Emmett Till, not one just reciting locations on a map.
P.S…
My good reviews are coming soon, lol… I promise, I haven’t hated every book I’ve read so far this year. I just expected a lot more from this one, too, which made it all the more disappointing.
”I can draw from memory a detailed road map of the Delta. At Tutwiler, Highway 49 forks, the west route going near where Willie Reed walked in 1955 and the east route cutting down to Greenwood, where Reed was born. Highway 1 follows the river, through Gunnison, and runs parallel to Highway 61. Highway 61, where Bob Dylan sang about God wanting his killing done, connects Clarksdale and Cleveland.”
Most of the book chronicles ultimately meaningless things such as these, as well as lengthy descriptions of drives he goes on with the many names mentioned for unknown purposes.
”Jeff Andrews owns the barn now. His voice sounded real country on the phone. We set a time to meet at his house a few miles outside Drew, where he keeps his dental office. The road into Drew is lined with abandoned and rusted cotton gins. The potholes in town are six inches deep and twice as wide. In Drew, waiting on Andrew, I pulled up on a gray-haired country gentleman shoveling sand into a pothole in the middle of a city street. ‘It’s hell on an old man’, he said and then looked away.”
I certainly understand the importance of building strong imagery to assist in recollecting the main story, but Thompson seemed to be obsessing over land boundary deeds and locations just for the hell of it. It just drones on and on in a similar vein as the quotes I provided. Nothing really of use here. I don’t know what all the high ratings are about, except that perhaps people didn’t feel comfortable rating a book about Emmett Till so low.
But that’s the exact reason why I’m rating it low - because it’s so all over the place, that you learn very little of Emmett Till and his story. Yet I’m providing a star for the simple fact that this subject is important, so maybe another writer will actually tackle it again soon but keep to the topic at hand? I’d love any recommendations for a more comprehensive book on Emmett Till, not one just reciting locations on a map.
P.S…
My good reviews are coming soon, lol… I promise, I haven’t hated every book I’ve read so far this year. I just expected a lot more from this one, too, which made it all the more disappointing.
November 20, 2024
"The next day a crowd of dignitaries and invited guests gathered at the river site. There was only one member of the Till family present and she slipped off by herself. Moses Wright's great - niece, Sharon Wright, crossed her arms in grief. Her body language telegraphed her pain. She looked down into the brown water of the Tallahatchie River and a strange thought came immediately into her mind, as if some higher power had planted it there.
Emmett got out, she thought.
She thought about how many countless other Emmetts never escaped that water. His death and civic resurrection are remarkable because he did come back into the light, and because of that he became a symbol for all those unnamed dead who rest uneasily in the singing river."
The Author's family farm is twenty - three miles from the barn where Emmett Till was taken to be killed. Not only does he write about Emmett with dignity - he pulls no punches when breaking down the blatant lies and rampant racism surrounding August 1955 in the Delta of Mississippi concerning all the players involved in the indictments , the trial including the two murderers Roy Bryant and J. W. Milam who got off scott free - but did they - bad karma is a bitch.
Great book. One of the best I've read this year. Shows society back then at its absolute worst but ends with a strong uplifting message.
Emmett got out, she thought.
She thought about how many countless other Emmetts never escaped that water. His death and civic resurrection are remarkable because he did come back into the light, and because of that he became a symbol for all those unnamed dead who rest uneasily in the singing river."
The Author's family farm is twenty - three miles from the barn where Emmett Till was taken to be killed. Not only does he write about Emmett with dignity - he pulls no punches when breaking down the blatant lies and rampant racism surrounding August 1955 in the Delta of Mississippi concerning all the players involved in the indictments , the trial including the two murderers Roy Bryant and J. W. Milam who got off scott free - but did they - bad karma is a bitch.
Great book. One of the best I've read this year. Shows society back then at its absolute worst but ends with a strong uplifting message.
March 22, 2025
80 pages in and I already had to put it down as I've learned next to nothing about the tragic murder of Emmitt Till. You'll learn more reading the wikipedia article in 5 minutes than reading this book. The author details irrelevant mundane topics with very little relevance to the murder. Why did I learn more about the current owner of the barn and Thomas Jefferson's 1785 bill dividing Mississippi land than I learned about Emmitt Till?
The writing style is sooo hard to follow. You're hit with a TON of names and locations that it's impossible to keep track of everything. The book bounces around different time periods constantly. Nearly every other page it goes from some random historical time period to the author's present day tour of Mississippi.
I'm genuinely surprised this book has mostly 5 star ratings. Looking at the 1/2 star reviews it seems many others had the same complaints as me. A fellow 1 star review hypothesized that the many high ratings this book received is just virtue signaling given the sensitive subject matter of the book, and I tend to agree. The idea of educating the public about the tragic story of Emmitt Till gets 5 stars, the quality of this book does not.
The writing style is sooo hard to follow. You're hit with a TON of names and locations that it's impossible to keep track of everything. The book bounces around different time periods constantly. Nearly every other page it goes from some random historical time period to the author's present day tour of Mississippi.
I'm genuinely surprised this book has mostly 5 star ratings. Looking at the 1/2 star reviews it seems many others had the same complaints as me. A fellow 1 star review hypothesized that the many high ratings this book received is just virtue signaling given the sensitive subject matter of the book, and I tend to agree. The idea of educating the public about the tragic story of Emmitt Till gets 5 stars, the quality of this book does not.
July 3, 2025
Painful and deeply necessary; shows that history unfortunately repeats itself when you refuse to learn from it (or at the very least, acknowledge it)
April 21, 2025
This is a heavy book and an exceptional one. Thompson, as always, writes the heck out of it. As a Mississippian, he wades through the complexities of his own family’s history as adjacent to the murder of Emmett Till. The construct for the book is brilliant as he focuses on the barn where Till was killed and all of the historical and human tendrils that extend from it. This is a heartbreaking book. It is enraging. It is full of heroes, most of whom have never been heard of or have been since forgotten. And it is a necessary book, the kind of writing that we need to help us wisely navigate our country’s history.
July 13, 2025
I lost interest about halfway through due to the confusing structure. Not the book I expected.
September 18, 2025
The (dis) organization of the timelines in this book did a disservice to the very important story it told.
February 15, 2025
Honestly don’t consider myself smart enough to write a review this book deserves, but here’s a few thoughts.
1. I deeply appreciate the intimate honesty, obvious effort, and dedication to human dignity Thompson put into this book.
2. Born and raised one state over from the Delta and currently living a stone’s throw from 16th Street Baptist Church, this book made me realize how much of our history has been buried - intentionally or not.
3. Thompson does an incredible job of explaining the systems that anyone from the Deep South has heard of if not seen. He repeats the question “why” in reference to Tull’s murder and slowly but surely answers this for you with thorough history, psychological profiles, and most focused - the land of the Delta itself.
4. The focus, compassion, and respect given to the Till, Wright, and Parker families is beautiful and moving.
5. The book is pretty opinionated, but I didn’t mind. The story and the material is personal to Thompson it’s only right that he inserts emotion.
Would recommend this read 1000x over.
1. I deeply appreciate the intimate honesty, obvious effort, and dedication to human dignity Thompson put into this book.
2. Born and raised one state over from the Delta and currently living a stone’s throw from 16th Street Baptist Church, this book made me realize how much of our history has been buried - intentionally or not.
3. Thompson does an incredible job of explaining the systems that anyone from the Deep South has heard of if not seen. He repeats the question “why” in reference to Tull’s murder and slowly but surely answers this for you with thorough history, psychological profiles, and most focused - the land of the Delta itself.
4. The focus, compassion, and respect given to the Till, Wright, and Parker families is beautiful and moving.
5. The book is pretty opinionated, but I didn’t mind. The story and the material is personal to Thompson it’s only right that he inserts emotion.
Would recommend this read 1000x over.
October 29, 2024
A haunting and horrific account of the events surrounding the brutal beating and murder of Emmett Till in Money, Mississippi that no one in Mississippi wants to talk about. Thompson illuminates the secrets of the people involved and what really took place in the barn where it happened. This is an extremely well-written and enlightening work depicting a dark side of American history.
Many thanks to Netgalley, Penguin Press and Wright Thompson for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Many thanks to Netgalley, Penguin Press and Wright Thompson for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
March 2, 2025
Can’t believe all the amazing reviews. I had to quit the book because if I read one more time about it being a barn in township f*ckin 22 range some shit east I was going to lose my mind. Had high hopes for this book.
October 3, 2025
In the summer of 1955, two men Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam were charged with the torture and murder of 14 yr old Emmett Till, in Money, Mississippi. Both men were acquitted in a mockery of justice and many were involved in the cover-up of the crime.
Skillfully researched this is a story about poverty, crime, property, money, power and white supremacy.
Although a compelling read, this is racism at it's ugliest!
Skillfully researched this is a story about poverty, crime, property, money, power and white supremacy.
Although a compelling read, this is racism at it's ugliest!
August 15, 2025
4.75 stars
December 18, 2024
Wright Thompson's The Barn is the best work of non-fiction I’ve read in 2024. It’s about the life of Emmett Till and the hidden location of his death. But it’s also a revealing history of the south, as written by a Mississippian who believes understanding the place he’s from is both an obligation and an act of love. This should be required reading for ALL Americans.
A few lines from the book (which I especially appreciated on audio) that I don't want to forget:
"A cult is built on believing the absurd if the absurd justifies the cult."
"Till’s murder wasn’t something perpetuated by a few bad apples…the erasure was a collective effort, one that continues to this day. This isn’t comfortable history to face. The more I look at the story of the barn, and came to understand the forces that moved everyone involved in the Mississippi Delta in 1955, the more I understand that the tragedy of human kind isn’t that sometimes a few depraved individuals do what the rest of us could never do, it’s that the rest of us hide those hateful things from view never learning the lesson that hate grows stronger and more resistant when it’s pushed underground. There lies the true horror of Emmet Till’s murder and the undeserved gift of his martyrdom. Empathy only lives at the intersection of facts and imagination and once you know his story, you can’t unknow it. Once you connect all the dots, there’s almost nowhere they don’t lead. Which is why so many have fought literally and figuratively for so long to keep their reality from view."
"Buried violence is just a perennial bulb that is fertilized by fear and watered by insecurity."
"Responsibility for the status quo falls on the heads of every person benefiting from the status quo but the overriding urge and inherent moral imperative is to protect the land. It is not what we do, but what we do not do, for which we are accountable ."
A few lines from the book (which I especially appreciated on audio) that I don't want to forget:
"A cult is built on believing the absurd if the absurd justifies the cult."
"Till’s murder wasn’t something perpetuated by a few bad apples…the erasure was a collective effort, one that continues to this day. This isn’t comfortable history to face. The more I look at the story of the barn, and came to understand the forces that moved everyone involved in the Mississippi Delta in 1955, the more I understand that the tragedy of human kind isn’t that sometimes a few depraved individuals do what the rest of us could never do, it’s that the rest of us hide those hateful things from view never learning the lesson that hate grows stronger and more resistant when it’s pushed underground. There lies the true horror of Emmet Till’s murder and the undeserved gift of his martyrdom. Empathy only lives at the intersection of facts and imagination and once you know his story, you can’t unknow it. Once you connect all the dots, there’s almost nowhere they don’t lead. Which is why so many have fought literally and figuratively for so long to keep their reality from view."
"Buried violence is just a perennial bulb that is fertilized by fear and watered by insecurity."
"Responsibility for the status quo falls on the heads of every person benefiting from the status quo but the overriding urge and inherent moral imperative is to protect the land. It is not what we do, but what we do not do, for which we are accountable ."
September 3, 2024
As a person born and raised in the Mississippi Delta, Wright Thompson’s The Barn opened my eyes (and heart) to the information I thought I knew, but was simply not the case. The Barn changes what I thought I knew about Emmett Till and his murder. Little did I know that I drove near the barn where this happened hundreds of times growing up. Thompson does a wonderful job tracing the history of this location and how it connects to events culturally, economically, and geographically - past and present. Although the murder of Emmett Till is the hub of this book, The Barn is so much more. Wright Thompson’s honest reporting of the facts allows people to look at their past for better or worse. He shows this was not an isolated event and details the need to keep the story current in today’s world. Mississippi, like all other states, is a bruised place with blemishes and scars. The Barn helps us to see this wound and ultimately accept it. Emmett’s cousin, Rev. Wheeler Parker, is featured heavily in The Barn, and I consider myself lucky to have heard him speak about his cousin Emmett. He is such a powerful speaker and a testament to the challenge of keeping Till’s memory relevant against bigotry and racist systems. The Barn is not just a civil rights book. The Barn is not just a geography book. The Barn is not just a history book. The Barn is an honest look at Mississippi and the impact of a section of fertile soil in the Mississippi Delta.
September 29, 2024
You know, broadly, the story of Emmett Till. You may know that he was lynched in a barn in rural Mississippi for the “crime” of not having been subservient enough to a local white woman. But you probably don’t know the history of the land around that barn.
Wright Thompson is a son of the Mississippi Delta. He grew up about 30 miles away from the barn where Emmett Till was murdered, and he unspools the history of this region unflinchingly—of the Delta’s white theft and settlement, of its rich alluvial soil and the rise and fall of its once-global cotton industry, as the birthplace of the Delta Blues through Charley Patton, Son House, and Robert Johnson as well as the one-time home of Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard Nathan Bedford Forrest, and as a hotbed of segregationist politics—and details how that past shaped and molded the land and its people until the forces of history and white hate converged on a barn outside Drew, Mississippi to murder a fourteen-year-old child on August 28th, 1955.
This book is a magnificent piece of writing. A history, and a reckoning.
Wright Thompson is a son of the Mississippi Delta. He grew up about 30 miles away from the barn where Emmett Till was murdered, and he unspools the history of this region unflinchingly—of the Delta’s white theft and settlement, of its rich alluvial soil and the rise and fall of its once-global cotton industry, as the birthplace of the Delta Blues through Charley Patton, Son House, and Robert Johnson as well as the one-time home of Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard Nathan Bedford Forrest, and as a hotbed of segregationist politics—and details how that past shaped and molded the land and its people until the forces of history and white hate converged on a barn outside Drew, Mississippi to murder a fourteen-year-old child on August 28th, 1955.
This book is a magnificent piece of writing. A history, and a reckoning.
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