Overall Take:
An engaging tail of Southern History
Star Rating:
4.5 Stars
Genre:
United States History
Synopsis
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.
Thoughts:
The Barn was a rather interesting book. It’s one of those books I went into based on the blurb but got so much more from it. I expected this book to solely focus on the case of Emmett Till, but as I mentioned, I got so much more. Through the history of The Barn, I learned of other egregious crimes that have occurred in this location over the years as well as educating me on the surrounding area. I am from the North, and oftentimes feel like the south is a totally different place. During the time period covered in this book, the south was almost unrecognizable from the south it is today. I enjoyed learning about the history though I did feel that the author got lost in himself at times, the sentences seemed to carry on and on. However, this wasn’t a huge issue overall and I really did get into this story. It was easy to become immersed in these pages, as the author did a fantastic job transporting me to the area and time and making me feel apart of the story. It was uncomfortable, and the story wasn’t a heartwarming story, but it is an important story, and one that I think played out more than we like to think about, so it is good to read books like this to learn. I think that the author did a fantastic job telling the story and presenting the facts in a palatable way so that I was engaged and wanted to stay reading.
I listened to this one thanks to PRHAudio and it is read by the author. I think that it was a nice treat having it done that way because it added an extra something special and he knew exactly where to add extra emphasis.
Publication Date:
September 24, 2024
Author:
Wright Thompson
Page Length:
448 pages
Publisher:
Penguin Press, PRHAudio
Thank you to:
Thank you to @penguinpress @prhaudio and the author @wrightthompsonbooks for the audiobook copy. All thoughts are my own.
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